Council water, council rules
Kāpiti Coast District Council decided on 27 May 2025 to keep drinking water, wastewater and stormwater in-house. Your sewer connection is a 100 millimetre lateral in two parts: the council owns the length from the main to your boundary, and the length from the building to the boundary is yours. The two meet at an inspection point at or near the boundary.
When a Kāpiti drain blocks
Uncover the inspection point
It sits at or near your boundary. See whether it is clear or full.
Full there, or blocked on the house side?
A plumber or drain clearer frees it and you pay.
Clear there, blocked further down?
That's the council's pipe. The drain clearer must ring the council; skip that step and the bill stays with you.
Kāpiti facts for homeowners
Every connection metered
Meters and water charging began on 1 July 2014, and use has fallen more than 26 percent since. The meter sits in a box with a blue or black lid on the street side, often with the house toby.
New homes need a second source
All new or relocated dwellings must supply toilets and outdoor taps from greywater or rainwater. Where greywater won't work, at least 10,000 litres of rain storage is needed, which may need consent.
Wood burners and owners
At the 2023 Census the district had 23,010 occupied homes; 66.1% of households owned theirs and 11.6% held it in a trust. A wood burner was a main heater in 35% of homes (28.2% nationally).
Rivers and groundwater
WREMO names floods from the Ōtaki and Waikanae rivers among Kāpiti's hazards. The council adds that raised groundwater can sit on low-lying land for a long time and can't simply be pumped away.
Finding a leak with your meter
Turn off every tap and appliance, then look at the meter: a moving arrow on the dial means water is escaping. Shut the house toby and look again. If the arrow stops, the leak is inside or on the pipes to outside taps; if it keeps turning, it's between the toby and the meter. Owners pay for water lost through the meter, and the council can reassess charges for a hidden private leak once it's fixed, though not for visible ones like taps, toilets, showers or cylinders.
Towns on this coast: Waikanae and Ōtaki. Regional guides: blocked drains, drainlayers and our national leak check tool.
What we would do
Building a minor dwelling or replacing a house? Plan the rain tank or greywater system with your plumber and the council at the start. Kāpiti requires one for every new or relocated dwelling, and a home with two water sources may need stronger backflow prevention at the connection. Sorting both on paper first is far easier than retrofitting them after the framing is up.