Save Our Water laments the decline in Canterbury water quality that is apparent since democracy was removed from our regional council, Environment Canterbury, in 2010. The voting public had put us there in 2007, to help improve it all, but central government changed in 2008 and had a different agenda.
So 2019 presents opportunity to pitch in and help improve water quality once again, within the CommunityVoice.NZ Zero-waste campaign for election to ECan in Ōwhanga:
News and debate on water concern is huge and recently includes:
Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan – ECan
Water science: Rationality v alarmism – 22 Sep 2016
Protesters send message to Environment Canterbury: ‘Save our water’ – 14 Mar 2017
National and the Green’s weigh in on irrigation – 6 Apr 2018
‘The water wars’: A council’s proposal ruptures a divided heartland – 12 Apr 2018
Extent of new water changes unknown for now – govt view 10 Oct 2018
Is NZ’s drinking water dangerous? Major international study links nitrates with bowel cancer – 28 Jan 2019
Virtual Field Trip to the Central Plains Water Scheme – 19 March 2019
Report into Southland climate change predicts more extreme weather, warmer temperatures and higher river levels – 2 May 2019 + Climate change projections for the Southland region – MfE
Environmentalists ‘alarmed’ but Environment Canterbury says water survey results ‘expected’ – 15 May 2019
ECan councillor says proposed plan changes don’t go far enough to protect drinking water – 22 Jul 2019
Canterbury water talk August 2019 – Mike Joy
Will ECan’s proposed nitrate reductions make dairy farming untenable? – Aug 31 2019
Government to get tough on farming and councils by regulating for water – 5 Sep 2019 + Farming may ‘never be the same again’ after planned water clean-up + Cheat sheet: Blueprint to rescue NZ waterways revealed
New tests show nitrate levels still rising in water – 6 September 2019
Policy jabs at MfE water meeting – 17 September 2019
Water from controversial Christchurch company sold below cost in China – 18 Sep 2019
Unanimous call for public transport overhaul during climate change mayoral debate – 19 Sep 2019 + End of an era for Environment Canterbury as former commissioners retire
Time to talk about what we can do, not can’t, when it comes to environmentally friendly farming – Waikato Times, 21 Sep 2019
The Voting Climate: Results from Stuff’s survey of council candidates – 21 Sep 2019
Greta Thunberg’s emotional speech to UN: ‘We will never forgive you’ – 24 Sep 2019 + Climate strike: Protest is in Kiwis DNA and the climate needs us to take action
Freshwater clean-up operations not as effective – Auditor-General – 25 Sep 2019
Feed the world – CommunityVoice.NZ 26 Sep 2019 + Water bottling register drive, Oct.
[Draft list of event stories – more to come..]
Save Our Water 