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Regional | Business

Protecting drinking water a priority for Kahungunu

Protecting drinking water was on the agenda today at the Ngāti Kahungunu Fish Hook Summit to get public confidence back in the water supply, after the gastro outbreak that saw 5000 people poisoned last year.

“We are certainly working together with our partners in the district council and in the regional council along with Kahungunu in putting in place a series of measures to ensure that can never happen again,” says medical officer for the Hawke’s Bay DHB Dr Nick Jones.

Those measures include looking at stopping contaminants from getting into waterways, how water testing will be carried out and how drinking water is delivered to homes.

“Water is vital to human life and to the environment so we have to work together and do everything we can to keep it clean and drinkable not only for ourselves but the land as well,” says Ngahiwi Tomana, Chairman of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc.

The Heretaunga Aquifer is key to feeding the water supply system and is a natural resource that iwi says needs protecting for safe drinking water not only now but in the future.

“We want to take what we've heard today to the symposium next week and table our values our tikanga and our protocols on the water topic,” says Tomoana.

Ngāti Kahungunu will be a part of a major water symposium being held in Hastings next week along with dozens of other industry experts.