Kāeo's water treatment plant has resumed operation after a 67-day shutdown, just in time for Christmas. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
A Far North town has received a very welcome Christmas present - running water for the first time in more than two months.
Residents of Kāeo, about 30km north of Kerikeri, have lived under a boil-water notice for more than a decade, but in October the town water supply stopped completely.
After 30 days with no running water in the town, Taumata Arowai, the national water authority, stepped in and ordered the Far North District Council to take over the privately-owned water supply.
Kāeo resident Anna Valentine said the taps started working again on Tuesday evening for the first time in 67 days.
"It's an absolute relief. It was so nice to just see the water flowing again."
Chef Anna Valentine collects drinking water from an improvised rainwater tank at her home in Kāeo. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Valentine said her family would now be able to celebrate Christmas without worrying about water, and she would be able to resume the cooking school she ran from her home.
She had been unable to run her business while there was no running water.
Valentine said a number of options for the town's water supply had been canvassed, but reviving the treatment plant was the best possible outcome.
"Especially for the businesses here and places like the museum. It doesn't have holding tanks or anything, so the ladies that volunteer there have been bringing water from home so they can flush the toilets this whole time."
Valentine said she had been kept up to date by the council as work to restart the treatment plant progressed.
Anna Valentine will be able to restart her business now the town has running water. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
"Once they got into the plant they just had to do a bit of fixing and cleaning."
She was grateful to Zap Water, the company contracted to top up water tanks and fill containers from a tanker truck parked daily opposite the Four Square.
Valentine said the town's boil-water notice remained in place for now, with Taumata Arowai giving the council until March to bring the supply up to standard.
While she was thankful an end was in sight to the town's water woes, it should not have been allowed to drag on for more than a decade.
"It's been way too long worrying about the water for all these years, but significantly over the last few months. It's taken a lot of emails and a lot of work to get people to listen and do something about it, and I've taken quite a bit of flak online for it. So I'm very happy for that all to be over - but I feel like people need to be held to account for letting this town down for so long."
Kāeo's water scheme supplies about 30 homes and businesses, as well as public facilities such as the toilets and memorial hall, along State Highway 10, the town's main street.
A tanker that was stationed near Kāeo's main road so locals could fill containers with drinking water. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
The town supply was originally owned by the Far North District Council but was sold to Doubtless Bay Water in 2000.
Doubtless Bay Water exited in 2008, saying the scheme was no longer viable.
It was bought for a nominal sum by Wai Care Environmental Consultants, which owned and operated the water supply until Taumata Arowai's intervention in November.
In August RNZ revealed Wai Care operator Bryce Aldridge had been trespassed from the treatment plant, which was on private land on School Gully Rd.
The land owner said he issued the trespass notice after he had not been paid rent for seven years. Aldridge said he had a document proving he did not have to pay rent.
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