The Hawke's Bay Regional Council Water Information services team is running a pilot scheme with the support of Irrigation NZ.
The scheme offers free irrigation checks to growers to help them get the best results for crops and production costs.
"This irrigation initiative is the start of a wider programme where HBRC will be talking to all key players, seeking their support for efficient water use with a voluntary pledge to reduce use by 10 per cent," says Mark Heaney, HBRC's manager of client services.
Achieving that target could reduce the need for rationing, or reductions on take.
"We now have a better understanding of the use of our water resources across the region and the effect of taking water on the aquifer. "We are looking to the big water users, and working with local councils to promote responsibilities to conserve water as a valued resource.