RIVER UPDATE & IRRIGATION WATER

October 13, 2025

This message is recorded at 5.30pm Monday 13th October 2025.

After Friday, Saturday, Sunday and now todays rain in the catchment the river has been up and down a lot. Over the last week the catchment has received over 500mm of rain. This is around the annual rainfall received on the plains over the year. We had everything ready to take water for tomorrow, but the river is on the rise again now and we will be in a position exceeding our operating limits.

Given we are so early in the irrigation season and the risks associated with damaging something in the flood conditions, I have decided to err on the side of caution and hold off on irrigation water delivery tomorrow.

The good news is the next major weather front is not forecast until this coming weekend so we should be up and running after this flood event has subsided.
We will keep you up to date with further developments or changes to forecast conditions.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to call me or visit the intake while the river is in flood. I can organise a site visit so you can understand the operating environment and our limitations.

Jamie Hamilton
WIL Operations Manager

Waimakariri Irrigation Limited

Address:
267 High Street
PO Box 556
Rangiora

Phone: 03 313 0200
Email: admin@wil.co.nz

The Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd Scheme is a shareholder-owned cooperative company with consent to take water 11.041 cumecs from the Waimakariri River. Water is drawn from the Waimakariri River at Browns Rock for distribution through 1,100 kilometres of open race channels to supply around 200 shareholders. The Scheme supplies farms covering approximately 30,000 ha within an overall area of 78,000 ha and is located between the Waimakariri and the Ashley Rivers and between Oxford and Rangiora townships.

RIVER UPDATE & IRRIGATION WATER

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Waimakariri Irrigation Limited