Horowhenua District Council is improving firefighting capacity for local communities who aren’t on mains water supply.

This investment will see the installation of nine water tanks, distributed to Hōkio Beach, Manakau, Waikawa Beach and Waitārere Beach.

Eight of the nine tanks are additional resources for firefighters when needing water. The remaining tank will replace existing infrastructure.

Michael Talebi, Three Waters Asset Management Engineer, says “the new tanks will be a great addition to our rural communities.

More tanks will help support these growing communities and improve the firefighting service. We worked with several departments to establish the best locations for these’’ he said.

“The tanks are fitted with a standard NZ Fire Service coupling. This allows firefighters to connect to the water supply easily if required.”

Council will receive over $4million of funding to help support the investment into Three Water assets in the community. A portion of this has been allocated to increase fire-fighting capacity in rural communities.

The money comes from Tranche 1 of the Three Waters Reform funding, which is unbinding and enables Councils to continue investing in Three Waters services, while navigating the reform process.

As part of Tranche 1, Council also shared data which enabled the formation of a local dashboard, providing a better understanding of our Three Waters Infrastructure. Councils continue to consider the Three Waters Reform Programme, understanding the data and information provided and how that will impact the community. Councils have been asked to provide their initial thoughts on the programme by October 2021.

Visit www.horowhenua.govt.nz/3watersreform for more information on the Three Waters Reform Programme.

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