Ōpononi businesses fear losses as Level 4 water restrictions loom

Ōpononi, along with nearby Ōmāpere, may have Level 4 water restrictions applied, which is a worrying thought for local businesses. Photo / John Williamson

An unexpected water outage caused some Far North businesses in coastal holiday hotspots to lose income as they had to close or cancel bookings.

Businesses in Ōpononi and Ōmāpere are now concerned a possible move to the highest water restriction will result in further financial losses.

The beachside settlements on the Hokianga Harbour had a sudden water outage on the weekend of February 15 and 16.

The Far North District Council (FNDC) said a leak in the water main almost emptied the supply’s storage reservoir.

Now Ōpononi and Ōmāpere were at risk of Level 4 water restrictions, the council said.

The restrictions would mean people in the area would be limited to essential water use only, such as for cooking, drinking and washing.

Ōpononi Hotel general manager Felicia Ewe-Presland said the hotel had been unable to open during the leak because of health and safety reasons.

“We suffered quite a lot, there was definitely a loss of income.”

Ewe-Presland said the hotel would not be able to operate if the area moved to Level 4 restrictions.

“We need our water to run our establishment. We need to be able to supply clean, filtered drinking water.”

She said the restrictions were a concern, especially for hospitality businesses in the area.

The Ōpononi Hotel.

Ōpononi Lighthouse Motel owner Tangi Cole said the leak hugely disrupted its services.

She said some guests cancelled their bookings and drove to Paihia instead.

Cole was concerned about what Level 4 would mean for business.

“It was really bad, our guests couldn’t use the showers or toilets or anything. It was very Third World.”

Cole said the potential water restriction may mean water pressure in the showers would drop to a trickle and “as a business that is totally reliant on overseas and domestic tourism – which still hasn’t fully recovered from pre-Covid [levels] – by doing this, it would give us bad reviews”.

FNDC head of infrastructure Tanya Proctor said the timing of the leak was very unfortunate.

“It was particularly difficult to locate and was finally repaired on Sunday.”

The council said residents and visitors were urged to conserve water to allow the reservoir to refill, in the hope of avoiding Level 4 water restrictions.

Proctor said it had been disappointing that despite Level 3 water restrictions being in place for Ōpononi and Ōmāpere since mid-January, there had been reports of people washing cars and boats during the impacted weekend.

“Level 3 water restrictions ban the use of hoses, outdoor sprinklers and irrigation systems.”

Proctor said there was a danger that both towns may run out of water.

The reservoir refill was taking longer because of very low flows in the Waiotemarama Stream, which is the primary water source for the towns, council said.

Ongoing dry weather has seen levels in the stream fall close to the minimum consent levels granted by Northland Regional Council.

Proctor said the Waiotemarama Stream is very vulnerable to dry conditions, and drought remained a real possibility for some areas of the Far North.

Water restrictions are currently in place across the district to protect water sources.

Ōpononi-Ōmāpere remain on Level 3 water restrictions, along with the Ōmanaia and Rāwene water supplies. Dargaville and Baylys Beach, in Kaipara, are also under Level 3 restrictions.

Level 2 water restrictions – which ban the use of outdoor sprinklers or irrigation systems – continue to apply in Kawakawa-Moerewa, Kerikeri-Waipapa and Paihia-Ōpua-Waitangi.

Kaitāia, Kaikohe-Ngāwhā and Ōkaihau will remain at Level 1, where no restrictions apply but customers are encouraged to use water sensibly.

Whangārei currently has no water restrictions in place.