Tukituki Labour candidate Anna Lorck says this week's inquiry findings are a clear message to stop sourcing water from the Brookvale area due to the water safety risks.
While the Hastings District Council was preparing to spend millions of dollars securing safe water from these compromised bores, the knowledge that the aquifer was not confined meant the risks were too high, she said.
"We should look at digging a new bore and get all options on the table.
"We have the perfect opportunity right now and we could be saving money while the trenches are already being dug for the motorway from Havelock North to Whakatu and putting in a water pipe.
"This is where we have the best, purest water in the world, and we should be getting it to local residents - not giving it away free to China to sell for profit.
"This could well save us money in the long run, I don't want to be looking back in hindsight, and be asking why did we not do it when we had the chance."
She said a different approach was needed to restore the community's confidence in its drinking water, especially given the past history of problems in the area - warnings of its compromised situation.
"To protect and secure us fresh, safe drinking water we must change from the leadership that has destroyed it. This takes fresh thinking, ideas and vision to get us there, focusing on what is best for the future of Hastings and Havelock North.
"We have been failed on so many levels. The report speaks for itself. Despite warning after warning, nothing was done to protect us from this disaster. I will not ignore this.
"We lost our fundamental right to safe drinking water - it doesn't get more basic than that."
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said moves were already under way to find alternatives to the Brookvale bores.
He said Bore 1 had already been decommissioned and that the same was about to happen with Bore 2.
The water treatment, including UV, filtration and chlorine that had been put in place at Bore 3, currently being used to supply Havelock North was usable.
"We are now exploring other options for water and we have $5 million in the budget for that, which we are consulting on at the moment," Mr Yule said.
He said that Bore 3 was likely to be a temporary measure while looking for other sources, one of which had been identified already at Whakatu.
He added that it was unknown until the investigations following the gastro outbreak that the Te Mata aquifer was unconfined.