Water bottling register call by Ecan candidate

Media Release: Save Our Water, Community Voice – Christchurch, New Zealand

October 9, 2019

Government information is lacking and causes anxiety in the community, an Environment Canterbury candidate says. Rik Tindall, of Save Our Water, Community Voice campaign in Ōwhanga Christchurch South, notes bottling for export is emerged as a primary concern in New Zealand’s water-use debate.

“With surface water degrading and groundwater aquifers pillaged and tainted by agricultural nitrates, people have good reason to be worried,” Tindall explains.

“Community supplies are clearly threatened and mandatory water chlorination convinces residents the direction of travel is not good,” he says. “Pure water for export, freely packaged from beneath our feet, has been a real slap in the face here.”

Management is inadequate and easily improved, at least on this score, Tindall says. He is requesting that a register of all water bottling companies be established from local and central government business records.

“The register should note each bottling operation’s name, location, ownership, quantum of water take, date and duration of consent held, the consenting authority, and be maintained online for everyone to see,” Tindall suggests. “The absence of systematic knowledge unnecessarily adds to concern, as people tend to fear the unknown, while water bottling has become a lot more common than is readily understood. Activity must now be brought into clear light of day.”

Once this water use is quantified and published, further matters of public concern around it can be tackled one by one, Tindall proposes. “A place for public response to this crucial public issue must immediately be found,” he says. “Confirm that the takes are properly monitored, for example, and put them into a transparent, quantitative resource context. Then there is the matter of justifiable cost-recovery, per quanta, which opens up obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi. Some of this isn’t easy but we must make a start, instead of duck-shoving all the challenges away.”

A water bottling register is thus an essential next step for water conservation, Tindall says. “Members of the public have opportunity to demand it, through submissions to the ‘National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management’ – out for consultation by the Ministry for the Environment until October 17, or the 31st at the latest.” Ref. https://www.mfe.govt.nz/consultation/action-for-healthy-waterways

“Another thing residents can do is, research the positions and backgrounds of all local body candidates well, to show good support for water conservation measures with votes,” Tindall advises. “Council service centres accept voting papers to a drop-box, up until 12pm this Saturday, October 12. It is critical, for water quality, quantity, and all life dependent on it, that government hears loud and clear our community voice – to Save Our Water and improve.”

ENDS

Contact: Rik Tindall, 03-332-1069, 027-406-0077, riktindall45@gmail.com
Refer: http://www.SaveOurWater.org.nz + http://www.CommunityVoice.NZ

Graphic source story: 4 Things Ontario Needs To Do To Fix The Water Bottling System – Huffington Post, 11 Oct 2016

Our story coverage to date: Scoop + Voxy

Earlier/related:
Would-be Ashburton water bottling company named NZ Pure Blue – RNZ, 11 April 2016
The bottled-water giants who are taking our water – Stuff, 16 April 2016 – “There is no central register for water-bottling companies in New Zealand, which means the total volume of water they take is unknown”
Oravida jumps in to export Kiwi water – Newshub, 19 April 2016
40,000 urge council to drop Ashburton water deal Bung the Bore – Stuff, 30 Jun 2016
Ashburton residents demand council ditch water bottling plan – 1 News, 30 Jun 2016
Legal threats escalate over Ashburton water sale – RNZ, 1 July 2016
Ashburton water bottling proposal cancelled for commercial reasons – Newstalk ZB, 11 July 2016
15,000 sign petition for temporary ban on NZ water exports – Newstalk ZB, 14 March 2017
Otago water bottling consents “insignificant” – Wanaka Sun, 23 Mar 2017
Ratepayers charged 500 times more for water than bottling companies – NZ Herald:

+ The war for water: A battle at boiling point “there are now 73 companies with consent to take up to 23 billion litres a year, for an average annual fee of just $200 each” – NZ Herald, 22 May 2017 *
Coke’s Kiwi Blue ‘exempt’ under Labour’s water bottling plan – Noted, 10 Aug 2017
Neighbouring suburban Christchurch water bottling plants can tap billions of litres – Stuff, 1 Sep 2017
Whakatane group plans to fight water bottling plant – RNZ, 19 Jun 2018 – Otakiri Springs
Environment Canterbury orders China-based firm to stop water bottling after it breached consent – Stuff, 24 Aug 2018
Consent granted to take Hamurana Springs water for bottling – NZ Herald, 9 Oct 2018 – “Te Tahuhu O Tawakeheimoa Trust applied.. to take water at 10 litres per second.. to September 2033.. an important taonga for the iwi and that was recognised in the consent”
The industries with a thirst for Christchurch’s pure water – Stuff, 9 Nov 2018
Christchurch water protest attracts thousands – Stuff, 9 Mar 2019:


