07/09/2026
THE FUTURE OF KINCAID WATER: Are you interested in the scheme’s options moving forward?💧
Share your thoughts & discuss possibilities at our upcoming community drop-in sessions with CEO Ben Day.
The Kincaid Rural Water Scheme has served the community well for many years, but it's facing some important challenges that we need to start talking about as a community.💙
There has been significant rural subdivision and growth across the scheme area, and the scheme now has limited capacity for additional connections. At the same time, KHWS is developing its Water Services Strategy, which will help guide investment and service levels over the next 10 years.
The recent boil water notice and supply disruption following the July storm highlighted some of the challenges facing the scheme. While this was an unusual and extreme weather event, it demonstrated the importance of resilience and planning for the future.
Kincaid currently relies on a single river source, a single intake and a single treatment plant. During heavy rainfall the river can become highly turbid, meaning it carries large amounts of fine silt and sediment. This can make treatment more difficult and affect the scheme's ability to reliably supply water during major weather events.🌧
The scheme also sits just below the 500-person threshold used by Taumata Arowai. If the population served grows beyond this level, the scheme would move into a higher regulatory category, bringing additional compliance and operational requirements that may require further investment.
We want to hear from customers about the future of the Kincaid scheme.
Some of the questions we'd like to discuss include:
• What level of service do you expect from the scheme?
• How important is improved reliability during major weather events?
• How should future growth be managed?
• What investment priorities are most important to you?
• What works well today and what should be improved?
This is not a formal meeting or consultation, and no decisions have been made. It's simply an opportunity to have an open conversation about the future of the scheme and help shape future investment planning.
Meet with Ben Day, CEO
Come along to one of our informal drop-in sessions and have a chat about the future of the Kincaid Water Scheme.
Date: Tuesday 29 September
Location: Kaikōura District Council Offices, The Civic Building, Tawa Meeting Room.
Drop-in Sessions
9.00am – 10.00am
11.00am – 12.00pm
1.00pm – 2.00pm
3.00pm – 4.00pm
Whether you have concerns, ideas, questions or simply want to understand more about the future of the scheme, I'd like to hear from you.
Ben Day
Chief Executive Officer
Kaikōura Hurunui Water Services
