The country's top health official says the Ministry of Health may have to take a stronger approach to ensuring water suppliers provide safe drinking water in New Zealand.
Director General of Health Chai Chuah took the stand as the Havelock North water inquiry continued today and was asked whether he thought the current level of non-compliance with drinking water standards were acceptable.
Counsel assisting the inquiry Nathan Gedye drew his attention to Ministry of Health figures from 2009 to 2015/16 showing there are still 759,000 people (20 per cent of the serviced population) supplied by supplies where the water was not demonstrably safe to drink.
Of these 92,000 were at risk of bacterial infection, 681,000 of protozoal infection and 59,000 at risk from the long-term effects of exposure to chemicals.
Mr Gedye asked if Mr Chuah was troubled by these numbers and the fact there had been very little if any improvement over the years.