Portable Desalination Units Strengthen Community Water Resilience After Cyclone Gabrielle

When Cyclone Gabrielle struck New Zealand's North Island in early 2023, it exposed a critical weakness in centralised water infrastructure. Severe flooding damaged a 40-kilometre main water pipeline servicing the Tairāwhiti (Gisborne/East Coast) region, leaving large parts of the population without reliable access to potable water.

With roads cut, bridges damaged, and supply chains disrupted, traditional emergency responses such as bottled water deliveries and tanker trucks proved slow and logistically complex-particularly for remote communities. Māori marae, which function as both cultural centres and emergency shelters, were among the locations most urgently in need of a reliable water solution.

A Decentralised Approach to Emergency Water Supply

In response, regional emergency planners and iwi leaders adopted a decentralised water strategy, deploying portable desalination units directly into affected communities. Instead of transporting water over long distances, clean drinking water could be produced locally from available sources including seawater, brackish water, and flood-affected supplies.

The portable desalination units used in the Tairāwhiti deployment were supplied by LEDI, an Australian engineering company specialising in rugged, low-power, portable water purification systems designed for off-grid and emergency use
https://lediwatermaker.com

These systems required no permanent installation and could be powered by solar arrays, battery banks, or vehicle electrical systems-allowing them to operate independently of the damaged power grid.

From Pilot Deployment to Regional Network

Initial deployments demonstrated immediate benefits, prompting the programme to expand. By 2025, approximately 30 portable desalination units had been distributed across 21 sites throughout the region. Collectively, the network is capable of producing thousands of litres of potable water per day, with capacity scaled to local demand and conditions.

A key element of the rollout was local capability. Community members were trained to operate and maintain the units themselves, ensuring water production could continue without reliance on external technicians or ongoing logistical support.

Reducing Dependence on Fragile Logistics

Conventional disaster water responses depend heavily on fuel, road access, and continuous coordination. Decentralised desalination shifts this dependency by placing water production at the point of use. This approach reduces transport requirements, shortens response times, and improves resilience when infrastructure damage limits access.

For marae operating as emergency shelters, the ability to independently produce safe drinking water supported cooking, sanitation, and daily living needs during prolonged recovery periods.

A Model for Future Water Resilience

The Tairāwhiti experience highlights the advantages of distributed water infrastructure as a complement to traditional municipal systems. Portable desalination does not replace centralised water networks, but it provides a critical fallback when those systems fail.

As climate-driven extreme weather events increase in frequency and severity, decentralised water capability is emerging as an important component of disaster preparedness planning. The New Zealand deployment demonstrates how compact, mobile water treatment technology can help communities maintain control over essential water supplies when conventional infrastructure is compromised.

A detailed overview of the project and technical approach is available on the LEDI website:

https://lediwatermaker.com/blogs/ledi-desalination/how-portable-desalination-units-transformed-water-resilience-in-new-zealand.

LEDI
10 Bailey crescent Southport QLD Australia 4215
Info@ledi.com.au

LEDI is an Australian engineering company specialising in the design and manufacture of portable desalination and water purification systems for off-grid, marine, emergency, and remote applications. Based on the Gold Coast, LEDI develops rugged, low-power watermakers intended for use in environments where reliability, simplicity, and independence from fixed infrastructure are critical.

The company's systems are designed to operate without permanent installation and can be powered by 12-volt battery systems, solar power, or vehicle electrical supplies. This makes them suitable for small vessels, disaster response, remote communities, and mobile field operations where conventional water supply chains are unreliable or unavailable.

LEDI works across recreational, commercial, and emergency response sectors, supplying equipment for marine users, off-grid operators, and resilience-focused deployments. Its engineering approach prioritises durability, serviceability, and real-world performance over laboratory specifications.

The company is veteran-run and manufactures its equipment in Australia, providing local support and ongoing technical assistance for deployed systems.

Website: https://lediwatermaker.com

This release was published on openPR.