Ongoing water payment issues
8 days ago I posted about problems we were having with water meter bills and things got more complicated! We'd always paid our quarterly bill by direct debit rather than paying through a fixed fee and charge based on our property valuation. After Council water section provided us with a detailed breakdown of our usage, right back to 2015, we realised that for the October quarter and all of this year for some reason our usage via the meter had shot up to about 4 times what we would have expected. Turning of every tap till showed the meter running reasonably fast which would indicate some sort of leak. We took to readings on Saturday morning, 1 1/4 hours apart - and the meter continued to run. So we've resorted to turning the toby off at the road - we have a rainwater tank which we can use water from for flushing the toilets, and a couple of taps are not mains pressure and toilets have header tanks on the roof for careful drinking/cooking water. A plumber is booked for tomorrow. We've also approached Council to ask if given that we had no idea there was a problem because they hadn't billed us for so long if some of the very large bill could be exempted. Watch this space. What I would say - how many Wellington households who pay their bills as part of the general rate have serious leaks that go completely undetected because people are not aware?
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.7% A week before Christmas
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33% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.8% Yes
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14.4% No
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2.8% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.