NZ Herald Headlines | Saturday, February 14, 2026.
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An urgent notice has been issued to residents in east Christchurch to boil their water until further notice after samples showed bacteria “contamination”.
And anyone feeling sick is encouraged to seek medical advice, the Christchurch City Council says.
An alert was sent to hundreds of cellphones and posted on thecouncil’s social media this afternoon, resulting in people rushing out to buy bottled water from local shops and supermarkets.
In an update early this evening, a council spokeswoman confirmed it was not aware of anyone being sick.
The alert sent to people's phones in parts of Christchurch.
“As part of our normal sample programme, we test for E. coli and total coliforms,” she said.
“The sample showed no E. coli was present, just total coliforms.
“Total coliforms are a group of bacteria commonly found in the environment, and their presence in the water network serves as an indicator of potential contamination and the possible existence of harmful pathogens.
“We are not aware of anyone presenting as sick.”
The spokeswoman confirmed the issue was contained.
“There is no risk to the rest of Christchurch. The notice solely applies to the Rawhiti zone,” she said
The notice was published about 1pm.
“Residents and visitors to areas of New Brighton, Burwood, Wainoni, Aranui and Southshore are being advised to boil their water until further notice after a sample within the zone was found to be contaminated,” it said.
“Testing in the area showed the presence of bacteria in drinking water which means it is unsafe to drink.
“All water used for drinking, food preparation, utensil washing, brushing teeth or making ice should be boiled until further notice.”
A map of the area affected by a boil water notice. Photo / Christchurch City Council
The council assured residents that staff and contractors are in the area undertaking further testing and investigations are under way to understand the cause of the contamination.
“Until we have further information the boil water notice will remain in place,” it said.
“Bringing water to the boil is sufficient to kill bugs. If you can’t boil your water then bottled water is the only other option.”
The council said text alerts went to residents’ cellphones but would also be received by people travelling into the affected areas.
“Residents are encouraged to share the message with their neighbours,” it said.
“The boil water notice will be in place until further notice.”
