The Tank Guy's Gary King says demand has been high for water tanks in Wellington, amid warnings the region faces a serious water shortage if dry weather continues. Photo: Supplied/ The Tank Guy
Business is "off the charts" for a water tank manufacturer as Wellington runs low on water this summer.
The region is in for water restrictions next week banning the use of irrigation and sprinklers - which Wellington Water admitted was mostly due to water being drained by thousands of leaks across ageing infrastructure.
Wellingtonians queued in the hot sun for discounted water storage tanks this week, after warnings everyone should have emergency water storage at home.
The 200-litre tanks were made by The Tank Guy, and sold by councils for $115 - significantly cheaper than the $265 retail price.
Long queues of people waited for hours to buy discounted water tanks at Wellington southern landfill's Tip Shop on Tuesday. Photo: Supplied / Wellington City Council
The Tank Guy owner Gary King said demand had skyrocketed since December, but he was confident he could meet it.
Councils and civil defence gave King a heads up in September that Wellington could be "heading for some issues", he said.
"We've ramped up as much as we can, and we're running slightly ahead of our production targets," he said.
Each council in the Wellington region was receiving weekly deliveries of the 200 litre tanks, with 90 tanks in each batch - which should be enough to meet demand, he said.
"I expect it'll get a lot stronger through February if the weather patterns continue.
"It's way above for what it has been for the last five summers."
Tank Guy says demand has been high for water tanks in Wellington, amid warnings the region faces a serious water shortage if dry weather continues. Photo: Supplied/ The Tank Guy
The business had managed to outsource manufacturing of other products, freeing them up to focus on the tanks.
The Tank Guy had been manufacturing for Wellington's councils for more than 10 years, and there were about 30,000 tanks at homes across the region.
The last big peak in demand followed the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.
King said the popular 200-litre tanks were suitable for one to two people, but 800-litre tanks were recommended for families.