Ian applied for extra water rights and, after checking with the ministry that it was refundable, enclosed the $600 application fee. After some time, Ian’s water rights application was rejected. Consequently, Ian asked for his refund, and to his surprise, the ministry refused: there was a policy against refunding unsuccessful applications.

Ian wrote to the ministry explaining he was led to believe refunds were allowed when he made his application. Had he been made aware of any no-refund policy, he would not have made the application.

Concerned that the ministry was not listening, Ian soon decided to stop paying his water licence fees. The ministry then threatened to cancel his existing water rights if he did not settle his account. Around this time, Ian contacted us.

When we contacted the ministry, it was already working on a response to Ian’s letter. We continued to monitor the situation and, about one week later, we received a copy of the completed response – Ian was getting his refund and his water licence was again in good standing.

After deducting what he owed in unpaid licence fees, Ian was getting $420 back. We followed up with Ian and relayed the good news – he was very pleased with the outcome.