Councils’ failure to provide safe water shows need for amalgamations

Dr Peter Davis, Emeritus Professor in Population Health and Social Science at the University of Auckland, says local government must be future-proofed against further failure of the magnitude of the waste overflows and gastro outbreaks that have sickened ratepayers. “85% of the population receive their water services from their local council, and yet: • A fifth are supplied with drinking water that does not meet New Zealand standards; • A quarter of wastewater treatment services are operating on expired consents,” he told Newsroom.