---

Update #1: Friday 17 October 2025, 11;15am

Pongaroa Rural Water Supply Committee has completed the mains repair yesterday evening around 7pm. The excavated site is expected to be filled by 12pm before the raw water supply is turned on around 2pm. It will be a few hours before the downstream raw water tanks and lines are filled.

Tararua District Council has arranged water tankers to top up the reservoirs at the plant this afternoon, with the first load of 12,000L expected to arrive around 1:30pm. Potable water will then be gravitating to town from the plant’s reservoirs. Council estimates that plant operations will normalise by tomorrow afternoon once the raw water supply resumes.

Residents are advised that water supply may remain limited until repairs and flushing are complete. Where possible, please conserve water. The water is safe to use.

Tararua District Council, in partnership with the Rural Water Supply Committee, is closely monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as the situation progresses. Residents can stay informed via the Council’s website or Facebook page, or by contacting the Council directly at 06 374 4080 or 06 376 0110. Alerts will also be sent via the Antenno mobile app when updates are shared.

We thank the community for their patience while these emergency repairs are carried out.

---

Original Message:

The Pongaroa Water Treatment Plant has been offline since 5pm Tuesday 14 October due to a break in the raw water line. Since then, the town has been supplied from the reservoir, which was depleted around 9am this morning (Thursday 16 October) and residents have been relying on their own back-up supply.

Parts for the repair arrived this morning and the Pongaroa Rural Water Supply Committee is currently carrying out the repairs. Once complete, the raw water line will be scoured to remove sediment before the plant resumes full production and the reservoirs are refilled.

Residents are advised that water supply may remain limited until repairs and flushing are complete. Where possible, please conserve water. The water is safe to use.

Tararua District Council, in partnership with the Rural Supply Committee, is closely monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as the repair progresses. Residents can stay informed via the Council’s website or Facebook page, or by contacting the Council directly at 06 374 4080. Alerts will also be sent via the Antenno mobile app when updates are shared.

We thank the community for their patience while these emergency repairs are carried out.