Kāeo Water Crisis: Decade of Undrinkable Tap Water

Residents Mark Ten Years Under Boil-Water Notice

For a decade, the small Far North town of Kāeo has been under a boil-water notice, a grim milestone no one is celebrating. Residents like chef and cooking instructor Anna Valentine have endured a decade of uncertainty and inconvenience regarding their water supply.

A Daily Struggle for Clean Water

Anna Valentine described the relentless challenges: “I wasn’t able to do my washing without it turning brown, basically. And every now and then it would just be super-brown, and then it would get clearer, and sometimes it would go off, and we wouldn’t know.” While the water’s colour has improved, it remains undrinkable. The notice, issued in July 2015 due to E. coli bacteria, has never been rescinded.

The Kāeo Water supply serves approximately 30 connections along State Highway 10, impacting homes, businesses, and public facilities. The Valentine family, like many others, relies on rainwater tanks for drinking water. Anna Valentine highlighted the broader impact: “The water needs to be drinkable out of the tap, for the kids that go to the community hall, and the people coming through town.” Many businesses have resorted to installing their own rainwater systems due to the unreliability of the public supply.

Operator Challenges and Regulatory Oversight

The water scheme’s history is complex, with ownership changing hands multiple times since 2000. Current operator Bryce Aldridge cited the difficulty of meeting evolving drinking water standards for small systems, particularly without government assistance for necessary upgrades. He noted that a minority of clients complain about the quality, with some fearing that system upgrades might lead to price increases and the potential addition of fluoride.

The Ministry of Health does not mandate fluoridation for privately owned supplies. Aldridge explained that the discolouration is due to naturally occurring iron and manganese in the Waikara Stream source. Plans are underway to relocate the treatment plant and implement UV treatment, with a new site recently secured but not yet confirmed.

The national water authority, Taumata Arowai, is now involved. Head of operations Steve Taylor stated that Kāeo’s supply must comply with the Water Services Act 2021. Despite a letter outlining expectations in March, a supplier-cancelled meeting prevented timely progress. Taylor emphasized the need for clear communication about boil-water notices and a funded compliance plan, neither of which has been fully met. A new meeting is scheduled for July 23rd. Taumata Arowai can intervene if compliance issues persist, potentially requiring the Far North District Council to assume control of the supply.

A 2024 Drinking Water Regulation Report indicated that 74 long-term “consumer advisories,” including boil-water notices, were active nationwide at the close of the previous year. Twenty council supplies serving approximately 7,000 individuals had advisories in place for three or more years, highlighting the persistent challenge of ensuring safe drinking water across New Zealand (Department of Internal Affairs).

Calls for Collaboration and Dignity

Raniera Kaio, cultural manager for Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa, pointed to a history of “buck-passing” between the council and operators. He believes a collaborative approach involving the council, operator, and iwi is essential, noting the operator “lacks the resources to fix it alone.” The water plant has not fully recovered since being inundated in 2007 floods.

The boil-water notice imposes significant financial burdens, with the rūnanga spending between $300 and $400 monthly on bottled water. Kaio views Kāeo’s water issues as symptomatic of broader neglect in rural, Māori-majority communities, impacting not just health and well-being but also “the dignity of Kāeo, the mana of Kāeo.” He expressed hope that Taumata Arowai’s engagement would lead to a resolution.

Anna Valentine shared her profound hope for the future: “I mean, we live in New Zealand, but it feels like we’re in a bit of a third world country up here in Kāeo, having to go out every day and fill our plastic bottles from a water container that we collect off the roof.”