Green Party announcement: charging on water bottling and a moratorium on new plants

That’s an immediate 10 cent/litre levy on water bottling and exports and a moratorium on new bottling consents until water protection is sorted out properly. The gist of the overall policy is to reprioritise the integrity of water ahead of commerce. This is a values based shift backed up with the intention of solid action once in government.

James Shaw:

“Forty-five thousand New Zealanders – the equivalent population of Nelson – have to put up with faecal contamination in their drinking water at least once a year, and some communities have to boil their water every single day to make sure it’s clean enough to drink,” said Green Party Co-leader James Shaw.

At the same time, water bottling companies are taking the purest, cleanest water out from under our feet. They bottle it and sell it and pay practically nothing for the resource. New Zealanders are more and more aware of what an injustice this is.

“New Zealanders shouldn’t have to worry about whether the water coming from their taps is safe to drink, or whether there’s enough of it, or that water bottlers are getting the cleanest water.

The Green Party press release:

Protecting drinking water

New Zealanders can’t take clean drinking water for granted anymore, but the Green Party will fix that. No one should have to worry that the water coming from their taps isn’t safe to drink.

Water bottling companies profit from some of our purest and cleanest water, but pay only minimal administration fees for the privilege, while some communities around the country have to boil water before they drink it.

The Green Party will put an immediate 10 cent/litre levy on water bottling and exports. Revenue will go to mana whenua and the wider community through local councils. Local councils will be expected to use it to clean up waterways, and protect drinking water sources and infrastructure.

In government we will develop a new way of allocating and pricing all commercial uses of water, based on shared values of protecting fresh water, honouring te Tirirti o Waitangi, and upholding mana whenua rights. This will involve nationwide meetings and hui to involve all New Zealanders in the process. We expect tangata whenua will play a critical role in this process.

New water bottling consents will be banned until we have the regulation in place to ensure priority is given to good supplies of clean drinking water for all New Zealanders. We will protect drinking water sources from the activities that pollute them with pathogens, sediment, run off and nitrates.

And, we’ll reinstate funding for programmes that help small communities and marae upgrade their drinking water systems, so everyone has access to clean, drinkable water.

More information:

Additional key points from the RNZ report:

  • The bottling water charge would be split between local councils and mana whenua.
  • Councils would be expected to use the money for environmental programmes and drinking water management.
  • The party would reinstate the Drinking Water Subsidy which previously resulted in $100 million over 10 years being allocated to small communities.
  • Those communities would receive upgraded equipment and technical advice to help access clean water.
  • The party would make changes to the Resource Management Act and the National Environment Standard for Drinking water.
  • Councils would be required to prioritise drinking water when making decisions about allocating resources.

Lots of good stuff there to go with the Greens’ belief that water will be a key issue in this election for many New Zealanders.

More Green Party water policy is in the Clean Groundwater Bill and the main Environment Policy.

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