20 December 2000 Media Statement
Health Minister Annette King says enhanced management measures to improve the safety of drinking-water supplies will be
introduced over the next five years.
Mrs King said the Cabinet had approved drafting of an amendment to the Health Act to require drinking-water suppliers to
monitor the quality of drinking-water and, when problems were detected, to take all practicable steps to remedy them.
"Depending on the size of the populations they serve, suppliers will have up to five years to introduce management
measures to improve the safety of their drinking-water. Larger communities will be the first to be required to comply."
Mrs King said the significant public health initiative would include regular monitoring in line with the Drinking-Water
Standards of New Zealand 2000, and the use of risk management plans to guide the quality assurance of the supplies.
"While almost 2.65 million people were supplied with water last year that was proven to meet the Drinking-Water
Standards for New Zealand, about 478,000 people on community drinking-water supplies received water which had not been
tested or which was tested using procedures that do not meet the standards.
"These 478,000, nearly all serviced by minor suppliers servicing fewer than 5000 people, and living in disadvantaged
communities, will benefit most from the new legislation, as they face more risk of drinking water contaminated with
waterborne disease-causing organisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. About 119,000 cases of infectious intestinal
disease are reported each year and a number of outbreaks of disease have been traced directly to contaminated
drinking-water."
Mrs King said the enhanced measures recognised that "smaller drinking-water supplies and those in dispersed rural
communities, where the major problems lie, will have most difficulty in complying with the new legislation.
"For this reason up to five years lead-in has been provided to give them time to work through the issues. During that
period a working party of central and local government officials and supplier representatives will monitor and evaluate
the effect of the legislation on local communities. The group will report annually to the Cabinet Social Policy and
Health Committee on progress."
Background information
The Health Act 1956: Although the Health Act 1956 is the core statute governing drinking-water supplies, there are also
numerous other pieces of legislation concerning drinking-water. These include regulations made under the Act such as the
Water Supplies Protection Regulations which apply to water supplies in camping grounds, funeral parlours and
hairdressing salons.
The amendment to the Health Act 1956 requires that drinking-water suppliers:
monitor their supplies and make the information available to the public
develop risk management plans
take all practicable steps to comply with the Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand 2000
audit for compliance with the above requirements.
The Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand 2000 replace the earlier Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand 1995 and
will take effect from January 1 next year. The Standards detail how to assess the quality and safety of drinking-water.
They define drinking-water as water intended to be used for human consumption, food preparation, utensil washing, oral
hygiene or personal hygiene. They provide criteria applicable to all drinking-water (except bottled water, which must
comply with the Food Act 1981). The Drinking-Water Standards for New Zealand 2000:
set out requirements for compliance with the Standards
facilitate consistency of application throughout New Zealand
protect public health while minimising unnecessary monitoring
specify sampling methods used to ensure water complies
take into account advances in knowledge of pathogenic protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium
include new material on maximum acceptable values for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
include six cyanotoxins and sixteen pesticides not previously included in the old drinking-water standards
raise the acceptable level of boron from 0.3 milligrams per litre to 1.4 mg/L.
A full copy of the Standards is on the Ministry of Health website www.moh.govt.nz
Terms of reference for working party:
1. Monitor and evaluate the impact on local communities of the legislation during the five-year lead-in period; and
annually review the extent to which individual drinking-water supplies comply with the requirements of the Health
(Drinking-Water Supplies) Amendment Act 2001, taking into account the timetable for compliance set down in the Act.
2. For each drinking-water supply that fails to comply, identify the reasons for non-compliance, and actions taken to
effect compliance.
3. Review the options for improving the performance of drinking-water supplies in general, including identifying
national benefits and costs, and those for specific supplies.
4. Consider economic, environmental, social and cultural, and technological issues associated with implementation of the
drinking-water legislative framework.
5. Where the need for either increased operating or capital expenditure is identified in order to comply with the
requirements of the Act, the working party with the drinking-water supplier is to carry out a benefit cost analysis
incorporating a public health risk assessment.
6. Make recommendations as to the most cost-effective course(s) of action.