Water is one of New Zealand's most precious commodities, yet we're losing more than 101 billion litres of it every year through leaks and wastage.
The losses equate to almost 18 per cent of the total national supply of 572b litres, and are blamed on ageing and eroding supply systems, household leaks, pipes damaged by underground works, earthquakes and landslides, and metering errors.
The statistics were gathered by Water New Zealand for its 2015-16 national performance review, which compiled data from 50 participating councils, accounting for 90 per cent of the population. A review of 2016-17 is due out next month. Read full Article