31 May 2018

Will industry wide shake up fix ailing water infrastructure?

From Nine To Noon, 9:23 am on 31 May 2018

The second stage of an extensive government review has just got underway looking at wide ranging reforms to our three water services: drinking water, waste water and storm water. Just last month a cabinet paper listed extensive problems due to multiple pressures including widespread systematic failures of water suppliers to meet drinking water standards, and concerns about the capability of a system, with many local authorities struggling to respond. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has told stakeholders a new system is still in the "conceptual stage". So what's in the pipeline for reform? And who is going to pay to replace the ageing infrastructure? John Pfahlert is the Chief Executive of the water industry group, Water New Zealand and Marcus Rink is the Chief Inspector of Drinking Water at the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.