Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Whakatu people celebrate unchlorinated water station, but say more needed

By Astrid Austin
NZ Herald·
14 Jul, 2019 06:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Guardians of the Aquifer spokeswoman Pauline Doyle (back left) with Napier mayoral candidate Kirsten Wise (back right) and Aki Paipper. Photo / Ian Cooper

Guardians of the Aquifer spokeswoman Pauline Doyle (back left) with Napier mayoral candidate Kirsten Wise (back right) and Aki Paipper. Photo / Ian Cooper

As mother-nature unleashed rain upon the region, locals gathered to celebrate a newly-installed unchlorinated water station at Whakatu.

But those in attendance yesterday , while pleased a tap is now available, say the region's water supply should not be chlorinated in the first place.

The tap - Aqua Clear Whakatu, was installed by Stu and Karen Wilson outside their home on Station Rd, Whakatu in April.

The couple spent $30,000 drilling a pipe 34m into the ground to help set up a system to offer unchlorinated water for Whakatu folk.

Napier mayoral candidate Kirsten Wise (left) and Aki Paipper at an unchlorinated water station on Station Rd, Whakatu. Photo / Ian Cooper
Napier mayoral candidate Kirsten Wise (left) and Aki Paipper at an unchlorinated water station on Station Rd, Whakatu. Photo / Ian Cooper
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Karen Wilson said the response has been "amazing", with people coming every day to fill big bottles.

"It's kind of sad I think because we've got people stopping and they might have four of those big blue bottles, and it's like they need it."

She said, that while they are "not rich", they sold a few items, and could afford the investment.

A blessing, led by Twin Cities Ministries senior pastor Joe Whare took place at the well.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Takitimu District Maori Council chairman and Flaxmere kaumatua Des Ratima thanked Stu Wilon for his generosity.

On behalf of Stu, who could not attend, he said he is "not happy that he had to do it, he's not happy that chlorine is still in our water and he wants to have that removed, but despite of that he put a well that works for us, so that while that's going on we can enjoy the benefits of having water".

Discover more

Strong winds cause havoc on Hawke's Bay roads

14 Jul 12:38 AM

Look at what's on offer as the Winter Deco Weekend hits this weekend

14 Jul 12:49 AM

TeenAg course helps hone Hawke's Bay students leadership skills

14 Jul 03:04 AM

Ratima said the council should "reimburse" Stu who "dug into his pocket and pulled out $30,000 of his own money".

The introduction of chlorination across all Hastings District's public water drinking supplies - including Whakatu - followed the government inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination in August 2016.

Chlorine removal advocacy group Guardians of the Aquifer spokeswoman Pauline Doyle, who organised the event, said they are "not happy".

"Stu and Karen have spent a lot of money to try to get the Hastings District Council to sit up and listen to the people of Whakatu. They don't want to have to carry bottles to a tap.

"They need, and we all need our water delivered, chlorine free to our kitchen and bathroom taps. And we won't stop until we achieve that," Doyle said.

She urged the council to consider going down the same route the Whakatane District Council took last year when it agreed with Murupara residents that their water supply would not be chlorinated.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"All seven of Napier's operational bores have been certified secure, which means that Napier's bores meet the New Zealand Drinking Water Standards. Napier City Council could safely remove the chlorine from our water supply without any further delay.

She said there "is no law requiring the council to chlorinate our water".

"People in Whakatu regard it as a taonga and it shouldn't be contaminated with chemicals."

Napier mayoral candidate Kirsten Wise thanked the couple for their "overwhelming generosity in drilling the well and making fresh water available to our community".

She said people approach her every day, to voice their concerns about the region's water - chlorination and dirty water issues.

"I hear your concerns and I agree with them," she said in front of a small gathering at the Whakatu Community Hall.

Wise said important questions need to be answered, and water must be council's "number one priority".

"Council must look at all possible solutions and take these back to you, the community, so you can decide on the way forward."

She said, based on research she has done and local experts she has spoken to, she believes the removal of chlorine is an option.

"There isn't one set of rules to govern all water supplies and one must assume this is why the draft legislation currently with central government includes an exemption clause which would enable councils to remove chlorine from their water supply."

Wise said in the interim, NCC needs to meet with Christchurch City Council which is already working towards chlorine-free water and discuss the steps it is taking to achieve this.

"We can use this information for our own independent review and go out to our community to discuss the future of our water supply."

Hastings District councillor and mayoral candidate Damon Harvey said the set-up is on par with what is already on offer in Hastings and Havelock North.

"The one in Hastings is incredibly popular and well-used, so we know that there is a real want by people to have unchlorinated water."

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Crowds of up to 15,000 at Matariki fires on Hawke's Bay beaches

22 Jun 02:35 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Taradale flex their Maddison muscles

22 Jun 02:31 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Tararua District Council to install water meters

22 Jun 01:40 AM

Help for those helping hardest-hit

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Crowds of up to 15,000 at Matariki fires on Hawke's Bay beaches

Crowds of up to 15,000 at Matariki fires on Hawke's Bay beaches

22 Jun 02:35 AM

'The twinkling fires dotted north and south as far as Te Awanga was magical.'

Taradale flex their Maddison muscles

Taradale flex their Maddison muscles

22 Jun 02:31 AM
Tararua District Council to install water meters

Tararua District Council to install water meters

22 Jun 01:40 AM
Engineer called in as project to reopen Shine Falls begins

Engineer called in as project to reopen Shine Falls begins

22 Jun 01:08 AM
How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop
sponsored

How a Timaru mum of three budding chefs stretched her grocery shop

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP