An Open Letter to the ActionStation-ers!
From Marnie Prickett of Choose Clean Water
To all the ActionStation-ers!
Thank you so much for your support, the words and photos you shared and the vision you have for the future of our rivers and lakes.
It was so heartening to see so many people excited about a future we could look forward to and work towards rather than one we dread.
It’s been 6 months since we were last at Parliament to present the Choose Clean Water petition calling for a swimmable not “wadeable” bottom line to be written into Aotearoa New Zealand’s freshwater legislation and for the priority to be the health of our people, wildlife and environment.
It’s a strange thing to have to go to Parliament and make the case for clean water — to ask that our legislation address the pollution of freshwater rather than legalise it.
We were stronger for all your support and, importantly, the case we presented to Select Committee members was stronger for it.
To check it out this report in full click here.
The overall impression we had was that it went very well. Our presentation included going through step-by-step the way faecal contamination standards have been progressively weakened through poor Government policy leading to a bottom line at which 1 in 20 people are likely to be infected by campylobacter (this is what people of Havelock North got after their drinking water was contaminated) from wading or boating in freshwater (the “wadeable” standard).
In its current state, the policy will not be able to achieve its worthy objectives; to safeguard life-supporting capacity of freshwater and safeguard human health. It will fail to do both.
Opposition MPs on the committee were supportive of our ask. In fact, all the MPs nodded and engaged. We hope that having been presented with the significant health risks the current legislation ignores, the Committee will be strong in their recommendations for change to Government.
We have had several Committee members ask for us to provide follow-up information. We see this as a good sign. A solid step in the right direction.
But we have a long way to go yet.
Next steps? We have asked for the Committee to recommend our changes to the policy and to send our presentation to the Health Select Committee. The Committee is now considering the information we, and the Ministry for the Environment, provided and will write a report on their findings.
Choose Clean Water is in the middle of organising our next push for clean, safe freshwater.
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Thanks for all your support,
Marnie on behalf of the Choose Clean Water team.
