From July, Aucklanders can expect to pay about $30 more a year for water and wastewater, after Watercare announced the price changes yesterday.
Marlon Bridge, the organisation’s chief financial officer, said the price hikes were necessary to cover growing service delivery and infrastructure costs.
“We are planning to spend $5.5 billion on upgrading and expanding our infrastructure over the next 10 years,” he said.
“About 70 per cent of the funding will come from our water and wastewater charges, with the rest coming from infrastructure growth changes and borrowings.”
Broken down, water prices would increase by 2.5 per cent from $1.51 to $1.55 per 1000 litres and wastewater by 3.3 per cent.
The price hike would increase a “typical” three-person household’s combined water and wastewater charges by about $2.30 a month or 54 cents a week.
Watercare’s announcement comes in the same month Auckland councillors adopted a budget lifting rates by an average 2.5 per cent.
The budget had absorbed some major cost increases, such as more than $12 million more for public transport costs and a $14 million blowout on the Aotea Centre refurbishment.
Councillors also approved the proposed $5 million contribution to a new accommodation centre for the homeless and needy, being built by the City Mission.
The move was praised by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.
“While this big increase in investment is coming, we have kept rates to almost the lowest in the country,” he told councillors at the time.
INCREASES
- Water prices will rise from $1.517 to $1.555 per 1000 litres from July 1
- Wastewater charges for domestic customers will rise by $7 to $225 per year
- The cost per 1000 litres of wastewater discharged will increase from $2.618 to $2.704
- For non-domestic customers, wastewater prices will increase by an average of 3.3 per cent.
