Editorial: Havelock North needs our support

Go and have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat in the village this weekend - Havelock North still needs your help.

Early this week there was a little light at the end of the tunnel for Havelock North residents.

It seemed the water-boil notice was about to be lifted.

No more boiling water for every little thing.

It turns out the light at the end of the tunnel was that train coming back to crush their hopes again.

Today, three weeks after the first boil-water notice finally reached some Havelock North residents, they are still being asked to boil their water.

Three weeks! I feel for them. It must be so frustrating. I'm not surprised there have been angry words spoken at the two public meeting this week.

A side-effect of this gastro crisis is another disaster in the waiting. Thousands of empty plastic bottles will be dumped in our landfills, thanks to this crisis.

And that's what it is. A disaster. Contaminated water, sick people everywhere. I know of one Havelock North resident who has been ill for nearly three weeks.

Yes, they had underlying problems but were doing really well until they drank contaminated water.

The empty plastic bottles may not seem like such a big deal at the moment but one day all this plastic is going to come back to haunt us.

One thing I'm sure we have all learnt from this is that we can't take our precious water for granted. Without it we are doomed.

Havelock North still needs our help and support. Some businesses are in dire straits, so I urge you to go and have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat in the village this weekend.

Take a smile with you and stay a while.