Fonterra is helping transport water to the drought-hit Far North.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The dairy company said it had been delivering around 90,000 litres - three tanker loads - of water to the towns of Kaitaia and Kaikohe for about a week. The water was then being transferred into council holding tanks.
Fonterra said it was building the work into its milk collection runs - tankers were heading up to the area full of water and returning with milk collected from nearby farms.
"We're now also helping out Rāwene and Dargaville and we're bringing up some portable water tanks from the South Island to help store water in rural areas," it said.
Fonterra said while its priority would always be picking up farmers' milk, it was also important to help out communities in their time of need and it was treating each request for help on a case-by-case basis.
"Last week the team at our Waitoa site got a call from the Civil Defence team after Waihi's water supply went dry after a burst water main.
"We transported a tanker load of water from Paeroa to Waihi," it said.