Hamilton City Council is pulling back the (shower) curtain on the full journey of water - from river to tap and back again - in a new education campaign aimed at raising awareness about the future of water services for Hamiltonians.

Well-known New Zealand entertainment personality, Te Radar, fronts the campaign as a self-proclaimed water enthusiast.

With a 20-year background hosting water industry events and awards, Te Radar is no stranger to a wastewater treatment plant but is still surprised by the work councils do to deliver this essential service to its communities.

“I doubt most of us flush our toilet and stare into the vortex thinking, well, where did that all go?

“But when you do think about it, it’s mind boggling that Hamilton’s wastewater plant has piped into it 60 million litres of human waste every single day, which they have to screen, treat, and return to the river at a standard that meets or exceeds government regulation. It's a huge task."

Council’s Unit Director Three Waters, Maire Porter, agreed that while everyone knows how important water is, most people don’t think about how Council keeps the taps running, toilets flushing, and protects the environment and the Waikato River.

“We process 750 litres of drinking water every second and send it through 1000km of pipes to reach more than 60,000 Hamilton homes. That process uses significant infrastructure, people power and controls to make sure we’re delivering safe, high-quality water.”

Diving deeper, Porter said understanding the importance and scale of the city’s water networks is more crucial than ever with big changes coming for New Zealand’s water services.

“Councils across the country are responding to new Government rules and earlier this year our Council decided to start the thinking on a new, Council-owned water services company that could be established by July 2026.

“Full community consultation on proposed changes will happen early next year, so we want to help our community understand the big picture behind every drop of water we treat and supply.

“It’s more important than ever that we pull back the shower curtain on water.”

Curious how water gets from the river to your tap and back again? And why water services are set to change?

Find out at https://hamilton.govt.nz/dripdrop/

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