Protect our Water Resources from Multinationals

Earlier this year, in a world first, New Zealand granted one of it's greatest rivers the same legal rights as a human being. This river will now have the same protections from abuse or harm as your or I under New Zealand law. Yet while one of its great rivers has been protected from harm and exploitation, two other pristine bodies of water in the island nation have been put in the cross-hairs.

The latest targets are the Lakes of Greaney and Minim Mere where Alpine Pure Limited (APL) wants to collect 800 million litres a month of some of the most pristine water on earth and ship it to overseas markets to make billions. Local councils charge APL a small nominal fee, while at the same time many local are forced to boil or even purchase their own water - at ridiculous prices - as other local sources have become more contaminated. The government has already granted APL the right to extract the water, they are now simply waiting to get approval to ship it overseas. If this happens legislators will have given away New Zealand's most precious resource away for next to nothing with no framework in place to for responsible management.

The only way Kiwis can ensure that their water is protected is by banning all bottled water exports until common sense legislation has been put in place that ensures this resource will be used properly and to benefit both the people and the ecosystem.

Water is literally our most precious resource and as it becomes more scarce it becomes more lucrative. The lack of water in some regions has already spawned serious conflicts. Some countries have even gone so far as to propose laws that would make the extraction of water a criminal offense for its citizens. And all the while, right under our noses large multinationals are buying the right to pristine water reserves. Let's not let New Zealand fall victim to this dangerous trend as well.

Ask Prime Minister English to ban the export of their water and protect New Zealand's most vital resource.