Anti-water bottling protesters say ‘enough’s enough’ – Newshub, 9 Mar 2016
Resolution to controversial water bottling, export issue on the way – Jacinda Ardern – Newshub, 12 Mar 2016
NZ Government Secretly Funded Water Bottling Companies – AWA, 4 April 2019
Water bottling plant’s plastic beads and wastewater pollution – RNZ, 30 May 2019
Abatement notices issued for Cloud Ocean Water – Scoop, 30 May 2019
Water Bottling industry in full flow TV1 Q+A on Push Pause, 88+ consents, 17 Jun 2019:

Time for Government action on bottled water exports “Greens.. wanted an immediate moratorium on new water-bottling consents and a levy of 10 cents a litre. But the number of consents has been growing – 88 at last count. Canterbury is the most succulent area, with 10 new consents since the election” – NZ Herald, 19 Jun 2019
Canterbury water bottling campain group awarded $23k in legal costs by High Court – Stuff, 2 Jul 2019
Cloud Ocean proposes mothballing Christchurch water bottling plant – Stuff, 7 Aug 2019
Chinese water bottlers mothball controversial Christchurch plant – 1 News, 7 Aug 2019
Let’s talk about Māori and fresh water shall we? – The Daily Blog, 29 August 2019
Māori leaders call for water rights resolution after government’s freshwater plan – RNZ, 6 Sep 2019
Company applies to bottle and sell Whanganui bore water** – NZ Herald, 1 Oct 2019
Water bottling proposed The Fairton LP – Ashburton Courier, 5 Oct 2019
Government tinkers with overseas investment rules for water bottling – Newshub, 19 Nov 2019
118 million litres of wai Māori exported for 52c per litre Nongfu Springs + Creswell NZ LTD, Save Our Wai + Ngāti Awa & Ngāti Tūwharetoa – Te Ao Māori News, 8 January 2020
Water bottling company Cloud Ocean Water in ‘growth mode’ – RNZ, 11 Jan +
Water bottling hiatus urged as Cloud Ocean Water touts ‘growth’ 12 Jan +
Māori water rights case aims to stop water bottlers 14 Jan 2020
Alleged Kiwi tax fraudster linked to Ashburton water bottling project Fairton LP – Stuff, 15 Feb 2020

Local directory (draft):
AquaZeal – Tai Tapu
Cloud Ocean Water – Belfast +
Naturally Pure NZ, Rapaki Natural Resources, Southern Alps Artesian Water
Coca-Cola Amatil – Marshlands
Fairton LP – Ashburton
Frucor – h2go, NZ Natural, Kaiapoi
Moore Dairy Holdings Ltd, Lincoln
Omihinui Ltd – Omihi
Mr TJ Sycamore & Mr SJ McLauchlan – “2.17% of the national bottled water consent, amount 511,000,000 litres per year, $N/A annual charge”, Ashburton
Waiora artesian waters – Mr AJ & Mrs AL Dillon, Marshlands

Wider NZ/market (draft):
Aqua Plus – custom branded bottled spring water, Rotorua
Aquasplash – Putaruru
Fiji Water – Viti Levu “No. 1 premium bottled water in the United States” Roll Global LLC
Hamurana Springs – Rotorua Lakes, Bay of Plenty
Kiwi Blue Coca-Cola Amatil – Blue Spring, Kaimai Ranges
Kiwi Water – Blue Spring, Mamaku Ranges
Murupara – Bay of Plenty
O Pure – Napier
Otakiri Springs – Creswell NZ, Whakatane, Bay of Plenty
Poroti Springs – Whangarei, Northland
Tauranga – Bay of Plenty
Whanganui – Turner Water New Zealand Ltd & **Aquifer 182 Holding Company Ltd
Waiwera Water NZ – Auckland

* NZ Herald graphic & Bottled Water map, 22 May 2017:

Drinking-water Register for New Zealand – ESR for Ministry of Health, Apr 2019