Otamakapua Rural Water Scheme

Northern Manawatū regularly experiences dry summers, creating challenges for stock water reliability and long-term farm planning. The proposed scheme is being explored as a way to provide greater certainty for participating farms and improve resilience during dry periods.

Reliable access to water can support animal welfare, increased productivity, provide greater flexibility in farm management, and help farmers plan confidently for the future.

This scheme has been in development and led by a core group of local farmers for over 10 years.

Manawatū District Council currently operates five existing rural water schemes across the District with the oldest dating back to the early 1980’s.

Farmer participation is critical to understanding whether the Otamakapua Water Scheme is viable and can move forward. Confirmed demand helps shape the final design of the scheme and provides greater certainty around infrastructure planning and costs.

Higher uptake across the scheme will reduce the capital cost per unit, making the project more affordable for participating farmers.

This is a long-term infrastructure investment designed to support farmers for decades to come.

Utilising the current design and demand structure, farmer investments include:

• Approximately $6,780 per unit capital contribution spread over three years with a total of 1500 units capital contribution
• Approximate annual operation cost per unit is $500
• A unit is defined as 1m³/day (1000L/day)

Kānoa / Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment investment includes:

• $10.173 million loan from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund
• The release of the loan is subject to approval of local farmers contributing 50 percent of the project’s capital costs upfront.