Ongoing victims of Havelock North’s water crisis

“It was bullshit. The whole thing was bullshit. And even to this day now it’s still bullshit.”

Those are the words of one of the Havelock North residents struck down by gastroenteritis in the 2016 campylobacter outbreak in the town as a result of contaminated drinking water.

It was sheep shit, not bull, that is thought to have been most likely responsible for the contamination, which led to four people dying, 45 being hospitalised and an estimated 5,500 – a third of the town’s population – falling ill.

But the bullshit comment reflects the ongoing sense of injustice I encountered when I interviewed more than 40 people who lived through the incident and became ill, cared for someone who became ill or bore witness to events. Read more

Council Drinking Water Government Havelock North Infrastructure Pipes Water Supply Water Treatment