Work is underway to replace some of the first water pipes in New Plymouth city centre after almost a century underground.

NPDC is replacing about 306 metres of 1930s cast-iron water pipes in Robe, Devon and King streets with new polyethylene (PE) pipes that will be able to keep up with rising water consumption in the city centre and the needs of modern fire-fighting.

“These old cast-iron pipes were the very first public water pipes laid in central New Plymouth and we’ve seen them fail several times in recent years as they reach the end of their useful lives,” said NPDC Project Delivery Manager Sean Cressy.

The new PE pipes and connections will provide a more secure supply to city centre businesses, such as our lively hospitality sector, which serves locals and visitors and provides a lot of jobs.

“We know this might cause some disruption to traffic and we’re sorry for any inconvenience, but we’ll keep this to a minimum by drilling beneath the roads, rather than digging trenches to install the new pipes. We’ll also try to confine water shutdowns to times that cause the least inconvenience to businesses and residents. All our water supplies will meet New Zealand Drinking Water Standards at all times during this work.”

Footpaths and access to all businesses will remain open during the works, which are expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Fast facts:

• NPDC committed to investing $289 million over 10 years to 2034 to fix the district’s plumbing.
• Our district has about 2,026km of water, wastewater and stormwater pipes.
• In the 2024-25 financial year, we replaced about 5600 metres of old water pipes and 2,000 metres of old sewer pipes.
• This financial year (2025/2026), about 7000 metres of old water and wastewater pipes are scheduled for renewal.
• We have four separate water supplies in the district: New Plymouth (including Ōmata, Bell Block, Waitara and Urenui), Inglewood, Ōākura and Ōkato.
• Combined, these facilities supply approximately 28 million litres of water per day to almost 30,000 homes and businesses.
• The main source of water in the district is Lake Mangamahoe, which holds about 10 days supply.

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