Christina Persico05:00, May 07 2021 Christina Persico/Stuff The tide has yet to turn in favour of water meters in New Plymouth. On day three of the New Plymouth District Council hearings on its draft $3 billion 10-year spending plan, there was little support for one of the most controversial ideas – the introduction of water meters to 26,000 homes. If approved, the $18 million installation job would start in July. Real bills won’t start arriving for a year, with residents only receiving mock bills while they get used to having to watch their water use. SIMON O'CONNOR/STUFF/Stuff Greg Mackay unsuccessfully stood for the New Plymouth mayoralty in 2019. On Thursday he took councillors to task over a proposal to install water meters.