Data Insights Driving Smarter Water Management
Central Plains Water Limited (CPWL) wanted to make data and insights easily accessible across its irrigation network, to improve decision-making, reduce reporting delays, and strengthen environmental accountability. Manual compliance and usage reports were taking up to three months each year, limiting their ability to act quickly and plan proactively.
Solution
Through a multi-phase engagement with Flock Consulting, CPWL implemented a modern, connected data platform designed for almost real-time operational reporting and environmental transparency. The solution replaced manual reporting processes with automation, unified data from multiple systems, and embedded intuitive dashboards for operations and compliance teams.
Business Impact
1. Operational Efficiency
Reporting time reduced from months to hours, replacing disconnected spreadsheets with automated dashboards.
Downtime and system alarms cut by over 50% since 2019, improving fault analysis, reliability and reducing maintenance costs.
Improved flow monitoring and asset failure identification through automation upgrades and predictive maintenance — identifying potential issues before failures occur.
2. Financial and Strategic ROI
The Data Insights project paid for itself within its first year, delivering measurable efficiency gains and smarter water use.
Enhanced water-use efficiency led to reduced underuse of stored water and improved management of water overuse, directly improving water utilisation and shareholder returns.
3. Environmental and Regulatory Outcomes
Enabled transition to an evidence-based environmental leadership, integrating live ground and surface water data, nitrogen loss metrics, and compliance reporting.
Will facilitate improved transparency with regulators and the public through shared data insights across Canterbury, supporting regional environmental collaboration.
4. Organisational Capability and Culture
Empowered staff to access near real-time insights, improving confidence and accountability across teams and improving customer service.
Time saved through automation has been reinvested into shareholder support, training, and strategic planning, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
5. Industry Recognition
The project has been showcased at the New Zealand Digital Workplace Conference, the Christchurch Snowflake User Group, and the 2025 Water New Zealand Conference and recognised for its innovation and impact on the water sector.
Described by Memia’s Director of AI & Emerging Technologies as being “well ahead of anything I’ve seen in the New Zealand agricultural sector.”
Outcome
Today, CPWL operates with smarter systems, faster decisions, and measurable resilience — not just for efficiency, but for sustainability.
With Flock’s continued support, CPWL’s Data Insights platform is expanding to integrate environmental and compliance data, setting a benchmark for digital transformation across New Zealand’s primary industries.