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?
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
-
52.5% Human-centred experience and communication
-
14.9% Critical thinking
-
29.9% Resilience and adaptability
-
2.8% Other - I will share below!
Loading…
