As beautiful as they are, pōhutukawa flowers are one of the biggest culprits behind tea-coloured water, bitter tastes, unpleasant odours, and staining on spas, sinks, and toilets.

A frustrating reality on Waiheke is we often get hit with rough weather and power cuts, which mess with our water tank pumps and can leave us without running water. Tankman Waiheke co-director Marty Howard says he figured that was a solvable problem.

TANKMANS Ozone system flush will treat, condition and filter the entire contents of your water tank, without using chemicals or draining your tank. The Ozone filtration process will take 48 hours, but unlike chemical sterilisers, you can continue to safely use your house water as normal through the process.

Imagine this - the power goes out, and suddenly, your water supply disappears. No flushing toilets, no washing hands, and no refreshing drink. This frustrating scenario is all too common, especially during Waiheke Island's unpredictable weather. For most homes on the island, no power means no water. Toilets won’t flush, taps run dry, and daily routines come to a halt. But what if you never had to worry about power cut water woes again?

In this video Duncan will walk you through how to use the Safe Home order test kit to check if your water is "safe to drink".

A new study by the University of Otago's department of public health, has found rates of bacterial infection were twice as likely for people living in rural / island locations on private water tank supplies than for their mainland counterparts on treated water supplies.