Associate Minister for the Environment Kiri Allan is urging all New Zealanders to give feedback on proposed changes
aimed at making drinking water safer.
“The current regulations are not fit for purpose and don’t offer enough protection, particularly for those whose water
comes from smaller supplies,” Kiri Allan said.
“This was highlighted in the 2016 campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North when close to 60 people were hospitalised.
“We are proposing improvements in three areas; standardising the way we define source water areas, strengthening
regulation of activities around water sources, and adding more water suppliers to the register.
“The changes recognise Te Mana o te Wai, the fundamental importance of water to the health and wellbeing of our people
and our environment.
“No one should have to worry that their water may not be safe to drink.
“Making sure our rivers, lakes and ground waters are free from contamination is the first step in protecting our
drinking water supplies, so it’s crucial we have protections in place along each stage of the water supply process, from
source to tap”, Kiri Allan said.
“The proposed changes will help water suppliers to maintain and improve water quality around drinking water catchments.”
Consultation on changes to the National Environmental Standard for Sources of Human Drinking Water (NES-DW).begins today
and runs until March 6. Feedback will be used to further refine the proposed changes to the NES-DW, before the
regulations are redrafted and gazetted later in 2022.
The consultation document and online consultation form are available on the Ministry for the Environment's website: https://consult.environment.govt.nz/freshwater/nes-drinking-water.