Terms of service

The Water Restrictions website and API (the services) provide a single source of information for water restriction data across New Zealand. These are developed and maintained by Joe Butler (I, me, or my) as a hobbyist initiative.

These terms of service (the terms) govern your (you or your) use of the services.

If you have any questions or concerns about these terms, you can contact me at [email protected].

Last updated: 10 May, 2026

Quick summary

Here's a summary of the key points to keep in mind when using the services:

Use responsibly: The services provide water restriction information for New Zealand. Always double-check official sources before making important decisions.
Data may vary: The information might not be completely accurate or up-to-date. The services are provided “as is.”
Service availability: Sometimes the services might be offline for maintenance, updates, or technical issues.
Give credit when using data: Public display, publication, or redistribution of data should include clear and legible attribution (e.g., "Data provided by Joe Butler's Water Restrictions services") with a link to the Water Restrictions website. Private or internal use does not require attribution.
API rules: Avoid excessive or abusive requests. Rate limits exist and may change from time to time.
No commercial use: You cannot sell, redistribute, or use the data to create a competing service without permission.
Your responsibility: Use the services at your own risk. I'm not liable for fines, penalties, damages, or other losses.
Things can change: I may update the services or these terms whenever needed. Using the services after updates means you accept the new terms.

1. Introduction and acceptance

By accessing or using the services, you agree to be bound by these terms as well as the privacy policy. If you do not agree to either of these, please do not use the services.

At present, you are not required to register or create an account to use the services. You are free to use them without providing personal information. If registration or personalised features are introduced in the future, these terms and the privacy policy will be updated accordingly.

2. Disclaimer: data accuracy and reliance

The services aggregate data from publicly available sources, and may use AI-assisted analysis to interpret and process that data. While every effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date water restriction information, it may not be real-time, complete, or error-free.

You must always check authoritative sources for the most recent water restriction information. I do not provide legal, regulatory, or professional advice and am not responsible for any fines, penalties, damages, or other consequences resulting from reliance on the services.

'As is' basis: The services are provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis. I make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding their accuracy, reliability, timeliness, completeness, or availability.
No reliance: You acknowledge that water restriction levels can change rapidly. You agree not to rely solely on the services for critical decision-making.
Liability for fines or errors: I am not responsible for any fines, penalties, damages, or water shortages you may incur due to reliance on data provided by the services.
Service availability: The services may be temporarily unavailable for maintenance, upgrades, outages, or technical issues. While I take reasonable steps to protect the security and integrity of the services, I cannot guarantee that they will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure.

3. Acceptable use of the services and API

You agree to use the services only for lawful purposes and in a way that does not harm, disable, or interfere with the services or other users. Please use the data responsibly and respectfully.

If you use data from the services, please provide appropriate attribution (see Quick Summary). Attribution is not required for purely internal or private use.

3.1 Website use

Security: You must not attempt to compromise the security of the website, including bypassing or interfering with Cloudflare Turnstile protections on the feedback form, probing for vulnerabilities, or attempting to gain unauthorised access to any part of the services.
Scraping: You must not scrape, harvest, or copy website content using automated tools (including the map interface or HTML output). Normal browser behaviour or indexing by legitimate search engines is not considered scraping. If you require programmatic data access, please use the API.
No harmful activity: You must not introduce malware, run automated bots, perform denial-of-service actions, or otherwise interfere with the normal functioning of the website.

3.2 API use

If you access or use the API:

Fair use & rate limits: You agree not to send excessive or abusive requests. Rate limits are in place and may be adjusted at any time.
Revocation: I may block API keys or IP addresses if abusive, harmful, or excessive usage is detected.
No commercial redistribution: You may not republish, sell, or commercially redistribute the API data or use it to build a competing service without explicit permission.
API changes: The API may change or be discontinued at any time without notice.
No reverse engineering: You may not attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise discover the underlying source or database of the API.

4. Intellectual property

The services, including the code and website design, are owned by me. The factual water restriction data belongs to the respective authorities.

Code and design: The source code, layout, and website design are owned by me. No license is granted to reuse, distribute, or modify these elements unless explicitly stated. All rights reserved. (If any public/open-source repositories are linked, they are subject to the applicable repository license.)
Data ownership: The underlying factual water restriction data remains the property of the respective authorities. I claim no ownership over the factual data itself.

5. Privacy

I am committed to protecting your privacy while using the services and complying with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. For detailed information on how I collect, use, and protect your data, please refer to the privacy policy.

By using the services, you consent to the collection and use of data as described in the privacy policy.

6. Third-party links and services

The services may include links to third-party websites or external sources. These are provided for convenience only. I am not responsible for the content, accuracy, security, or availability of any third-party websites, and accessing them is at your own risk.

7. Limitation of liability

Because the services are provided for free by a hobbyist, my legal liability to you is limited to zero dollars. The services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, and I make no guarantee that they will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. Use of the services is at your own risk.

To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law:

I shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages resulting from your use of, or inability to use, the services.
My total liability to you for any claims arising out of the services is limited to NZD $0.00.

8. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify me against any claims, losses, liabilities, or expenses arising from your misuse of the services, your breach of these terms, or the use of data in applications or services you create.

9. Modifications and termination

Service changes: I may modify, update, or remove features of the services at any time without notice.
Service availability: I reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the services at any time, without notice and without liability to you.