Hamilton Grey Power September 2017

EBBETT HOLDEN NOT NEW BUT NEARLY!! ONLY FOUR MONTHS OLD SAVE THOUSANDS!! SEE PAGE 28
Chlorination of water should be demanded
FROM TOM O’CONNER
Grey Power president
AMID THE SCRAMBLE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE
CAMPYLOBACTER CONTAMINATION IN THE HAVELOCK
NORTH WATER SUPPLY, AND THE TSUNAMI OF BLAND
ASSURANCES THAT THE EVENT WAS RARE BUT COULD
HAPPEN ANYWHERE, SOME IMPORTANT FACTS MUST NOT
BE OVERLOOKED.
We don’t need excuses about the wisdom of hindsight
to realise that this event was both predictable and
avoidable, had two local government bodies been concentrating
on their core responsibilities.
The potential for contamination of the supply wells was too
obvious to be overlooked and had been for some time. Managing
risk to public health does not include the “do nothing option”
in the hope that all will be well and that any problems will
be discovered in time to take remedial action. The result of that
attitude has been several thousand people taken seriously ill and
the establishment of campylobacter infection in the Hawke’s Bay
population which may take months if not years to eradicate.
For the very young and elderly, this pathogen can be fatal.
There will now no doubt be claims for compensation added
to the cost of a total disinfection of the entire water reticulation
system. These costs will probably far outweigh the cost of chlorination
had it been installed.
At 25 metres, the Havelock North wells are shallow enough
for surface water intrusion from a number of sources in the right
conditions. These sources include run-off from farming in the district
and a number of environmental groups have often warned
that the contamination of surface waters from an increase in intensive
farming operations in recent years would eventually show
up in aquifers used for domestic water supplies. The potential
threat was well known. While regional councils are not responsible
for the supply and quality of potable water, they are responsible
for the protection of all other freshwater bodies. They are
also responsible to ensure land-based operations such as farming
and other industries have systems and rules in place to protect
freshwater from overuse and contamination. .
Another important potential source of contamination is the
Waipawa River, a tributary of the Tukituki River, which flows close
to Havelock North and probably has underground links to some
of the aquifers of the region. Human sewage contamination of
the Waipawa River has appeared on a number of occasions. In
short, the Havelock North water supply should have been and
could have been chlorinated as a precaution long ago.
To be fair, Havelock North is not the only local authority which
does not chlorinate domestic water supplies as a matter of
course. However the usual justification is that supply wells are
very deep and are considered to be secure from contamination.
The Havelock North wells are not deep.
Some people also object to the odour and taste of chlorinated
water but, when used correctly, chlorine is undetectable. It is only
required in minute amounts to remove dangerous pathogens and
it is only when too much is applied that the taste and odour is
noticeable. Modern technology now makes it much easier to get
those details right.
It is a strange contradiction that central government, which
acted far too slowly in this case, is prepared to impose fluoride on
communities to protect oral health and seems ready to impose
local body amalgamations for supposed economic efficiency,
both without public consultation, but has not, so far, insisted that
all domestic water supplies are adequately treated to avoid the
calamity created by the Havelock North failure. If we can’t trust
district and regional councils to get this basic stuff right, perhaps
it is time the Government issued clear instructions to disinfect all
domestic water supplies regardless of source.
Housing a Labour quest
FROM: MP SUE MORONEY
Housing has been the hot topic in Hamilton for months
now and it was the focus of Labour Leader Andrew
Little’s recent visit to Hamilton.
From the lack of Pensioner Housing now available in Hamilton,
to the 30 percent increase in Hamilton house prices in a year and
the resulting rent increases for rotten, mouldy homes – Andrew
Little heard it all. Two public meetings meant that Mr Little got to
hear first-hand about how these issues are affecting local people.
He heard from students sleeping in cars, families living in rotten
rentals and older people concerned about pensioner housing
options. Labour has a comprehensive plan to address the housing
problems. A Labour Government will build more affordable
housing; crack down on speculators and support people in need.
These three issues need to be addressed by Government.
Mr Little told Hamiltonians that his Government will build more
state houses and also build affordable houses that it will sell to
first home buyers. The KiwiBuild policy will be funded by a $2b
“regenerating” fund that will see 100,000 affordable homes being
built in New Zealand over 10 years. For many years, it has
been Labour Governments that have addressed housing needs.
New Zealand needs Labour again now.
I took Mr Little to see two Crown Land sites that are currently
lying idle as potential affordable housing developments. They
are the dilapidated Jebson Place/Dey St State Housing property
in Hamilton East and the abandoned Richmond Park school site
in Melville. Both sites could “fit the bill” for Labour’s affordable
housing policy.
Sue Moroney
Hamilton-based Labour List MP
430 Ulster Street, Hamilton
sue.moroneymp@
parliament.govt.nz
07 839 6803
suemoroney
Authorised by Sue Moroney,
Parliament, Wellington
1160 - Moroney ad 88x50.indd 1 10/05/16 3:56 PM
Community Waikato CEO Holly Snape briefs Labour Leader
Andrew Little, Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford and local MP
Sue Moroney on the history of the abandoned Richmond Park
school.
Hamilton greypower Magazine – September 2016 23