You can't break the rules about water meters without getting in trouble. A law called the Local Government Act 2002 has rules about water meters. This part of the law is called section 227, but it is no longer valid.

You don't have to worry about section 227 because it was repealed on 27 August 2025. This means it was cancelled by another law called the Local Government (Water Services) (Repeals and Amendments) Act 2025. You can find more information about this law on the New Zealand legislation website.