A plea to residents and visitors in the Queenstown Lakes District, to help save water this summer

The district is one of the biggest water consumers in the country, using about 500 litres a day - double the national average.

Infrastructure Operations Manager Simon Mason says the council's forecasting a spike over Christmas and New Year - with demand already starting to increase this month.

He's asking people to reduce their use of sprinklers and irrigation, only water lawns late at night, and cut time in the shower.

Mason says the small tweaks make a significant difference.