Local Democracy Reporting has seen quarterly water bills in Wellington City ranging from about $380 to more than $700. The organisation’s chief customer officer, Liza Gunn, said separating water bills would enable Tiaki Wai to tackle “big problems”. In the long term, Tiaki Wai said it would work to have a uniform calculation for water bills across all areas and install residential water meters so any bills reflected water use. Property owners can pay their water bills by direct debit, online or phone banking, or at post shops with bill service. Lower Hutt property owners can also use the local council’s Payble online platform.