Latest news with #TimaruDistrict
RNZ News
7 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Timaru blows rivals out of the water again
Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Fly to Timaru and taste the country's top water - that's the invitation from the city's mayor Nigel Bowen after its latest success. Timaru District Council's Seadown water supply has been crowned the best tasting tap water in New Zealand in the 2025 IXOM National Water Taste Test competition . It's the third time the city has won the contest in the last six years. The samples were drawn from a scheme that is one of 13 the city runs and its location next to the Timaru airport prompted Bowen to invite people from around the country to come and sample it. Water Industry Operations Group of New Zealand chairperson Joshua McIndoe said the four finalists were judged on four criteria: colour, clarity, odour and taste. He said the water from Rotorua and Taupō were both from surface water catchments, while Timaru and Waimakariri were both bore water supplies. Bowen said he was very proud as it was an exciting success for the city. "I think it puts a lot of focus on what a cool thing it is for local government as far as what we need to provide and invest in for the country." Judges said the water didn't taste too much of chlorine and had some earthy tones. Bowen said the samples were taken from the small Seadown Water Scheme which covers about 500 hectares covering 450 households and close to the airport. "So if you fly into Timaru you can taste the best water in the country on arrival. But it is really good water." The source was a shallow well next to the Opihi River. "So really good source water and there's not a lot of treatment. It's a little bit of chlorine and ultra-violet so it does speak to the quality of the source water and also the great job that our team in water do." The city had won the competition three times and each time had used a different scheme for its entry so it was testimony to the work of the city's water engineers, Bowen said. Timaru will represent New Zealand at the trans-Tasman water taste-off in Australia in July. Asked if the city could win "the Bledisloe Cup" for water supremacy, Bowen assured Morning Report host Paddy Gower the city would be "putting its best foot forward. I'm sure we'll do pretty well".
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Council Seeks Community Feedback On Annual Plan
Timaru District Council is opening its annual check-in with the community as it works towards its Annual Plan for 2025-26. Every year a council has to publish an annual plan for the next financial year, based on the Long Term Plan it publishes every three years, and this offers the community the opportunity to feed back to councillors on what they think about it. An information brochure has been printed in today's Courier, it outlines the main changes from what was planned for year 2 of our Long Term Plan, gives an overview of the council's financial situation, what's happening over the next few years and has some examples of how that will affect the rates bills of residential, rural and commercial properties. You can also access the information and provide feedback online at One of the largest changes is the reduction of the proposed overall rates increase from 12% to 9%. It's important to note that this is only the overall percentage of rates being collected, every individual property is different due to the services it receives, the type of property and where it is. Timaru District Mayor Nigel Bowen said that the plan they are proposing to adopt was the best option to find a balance between cost savings and investment in the community infrastructure and facilities needed to create a growth enabling environment in the Timaru District. 'We've heard the community clearly that they feel we need to cut our cloth, so have been working hard to cut costs and increase efficiency to counter the increasing costs we've faced,' he said. 'While people understandably look at the large projects with large price tags like the Stadium and Theatre, they have a far smaller effect on your rates bills as they are paid off over a long period of time. To lower the rates requirement for today's ratepayers we need to look at the smaller day to day costs. 'For example, we have undertaken a project looking at all the surplus land we own and putting everything we can up for sale. We've also been looking at all the services we use from printers to electricity to IT equipment to see if we're getting the best deal. 'Another cost saving is looking to minimise the use of contractors and consultants where we can, and bringing services in house where it makes sense from a financial or service perspective. 'This work by council staff is having a positive effect on our bottom line, and due to this we are proposing to bring the 12% planned rates rise in our Long Term Plan down to 9%. 'In the document we're publishing today we lay out the challenges we face and our suggested solutions to help Timaru District continue to be a great place to live. We really want to hear what you think about them and we welcome any ideas you may have.' You can provide feedback to council from now until 5pm on Friday 23rd May. The best way to do so is through our online form at but you can also drop in a hard copy submission at any Timaru District Council facility.
