Tonight, Napier hosted drinking water suppliers from around New Zealand as they competed for the title of Best Tasting Tap Water in the Ixom Water Taste Test 2021.

This year three finalists were chosen from numerous samples entered from around the country and Timaru District Council was recognised as providing the best drop. It’s the second year in a row that it’s won the coveted title.

Proudly hosted by the Water Industry Operations Group (WIOG), the annual competition judges water samples on qualities like colour, clarity, odour and mouthfeel during a series of blind taste tests.

Judges noted the winning sample’s good clarity, clean taste and soft mouth feel.

Judges for the 2021 competition were:

• Graeme Thacker, Founding Member and Life Member of WIOG
• Seaton Rolleston, Sales Manager Water & Energy NZ, Ixom
• Jim Graham, Principal Technical Advisor, Taumata Arowai
• Richard Painter, Winemaker, Villa Maria Estate

Ixom Commercial Manager Water & Energy Nathan Swain says that there is an important reason for Ixom’s involvement in the taste test competition.

“Ixom has been a supplier to New Zealand’s water treatment industry for several decades. We’re proud to sponsor this event that aims to celebrate the sector’s unsung heroes – the water operators and the maintenance crews who work year-round to ensure we have safe water of a consistently high quality,” says Swain.

WIOG Chair Nick Hewer-Hewitt says that the general public would probably be surprised to learn the complexities involved in delivering high-quality water to our taps each day.

“This competition helps to educate the public on how reliable our water supply is, and how much work goes into ensuring safe drinking water. A lot happens to water before it gets to people’s taps, and this competition honours the commitment of those people who ensure the high standard of water delivered every day,” says Hewer-Hewitt.

The other two finalists for the 2021 competition were Waimate District Council and Palmerston North City Council.

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