Your pipe and the council's
The council looks after the mains. The pipe from your house to the council-owned pipe, called the lateral or service line, is yours to maintain. A suspected leak in it is a job for a plumber. A leaking water main goes to the council on 07 868 0200, at any hour.
The council runs water and wastewater in-house and has chosen to keep it that way. Its pages don't say exactly where its pipe ends on a property, so ask it if a leak is close to the boundary.
Whitianga facts that change a job
Nearly four in ten homes empty
On census night in 2023, 1,551 of the 4,128 private dwellings in the Whitianga urban area were unoccupied. A house that sits empty can't tell anyone it has a leak.
Homes are metered now
Whitianga homes have had water meters since July 2024. Note every digit, use no water overnight, and read it again: if it's moved, there's a leak on the property, and fixing it is the owner's job. Once it's fixed, you can ask for rates relief on the extra water: up to 100 per cent for the first billing period, 50 per cent for the second.
Bach owners: toby off
The council suggests turning the toby off when you leave a bach, so small leaks can't do damage while you're away. Check it once or twice a year; if it's stiff or corroded, tell the council and it will replace it.
Summer nearly doubles demand
The peninsula uses about 13 million litres of water a day on average and up to 25 million in summer, when some communities grow 10-fold. Reservoirs hold about 24 hours' supply, and the council runs five levels of water restrictions.
First water of the morning
The council passes on Ministry of Health advice: flush a cupful from the drinking tap each morning, to clear any metal that may have dissolved from the fittings overnight. The risk is small, and it takes seconds.
Outside the town supply, many Coromandel homes rely on tanks or streams: see water pumps and tanks.
Licence before access
If a tradie needs a key to an empty bach, make sure you know who they are. Ask for their name, check it on the PGDB register for a current licence (a tick or green), and ask to see the licence card or app when they arrive. Licence check guide.
What we would do
Read the meter when you arrive and again before you leave, and turn the toby off on your way out. If the numbers moved while nothing was running, there's a leak to find before it does damage. Send us the job then, with when the house is free, and a Whitianga plumber who takes it will be in touch to arrange access.