We’re upgrading our water supply system in the central area of the city to make sure you can continue to rely on good quality water in the future as our population grows and our city changes. These upgrades will be delivered in stages, to eventually create a ring-main system, providing flexibility for how water is distributed across the city from all our water sources.
The improvements will lessen the risk of reduced water supply or low water pressure, which can sometimes happen during extreme weather events. There will also be less chance of pipe failures with the upgrades.
The network will also be more resilient because of these upgrades, with new links allowing more flexibility for moving water across the city when needed, for example, following a natural disaster or significant pipe failure.
Our Water Supply Strategy
Our 30-year Water Supply Strategy aims to achieve a sustainable, resilient, affordable, and culturally appropriate water supply for Tauranga.
Water supply infrastructure enables water collection (‘raw’ water), water treatment (turning ‘raw’ water into drinking water, which includes all water that comes out of taps), and treated water distribution.
Upgrading the waters infrastructure network in central Tauranga
As part of the Water Supply Strategy, a review of the existing waters infrastructure network was undertaken in 2023 to look at how we provide water now and what we need in future to meet growing demand, as well as improving resilience following a natural disaster or significant failure in the network.
We’re planning to build a ring-main system in the centre of the city to reduce the risk of supply disruptions during any network failures, ensure adequate water supply for everyone, and help us better manage water pressure. We’re assessing pipeline routes that will give us more flexibility and less exposure to natural hazards.
The future ring-main system will provide greater flexibility and allow two of the three city water supplies – Oropi and Joyce - to be distributed across the Tauranga water supply network. If an issue occurs with a trunk main or pump station, alternative routes will be available to supply water to reservoirs and local areas.
Waters upgrades within the Cameron Road area (17th Avenue to Maleme Street), Fifteenth Avenue, Turret Road and Hairini Bridge and causeway could be delivered as part of the Cameron Road Stage 2 and Fifteenth Avenue to Welcome Bay projects which are expected to get underway over the next few years. By combining our waters and transport upgrades we hope to minimise the disruption to commuters, residents, and businesses in the works areas. However, if these projects do not proceed, City Waters still can proceed with the water upgrades as standalone projects.
Water upgrades in central Tauranga
Cambridge Road reservoir trunk mains
The Oropi Water Treatment Plant supplies drinking (potable) water to the Cambridge Road reservoirs in the north-west of the city, which supply water to about a third of the city. The supply pipeline runs from Oropi through Joyce Road, Pyes Pā Road, Barkes Corner in Greerton, along Cameron Road, across the Kopurererua Valley, and then along Cambridge Road to the reservoirs. The section currently being considered for an upgrade is the stretch between Barkes Corner and Cambridge Road.
The trunk mains that supply the reservoirs are aged and have failed in recent years, disrupting water supply to around 40,000 residents. We plan to upgrade these pipelines so they are more reliable and support future growth in the north-west of the city including Bethlehem. As part of the upgrade some sections will be relocated to areas with lower natural hazard risk. These upgraded pipelines will also form a key part of the future ring-main system.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2026. We did some site investigation works on Cambridge Road in 2025 to help us plan for these works, with further investigations planned in Kopurererua Valley and in the Greerton area from mid-2026 onwards.
Find out more about the Cambridge Road water upgrade here.
Chadwick Road link trunk main
An upgrade of the trunk main that links the Cameron Road and Fraser Street trunk mains is needed to improve capacity and resilience of supply to Te Papa peninsula. This will help address low pressures experienced in the Te Papa and Greerton areas and supports growth in Te Papa.
This trunk main upgrade will also provide additional supply to the Cambridge Road reservoirs to cater for future growth, and form part of the future ring-main system.
Investigations are expected to begin in early 2026 with construction to follow later in the year or early 2027.
Additional storage capacity at Cambridge Road reservoirs
The Oropi Water Treatment Plant supplies drinking water to the Cambridge Road reservoirs, which serve about a third of Tauranga—including Ōtūmoetai, Bethlehem, parts of Tauriko, Matua, and the Judea industrial area - supplying water to more than 40,000 customers.
Currently, the three reservoirs at the site provide a total of 18.3 million litres of storage. However, the network has limited backup storage, creating a risk of supply interruption during transmission failures. In such situations, there is currently insufficient backup storage to maintain an uninterrupted water supply while repairs are made.
In addition, with continued growth expected in the West Bethlehem area, more storage capacity is needed to support future demand. To address both emergency resilience and future growth, a new reservoir is proposed at the Cambridge Road site or an alternative site within the catchment area.
This work is currently in the planning stage and is scheduled to be implemented by 2033.
Oropi water treatment plant outlet mains and new booster pump station
The Oropi water treatment plant outlet pipelines and a new booster pump station at Woods Road (corner of Joyce Road) will enable the Joyce and Oropi water treatment plants to distribute water efficiently across the city. The new booster pump station at Wood Road will also take pressure off the existing pump stations on Oropi Road which is susceptible to natural hazards and Sherston Street which is nearing the end of its useful service life.
Both a new booster pump station and pipelines are needed to cater for future growth and improve low water pressures on the Te Papa peninsula. The new pipelines will also connect to the future ring-main system.
This work is currently in the design stage and is scheduled for implementation later in the Long-term Plan (subject to funding).
Joyce Road water supply trunk mains upgrade
The Joyce Road water treatment plant outlet pipelines that supply water to Welcome Bay, Pyes Pā, and coastal suburbs extending to Mount Maunganui have also experienced failures recently. They are nearing the end of their useful service life and need to be replaced. They will also connect to the future ring-main system.
We’ve recently done some site investigation works on Joyce Road to help us plan for these works. Timeframes for construction are still be confirmed as part of the next Long-term Plan.