'Definitely not': Residents refuse to pay 'stupid' excess water charge in Christchurch

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From reporter Tina Law:

Hundreds of Christchurch residents have already paid their water bills, as the number of invoices sent out has more than doubled in two weeks.

Some 9765 households have now received a bill for using too much water – a 150% increase on two weeks ago when 3913 bills had been sent.

The number will grow each week as more meters are read, city council resources general manager Leah Scales​ said.

People have eight weeks to pay their excess water bill, with the first invoices due in April, and 812 have already paid.

However, some are refusing to, including Huntsbury residents Heather and Randal Law​.

The couple received a bill for $45.09 after using an average of 1041 litres of water a day over 98 days.

Heather Law said she would “definitely not” pay the bill.

She said she would if it was averaged out across an entire year, rather than over a three-month period, and if the council refunded her when she used under the limit during the winter.

“I water the garden in the summer. I have a vegetable garden and a flower garden and I’m not going to stop watering it.”

The pair operate a small Airbnb at their property and guests always comment on their “beautiful garden”, Randal Law said.

He said he would be invoicing the council $45.09 for his promotion of the Garden City – the same amount as their bill to him.

“If they are going to charge me a stupid bill, I am going to be equally stupid.”

They did not think it was fair that almost a quarter (25,365) of Christchurch households could not be charged because they share a meter.

The pair are not alone in their opposition to the new charge.

Linwood man Phil Yarrall​ has not mown his grass verge since October in protest against the charge. He believes it is discriminatory, arbitrary in its application and nothing more than a creeping tax.

Yarrall said this week he had yet to receive a bill, but expected one to arrive soon.

Mayor Phil Mauger, who has publicly labelled the charge “unfair” and voted against its introduction, said if residents receive a bill they should pay it, but he hoped respite was on its way in the form of an increase to the daily limit.

Under the existing rules people are being charged a fixed rate of $1.35 for every 1000 litres they use over the 700-litre limit, which is the equivalent of 100 toilet flushes.

Bills have not been sent out for charges of $25 or less, so people have to use more than 900 litres each day over 90 days to receive a bill under the current rule.

However, the council is consulting the public as part of its draft annual plan on whether it should increase the daily allowance from 700 litres to 900 litres.

Any change would not be put in place until July, so would not affect households that receive bills before then.

The charge came into force in October, after being consulted on twice. It was introduced to help reduce the extreme demand on the council’s water supply network over summer.

If this could be achieved, the council would not have to spend as much money upgrading and building new infrastructure.

Water use has decreased by more than 10% since charges were brought in, saving millions of litres.

Cashmere resident Graeme Niles, who adopted a number of water-saving techniques this summer, said he had managed to keep under the 700 litre limit, clocking up an average of 645 litres, despite his expansive garden.

Scales said any inequity around shared meters was not accurate, because only 194 properties out of the 25,365 with shared water meters would have received a bill – less than 1% of the total.

Meters would be installed in those properties first.

If people do not pay the bill they face a 7% penalty and the council could use debt collection services.