Frustrations Mount Over Kutarere Water Plant

Monday, 13 October 2025, 8:03 pm
Article: Diane McCarthy - Local Democracy Reporter

October 10, 2025

Diane McCarthy Local democracy reporter Operators of a rural Bay of Plenty water scheme say the water plant the Government installed at their bore last year is not fit for purpose. The Kutarere Community Water Scheme, set up in 2007, provides bore water to around 30 homes - a number that is growing - along with a marae, school and kohunga reo in the village of Kutarere, about 15 kilometres west of Ōpōtiki. 

The treatment plant was installed in November last year, by Filtec, under contract to what was then called Crown Infrastructure Partners, now National Infrastructure Funding and Financing (NIFF). The plant is designed to make the water supply compliant with the Water Services Act, which comes into effect in November 2028. 

Filtec is providing support, such as remote monitoring, consumables and training for volunteers for the first five years before handing over responsibility to the scheme’s board. However, the board claims the plant is beset by issues and is putting undue strain on existing infrastructure. 

When approached for comment on the concerns raised, Filtec referred questions to NIFF. NIFF has said the plant is operating according to drinking water authority Taumata Arowai specifications and issues with existing infrastructure are the board’s problem. However, Board chairman David Horwood said water flow from the bore site had quartered as the pump, 40 metres below ground, struggled with the resistance created by the new system. 

“This has more than tripled our power consumption as the pump is having to work harder and for longer. It is producing only 61 cubic metres of water a day where it used to produce 180 and vibrating loudly as it is working outside its design specifications,” Mr Horwood said. 

He said before the plant was installed the pump was working well and when switched to bypass the plant as a test, it still does. Filtec’s first solution was to install a more powerful pump and in May this year, the scheme secured a $21,046 grant from the Horizon Trust to do this. 

However, while this would solve the pressure issue, it turned out the water softener, an integral part of the plant, did not have the capacity to cope with the pump's water volume. Filtec’s second solution was to fit a bigger water softener, however, later it decided it would be too wide to fit through the door. Filtec’s third solution has been to set the water softener to take out less minerals, which Mr Horwood said would cause the UV system to become less effective and need cleaning more often. It has also offered to install a bypass/blending valve so only some of the water goes through the softener, which the board did not want. 

The latest communication from NIFF has been that the plant requires raw water break tank and pump to take pressure off the bore pump. It states that it requires land use approval to install a suitably sized tank. Mr Horwood said he believes the break tank is an unnecessary complication when the simple solution is secondary pump and larger capacity softener. 

“It wouldn’t take much to widen the doorway,” he said. “It’s a poor community. Some residents can’t afford to pay much for their water and they’re paying what they can,” Mr Horwood said. 

The board has previously applied to Ōpōtiki District Council for rates relief because, besides paying for their own water supply and wastewater, they also pay water rates to the council. However, nothing has come of this request. Richard Kemeny, a local plumber who has been volunteering to caretake the system for the past 16 years, said he was on the verge of quitting due to the issues. 

“I've had enough. I'm ready to just go back onto my water tank at home and tell them ‘see you later’.” 

The board is also concerned about how much they will be charged for monitoring of the system when the five-year period ends. 

Filtec has responded to the board’s request for a fix for the situation by saying the issue relates to their local infrastructure and not the plant they supplied. “It is their responsibility to resolve at their cost,” they were told in an email.

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