‘It matters to absolutely everybody’ – Expert says NZ water contamination has global effect
The contaminated water woes plaguing the country at the moment have caught the attention of an international expert – and he isn’t impressed.
-originally posted on September 4, 2016
Lord Michael Hastings, KPMG International’s Global Head of Corporate Citizenship, says New Zealand must fix the water issues quickly, not only for the good of its own citizens but for those in many developing nations too.
“New Zealand is a rich country. It is perfectly possible to provide the necessary safeguards and the protections which would have stopped something of the crisis that Hawke’s Bay has been,”Mr Hastings told TVNZ’s Q+A.
The comments come on the back of a global water shortage crisis he believes is only going to escalate.
“We’re flagging the issues because the issues matter to absolutely everybody,” he said.
“We don’t want to see world wars fought over water… but we’re already seeing tensions between nations over water supply.”
The Government has announced an inquiry into the contamination of Havelock North’s supply that saw more than 4,000 residents struck down with gastro illness.