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Taumata Arowai is assessing Kāeo’s water situation, under a boil water notice since 2015.
The notice was due to inadequate treatment and E. coli levels, requiring residents to boil water.
Wai Care’s Bryce Aldrige plans to resolve the issue with six water tanks and a UV light.
The Water Service Authority – Taumata Arowai – has stepped in to assess the situation in Kāeo after it was revealed the town has been under a boil water notice for nearly a decade .
The Far North town was placed under a boil water notice in 2015, after a public health notice declared Kāeo’s water supply temporarily unsafe and advised drinking water should be boiled for two minutes.
Kāeo, a small town in the Far North, has been struggling for drinkable water for almost a decade. Photo / Yolisa Tswanya
Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor said the notice was put in place because the levels of E. coli found in Kāeo’s water confirmed the level of treatment was inadequate.
Boil notices were not intended as long-term solutions because they did not provide a pathway to long-term compliance with the Water Services Act 2021, he said.
Taylor said the authority had engaged with the supply owner and was reviewing its proposed course of action towards a compliant and safe drinking water supply.
“It is the responsibility of Wai Care to resolve the issues and we have reminded Wai Care Environmental of its obligations.
“We are in discussions with Wai Care Environmental to determine the various treatment options available to it and to identify a timeframe for resolution. This will include ensuring suitable water quality testing is occurring.”
Taumata Arowai head of operations Steve Taylor says it is the responsibility of Wai Care to resolve the water issues in Kāeo.
Taylor said the authority would also speak to Far North District Council to understand the situation.
Aldridge said six water tanks and a UV light were needed to get the town’s water supply in check and the boil water notice removed within six months.
“I have been consistent with that for 10 years, I have people that have worked in water for years who have said that is all that is needed.”
Aldridge estimated the tanks would cost about $70,000.
The reason he had not been able to install the equipment before was he lacked the funds, he said.
“I won’t start making money to save for at least three years ... the plan has always been to get boil notice removed. If I could get a loan or something, it would be resolved a lot sooner.”
Far North District Council said the supply was sold to the Doubtless Bay Water Company in 2000, before Wai Care took over in 2008.
“The council has had no further input in what is a private, commercial operation. Any decision on taking control of the Kāeo supply would need to be considered by the council’s elected members.”
The council confirmed it has not been asked by customers or Wai Care to take over the water supply
Kāeo is still under a boil water notice after almost 10 years. Photo / Yolisa Tswanya
Taumata Arowai’s latest Drinking Water Regulation Report shows in 2023, there were 105 long-term boil water advisories nationwide used by some suppliers as long-term risk mitigation strategies.
The authority expected there to be further consumer advisories issued by suppliers it was not aware of.
“We are concerned by the high number of consumer advisories issued in New Zealand compared to other countries like England and Scotland, where the numbers of consumer advisories issued is exceptionally low.
“Our current focus is ensuring suppliers are issuing consumer advisories appropriately and that these suppliers work to ensure issues are being addressed,” the report states.
