Whose water is it anyway?

Fresh water today is slippery business. Large amounts of the resource are being siphoned into the pockets of private, overseas bottle companies by virtue of council consents. Farmers pump water for no fee, turning water to milk and rivers to dust. The citizen is watering her lawns and leaving her taps running.

It seems that everyone is eager to get their hands wet.

Beneath the issue of water allocation lurks the deeper question of ownership rights. Who really owns this coveted blue gold?

The Resource Management Act 1991 and other statutes are silent on the issue of water ownership, thus the issue is floating in the open… Read more