Candidate: time to hold Hawke's Bay Regional council to account over water crisis

Peter Guerin is running for Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Photo / Supplied

A Hawke's Bay Regional Council candidate says it is time to hold regional councillors to account over the Havelock North water crisis.

Peter Guerin, who is running for HBRC in the Hastings ward, said the water supply was consistently brought up as an area of concern when speaking with Havelock North residents.

"Many people in Havelock North will never trust their water supply again.

"Because their health and wellbeing has been put at risk they have been forced to collect safe unchlorinated drinking water from private sources, like some third world country. That's an unacceptable state of affairs in 21st century New Zealand.

"The common view is that no-one at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council has put their hand up and taken responsibility for this sad affair."

He said the government inquiry into Havelock North had been highly critical of the regional council.

"The inquiry found the council failed to act properly as guardians of the Heretaunga Plains water aquifer, issuing water consents with inadequate conditions and failing to appropriately monitor them.

"Their knowledge and awareness of contamination risks was found to fall well below expected standards."

Guerin grew up in Hawke's Bay and returned in 2015, after a career in local government and business, including leading the Rotorua District Council as chief executive.

He said he believes he could make a genuine difference if elected to Hawke's Bay Regional Council.

"The three current Hastings Ward regional councillors have all held office for the last six years.

"Residents should think carefully about whether they have been well served by these people."