NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

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 / New Zealand

Election 2020: National Party leader Judith Collins unveils water storage policy, rules out working with Advance NZ 'because I'm not insane'

Jason Walls
By Jason Walls
Political Editor – Newstalk ZB·NZ Herald·
30 Sep, 2020 10:45 PM5 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

Focus Live: National unveil water storage policy
Under the new policy, National would spend $600 million a year over three years on water infrastructure projects across the country, such as storage and drinking water projects. ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Malachi Subecz's mother cries in court

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      2
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Under the new policy, National would spend $600 million a year over three years on water infrastructure projects across the country, such as storage and drinking water projects.
      NOW PLAYING • Focus Live: National unveil water storage policy
      Under the new policy, National would spend $600 million a year over three years on water infrastructure projects across the country, such as storage and drinking water projects. ...
      Vote2020

      National leader Judith Collins has announced a $600 million water infrastructure policy while touring Northland - and ruled out working with Advance NZ to form any future government, "because I'm not insane".

      Under the new policy, National would spend $600 million a year over three years on water infrastructure projects across the country, such as storage and drinking water projects.

      Collins unveiled the water policy today in Kerikeri, where there are a number of billboards for Advance NZ, fronted by Billy Te Kahika Jr and former National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross and which propogates internet conspiracy theories about Covid-19, the United Nations, and 5G, among others.

      The National leader ruled out any coalition arrangement with Advance NZ after the election, in the unlikely event that party clear the 5 per cent threshold or if Te Kahika wins the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "Because I'm not insane," she said when asked why.

      The $600 million for the new water policy would come from the party's recently announced National Infrastructure Bank – its mooted state-run bank for central and local Government infrastructure projects.

      National's plans involve targeting the 98 per cent of flowing freshwater in New Zealand that is currently not captured.

      Read More

      • Election 2020: Jacinda Ardern v Judith Collins in TV leaders debate with Patrick Gower - NZ Her...
      • Election 2020: With polls showing Labour could govern alone, is NZ returning to the days of 'el...
      • Election 2020 leaders' debate: Did Labour leader Jacinda Ardern or National leader Judith Colli...
      • Election 2020: Better news for National in new poll, but still well behind Labour - NZ Herald
      • Election 2020: Labour would be able to govern alone, in latest Colmar Brunton poll - NZ Herald
      • Election 2020: New poll tonight, Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins in first TVNZ debate - NZ He...

      To do this, the party would provide loans or take a stake in water storage projects – that money would be paid back over time so the money could be recycled and spent on more projects over time.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "Done correctly, water storage can be equal parts beneficial to the environment, economy and community," National leader Judith Collins said.

      The party is also doubling down on its long-held belief that "water is owned by no one" – Labour's position is that everyone owns it.

      National would work with iwi to make sure they had access to water, Collins said, but "it is a stake in the ground here; that water belongs to all New Zealanders."

      That position was quickly condemned as "pure cowardice" and "dogwhistle politics" by Geoff Simmons, leader of the Opportunities Party (TOP).

      Discover more

      New Zealand|politics

      The verdict: Ardern or Collins? Our experts pick their winner

      30 Sep 04:00 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      'Jeepers' - sparks fly in TV debate; Collins doubles down on wage subsidy, Deputy PM plan

      30 Sep 07:13 PM
      Opinion

      A tonic after the toxins - the tale of two debates

      30 Sep 07:51 PM
      New Zealand|politics

      Watch: David Seymour says Deputy Prime Minister role unlikely

      30 Sep 09:58 PM

      "They are obviously too scared to have the crucial discussions with tangata whenua over water rights, and are obviously happy to continue to allow Chinese water bottlers like Cloud Ocean Water in Christchurch to take water for free and sell it to the tune of $4.3 billion per year," Simmons said.

      "They say they will 'guarantee common ownership of water' which is code for saying that the National Party is not willing to have the hard discussion around the ownership and management of our valuable fresh water...they will never consider Te Tiriti o Waitangi a binding document. This is a new low, even for National."

      Collins used the recent Auckland water crisis as an example as to why this planned spend was important.

      "Cities like Auckland need a resilient and clean water supply to continue being a world-class city, and to make sure we can deal with the economic crisis we are facing.

      "We get a lot of rainfall in New Zealand...we don't have the storage. Our problem in New Zealand is primarily around storage....it takes money to do these things.

      "National wants a strategy and model that allows us to unlock our economic potential and safeguard our communities from increasing drought."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      National's environment spokesman Scott Simpson said that at the moment, less than 2 per cent of the water that flows over New Zealand is captured.

      Subscribe to Premium

      Of that, half is used in towns and cities while the rest is used for irrigation.

      "Our country has water, we're just not using it," Simpson said.

      "We can't keep letting our water flow out to sea while our towns run out of water and our farms dry up."

      The water policy uses Kerikeri as an example of a scheme which has worked well – one it wants to see replicated across the country.

      "It is estimated that the Kerikeri water storage scheme alone provides 2.5 per cent of the GDP of the Far North," the policy says.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "It is not a coincidence that Kerikeri South has the lowest levels of deprivation in the Far North and the best access to water."

      National has also promised to develop a National Policy Statement on Water Storage.

      Collins said this would provide certainty around the strategic use of water, streamline consenting and set minimum environmental standards for newly irrigated land.

      On wider questions about balancing spending promises, Collins was asked if National viewed the money set aside by the Government for the future Covid-19 response as fair to spend in other areas.

      Collins said there wouldn't be more widespread outbreaks under her Government.

      "In the fiscal plan, everything is accounted for and we are very clear about that.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "The Covid fund is simply borrowed money. Whether you stick a label on it...it still has to get paid back."

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      Live
      Politics

      Watch: Govt announces $231m new Auckland-based NZ Institute for Advanced Technology

      New Zealand

      Worry and speculation as manager of Molesworth Station resigns

      Opinion

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today


      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      Netanyahu expresses regret after three killed at Catholic church in Gaza
      World

      Netanyahu expresses regret after three killed at Catholic church in Gaza

      Storm hits Northland, 500 still without power as crews work to restore
      Northern Advocate

      Storm hits Northland, 500 still without power as crews work to restore

      Watch: Govt announces $231m new Auckland-based NZ Institute for Advanced Technology
      Politics

      Watch: Govt announces $231m new Auckland-based NZ Institute for Advanced Technology

      Worry and speculation as manager of Molesworth Station resigns
      The Country

      Worry and speculation as manager of Molesworth Station resigns

      Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu - 'Mu' and DJ Fitchie - dies
      Entertainment

      Fat Freddy's Drop founder Chris Faiumu - 'Mu' and DJ Fitchie - dies

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
      New Zealand

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today



      Latest from New Zealand

      Watch: Govt announces $231m new Auckland-based NZ Institute for Advanced Technology
      Live
      Politics

      Watch: Govt announces $231m new Auckland-based NZ Institute for Advanced Technology

      Luxon is speaking alongside Dr Shane Reti this morning.

      17 Jul 09:26 PM
      Worry and speculation as manager of Molesworth Station resigns
      New Zealand

      Worry and speculation as manager of Molesworth Station resigns

      17 Jul 09:20 PM
      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
      Opinion

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

      17 Jul 09:13 PM


      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      Sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      06 Jul 09:47 PM

      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
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search