Good afternoon and Happy February to you all.

The Backflow Group has had several meetings since the 2019 Conference and we have been busy preparing ourselves for the arrival of the new regulator. Though at this stage we have no idea what the new regulator will focus on and how this will affect the backflow field in general, we have concentrated our efforts on making sure that what we have in terms of guidance and philosophy is fit for purpose and robust enough to absorb any change.

Over the next few months we will work to get our web page updated and have meeting minutes, collateral and materials available on there for you to view. Our new Water NZ liaison, Katrina, will be working hard on this but in the meantime I have attached the minutes from the last two meetings for your info.

The group has identified six key areas for our attention over the next year:

1. The development of a general Backflow Philosophy. This will be used as an informational tool as well as setting out what we expect to see as part of any backflow programme in New Zealand.
2. The WS-014/WS-023 review in conjunction with our Australian colleagues.
3. Refreshing and updating the Backflow Code of Practice ready for the new regulator.
4. Coming up with a standard Backflow Policy that will assist local authorities in developing best practice for implementing or updating existing arrangements.
5. Development of a Backflow Survey course to ensure that hazards can be identified and flagged up correctly to protect our potable supplies.
6. Addressing the backflow risk posed by Chemcheck and Fertigation valves.

Our next meeting will be in Tauranga (at the TCC offices) on 18 March and after that we will again be in Auckland for a meeting in mid-May.

Should you wish to contribute to these meetings, feel free to drop me a line and I will make it happen.

Thank you for being passionate about backflow prevention in New Zealand and helping to keep our potable supplies safe to drink.

Backflow Group Committee Meeting 5 November 2019

Backflow Group Committee Meeting 22 January 2019

Regards

Jim McGibbon | Chair of Water New Zealand Backflow Group