You can submit your application now and have it entered into the system to hold your place in the queue. Unfortunately, we are experiencing unforeseen resourcing issues and cannot process these until mid-March. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience. From mid-March 2023, the processing of applications will resume in the order of applications received. Please do not resubmit your application.

Yes. Our expressions of interest form enabled us to collect some early data about areas where demand for more water might exist, but to enable us to approve your request, we need more information so we now invite you to formally apply for more water.

Yes - Please phone our Infrastructure Consents team for help on 03-687-7200.

No. Water banking for the future is not permitted.

No. You must choose from one of Council's Rural Water Supply Approved Contractors to ensure the work meets our engineering standards, so we can maintain it in the future.

Water allocation can be redistributed within the same rateable assessment number. However, you cannot swap or transfer units between properties with different rateable assessment numbers.

You can submit an application for more water on one property (acceptance would require you to pay a financial contribution for increased water) and voluntarily surrender units on another property. Note: there will be no compensation for units surrendered, but you would no longer have to pay the annual rating charge for any surrendered units.

Yes, you can but you should first discuss your application with the landowner as acceptance of applications comes with financial responsibilities. We may ask you for additional information.

Obtaining more water does come with some costs and it's important that you understand what this might mean for you before you submit an application. Use our cost calculator to estimate your likely costs.

Increasing allocation 
To increase your allocation, you would be required to pay:

• $500 application fee (this will be invoiced)
• a financial contribution for additional water, plus the unit rate per year.
• a rejet fee to get your restrictor unit re-jetted.
• you may also need to buy a bigger tank to ensure your tank size meets the policy requirements for 3 days storage based on an increased allocation.

New connections
For new connections, the following charges would apply:

• $500 application fee (this will be invoiced)
• purchase a sufficient-sized tank to meet policy requirements for 3 days storage.
• cost of extension of Council mains (pipes) to the site of your tank*
• you will be rated for Downlands water and have to pay the annual unit rate.

*Please note: the New Connection and New Unit fees do not include installation costs or the supply of the water tank. Water supply pipework/installation costs vary for each property based on various factors, including elevation and proximity to the nearest Council water main. This could be several thousand dollars and may even exceed Council connection fees. Please ensure you undertake due diligence and contact an infrastructure approved contractor for an installation estimate before applying. It is the customer's responsibility to approach a Council Approved Contractor to get an estimate for the cost of extension of Council mains to ensure this is affordable for their situation. The new section of pipeline will have to be vested to Council so we can maintain it and therefore has to meet our engineering standards.

Applications involving subdivisions must have a separate application for each proposed Lot. If a subdivision is intended, the Services Consent approval for Downlands water will not be issued until an approved subdivision consent is obtained. Approvals are valid for 24 months. An application fee of $500 will be invoiced for each application submitted.

Sorry, no. It takes a lot of staff time to process an application so we cannot give refunds if you choose not to proceed. If you're unsure, we suggest you call our Infrastructure Consents team to have a chat prior to lodging an application.

You will not be charged for your application if the reason your application is declined is that we cannot hydraulically supply the water to your property.

If you are eligible for more water, but can't afford to pay for an additional unit of water at $8,000, you could consider a half unit of water. This would provide you with an extra 500 litres of water per day, and the cost of this would be $4,000.

Note: ½ units are available between 1.0 unit and 3.0 units only.

For more information on eligibility and costs please use our calculators above.

We have 500 additional domestic water units available for dwellings plus more stock water. We will continue to accept applications until this water is fully allocated.

You will need to submit a proposed plan with your application showing where you intend to place your water tank. The closer you can place your water tank to the nearest water main the cheaper your pipework connection costs will be. Please email infrastructureconsents@timdc.govt.nz for a copy of a Services Plan for your property and talk to an Infrastructure Approved Contractor.

Because the Downlands scheme is a trickle-feed scheme, we use a small diameter pipeline to deliver water. The increase in water allocation may mean that we need to upgrade the size of some of our smaller mains. Over the last few years, we have proactively upgraded the size of some of our major trunkmains and some rider mains. However, some of our smaller mains will not be sufficiently sized to meet the demand for new/additional water.

This is why we need to check the hydraulic capacity for every application submitted. If the mains need to be upgraded to meet demand, there will be a delay in us being able to allocate more water, and you will have to wait.