Residential Water Meter Reading

The next residential water meter reading round starts on 1 April, and will continue for about two months. Please check and ensure that the area surrounding, and the meter box itself are clear and easily accessible for the meter readers to locate and read. Please move any pot plants that are sitting on the boxes.

The meter readers are allowed to read the meters between 7am and 7pm seven days a week, including Sundays and Public holidays. They will be identifiable by their hi-visibility vests with 'WATER METER READER' and “SBS” on the back. They also carry ID with them, which you may request to view.

The city is divided up into areas, with the meter readers starting in Tahunanui, moving to Stoke, through the town, The Wood, Atawhai and ending at the Glen at the end of May.

As part of the ongoing maintenance of the meters, some meters will be checked to see if they are still recording accurately. If your meter is being checked Nelmac will let you know if you are at home at the time. If no one is at home, a letter will be left in your letterbox letting you know that Council contractors have been. The test requires the contractor to fill a 10 litre bucket with water. If the meter needs to be replaced, the water will be turned off to do this. The whole check usually takes about 10 minutes. These checks will still be on going in June.

If the meter readers have access issues, e.g. the meter is located behind a locked fence or if you have dogs, they will leave a note with a new visit date. Should there be an issue with that time, please call our Contractor’s help desk at 027 286 7337, so that suitable arrangements can be made to have the meter read. Please be aware that if you don’t make a suitable arrangement or repeated visits are needed to obtain a meter reading, you could be charged a Special Water Meter reading fee of $38.25. Learn more about water charges information.

All water used through the meter is charged at $2.989 per cubic metre. This is inclusive of GST.

The invoice/statements are generally posted out within three weeks of the meter being read. They will be due for payment on 20th of the following month of issue. If your account has a balance of less than $10 or a credit of less than $10 and no water usage, no invoice will be sent.

Keep an eye on the Our Nelson newsletter for when water meter reading will take place.

Frequently asked questions