Damning water inquiry should be a wake up callRachael Kelly/Stuff We have been too complacent for too long about the state of New Zealand's water suppliesOPINION: Safe drinking water used to be one of those things us Kiwis prided ourselves on, like our 100 per cent pure brand, and our inventiveness with a piece of number 8 wire. A government inquiry ordered in the wake of the Havelock North gastro outbreak paints a frightening picture of the state of our drinking water. The issue is not without political risks for Labour either - the call for mandated water treatment, for instance, won't be universally popular. Few issues are more sensitive than the safety of drinking water, especially when it fees into wider unease about New Zealand's environmental branding. Showing leadership, even on a potentially controversial call like universal water treatment, is what governing is about.

Source: Stuff December 06, 2017 08:26 UTC