The drought in Auckland is so dire that it has forced one family to stop using water altogether.
Rachael Friend's west Auckland home relies on tank water, and she told The Project it's "pretty much literally dry".
"We've got about six inches in the bottom of the tank which we daren't use because we don't want our pump to fail.
"We are using no water now in our house. We've had to resort to all different options that we can."
She says they're travelling to friends' houses who are on town supply water to fill buckets to flush their toilets, which is "pretty grim".
The family is also having showers wherever they can.
"My youngest, who's seven, fortunately swims every day at school. My husband's showering at work."
They're also filling up water bottles at work and school to save using the bottled water they've purchased.
But it's not the first time the family has seen the effects of droughts.
In the six years, they've lived in their house, they've been low on water three times.
Rachael says this year's drought is "extraordinary".
"The previous two times where we've had a fill of the tank [from water trucks], that has arrived usually within a few hours.
"At the moment, we don't actually know when we're going to get a tank filled."
