Big changes ahead in fight for water quality

The strains on New Zealand’s water infrastructure were a hot topic at a local government summit this week. Everyone is preparing for change, but concrete decisions from the Government still appear some time away.

“What we can be absolutely certain of is change.”

Opening Local Government New Zealand’s water summit on Wednesday, Dunedin Mayor and LGNZ president Dave Cull left those in attendance in no doubt about the task ahead.

With the damning findings of an inquiry into the Havelock North gastro outbreak still fresh in people’s minds, local and central government officials are mulling the challenge of fixing New Zealand’s drinking water, wastewater and stormwater supplies - referred to collectively as “the three waters”. Read more