Opuha Water Limited
Measuring the flow: Centralising real-time data for the Opuha Water Scheme
Geography
> Timaru District, South Canterbury, NZ
Project Focus
> Irrigation Scheme (Farmer-owned irrigation & hydropower co‑operative)
Halo Deployment
> 64 telemetry points across full irrigation network
Size & Scale
> 16,000 irrigated ha (200 farms / stakeholders)
Project Duration
> 2020 - Present
Challenge
Opuha Water Limited managed a highly complex irrigation network spanning 200 farms but lacked a centralised system to reliably monitor water use and storage. Data was inconsistent, delayed, and fragmented across legacy providers, hampering daily operations, slowing water order management, and making regulatory compliance difficult and resource-intensive.
The scheme faced several key questions:
- How can we ensure data consistency and real-time updates across 200 farms and multiple data sources?
- How do we streamline water order management and improve the efficiency of our operations?
- In what ways can we simplify the compliance process and reduce the time and resources spent on regulatory reporting?
- How can we ensure our telemetry system scales for future expansion, integrating new monitoring systems as needed?
Solution
Halo delivered a modular, scalable telemetry platform that brought complete, real-time visibility to Opuha’s network. The system unified flow meter data, pond levels, and weather station information into a single, intuitive dashboard with 5-minute data intervals. Group-level and site-level filtering enabled targeted insights, improving oversight, decision-making, and shareholder transparency. The platform was designed to grow with Opuha’s future needs, including easy integration of additional monitoring assets like soil moisture probes.
Impact
64 telemetry points
Deployed across the irrigation network, integrating flow meters, pond levels, and weather stations for seamless data aggregation.
16,000 irrigated hectares
Now managed with centralised, real-time monitoring, improving water use efficiency and resource allocation.
200 farms & stakeholders
Now benefit from enhanced data visibility, resulting in more informed decision-making and increased trust in reporting.
30% reduction
In operational inefficiencies and manual reporting efforts, allowing for streamlined water order management and improved regulatory compliance.
80% reduction
In time spent on data reconciliation and reporting, allowing Opuha to allocate more resources to other critical operational tasks.
Customer Voice
