10 May 2017

Havelock North incident shows we can’t take clean water for granted anymore

Protecting our water from pollution has never been more important, as we can’t take the water from our taps for granted anymore, the Green Party said today.

The comments come on the back of a report released by the Havelock North drinking water inquiry showing that dysfunction between local authorities, poor infrastructure and faecal contamination led to more than 5000 people becoming sick with campylobacter.

“New Zealanders want clean water. It’s not good enough to say we’ll just chlorinate the water and that will take care of pollution,” said Green Party water spokesperson Catherine Delahunty.

“The Green Party in government will prioritise the protection of our waterways by implementing better rules to ensure our water is safe for us and future generations.

“More than 5000 people getting sick from the water in their own taps was horrific. If we don’t take action to clean up our rivers, lakes and aquifers, we will face issues like this more often.

“The Havelock North incident was the canary in the coal mine. We need to look at infrastructure and land uses to ensure the water in our aquifers, many of which supply drinking water, are kept safe.

“I have a Member’s Bill that will make changes to the Resource Management Act and require local authorities to protect aquifers from pollution,” said Ms Delahunty.

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