Massive water delivery to get the kids back to school
With the State of Emergency for New Plymouth lifted earlier today, another step towards normality for the region is
underway as 85,000 bottles of water are delivered to local schools this week.
Taranaki Civil Defence, with support from volunteers and other agencies, is co-ordinating the delivery, which Mayor Neil
Holdom says will be a big help to families in the region.
“Areas affected by the damage caused to our supply network during ex-Cyclone Gita are still under a boil water notice –
and this will apply until our testing programme is complete.
“There’s almost 100 primary and secondary schools and early childcare facilities receiving the water delivery, so the
boil water notice won’t be a barrier to them opening again tomorrow, and our kids going back to school.”
Michael Carr, Principal of Mangorei School and President of the New Plymouth Principals Association, says the delivery
will be welcomed by the schools.
“Getting back into a normal routine is important for our students and our communities. I’d like to thank our wider
school communities for their understanding and patience in recent days. Now water supplies have been restored for toilet
facilities, the delivery of drinking water can mean we can get on with teaching our kids this week. Parents should check
their school’s social media or webpages to confirm they are up and running from Monday.”
Authorised by
Brent Manning, Taranaki CDEM Group Controller