Water restrictions lifted for Wellington, Porirua, and Lower Hutt.

This Saturday 11 April, Level 1 water restrictions will be lifted across Wellington, Porirua, and Lower Hutt at 6.00am.  This follows a cooler summer with consistent rain, which means there has been less demand for water and a greater amount of water in the region’s storage lakes. 

Upper Hutt will remain at Level 1 where they stay year-round.  

Average daily water demand, which is made up of household use, commercial use, and water lost through leaks, was 166 million litres per day (MLD) across the metro area from December to March – consistent with last summer and significantly lower than the 2023/24 average of 180 MLD, when we faced increasing risks of water shortages and severe water restrictions. 

“The upshot of having a colder and wetter summer means we haven’t seen sharp increases of outdoor water use that we typically see during long dry spells and hotter conditions” said Charles Barker, Wellington Water Chief Operating Officer.  “As well as the favourable weather conditions, work carried out by Wellington Water over the past two years has seen increased resilience across the network. This includes increasing treatment capacity at the Te Mārua Water Treatment Plant in late 2025 and our ongoing focus on finding and fixing leaks.” 

“As a result, there wasn’t a need for councils to put in place further water restrictions this summer. This is very positive and a strong case for councils to continue investment in leak detection and repairs, as well as renewing and replacing old pipes to keep the risk of future water shortages and severe restrictions low.” Wellington Water will continue to closely monitor demand and supply conditions and encourages residents to keep using water wisely. 

“Residents also have an important role to play. By continuing to take small, simple steps to using less water and keeping an eye on their wai,” Charles said. 

ENDS