Andersen GinnyGINNY ANDERSEN (Labour): Thank you for the opportunity Mr Speaker of speaking on such an important bill for the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders. It was a really big issue at the time and I clearly remember how much concern there was when the Havelock North issue broke in New Zealand. It was a scare that went right through New Zealand because it really shook our confidence in the fact that our drinking-water quality in a country that we think of as being a First World country could be compromised to the point where someone would lose their life. It's something that we potentially take for granted. So it is encouraging to see this bill taking on board all of those recommendations put forward to making sure that we do have healthy drinking-water here in New Zealand.Some of the key changes that this bill will give effect to in the recommendations from the Government's inquiry into the Havelock North drinking-water outbreak are really looking at expediting how we change and making sure that the checks and balances required in legislation can be done in a way that enables a quick response in those areas. It's important to note too that as we go forward and we see increase of population increasing demand on our resources to make sure that we are operating in a way going forward that we can maintain good-quality drinking water something that is so precious to us in a way that meets a wide range of competing interests. This is where this bill is only part of a wider response that this Government is undertaking to make sure that water no matter how it's being used across the board in New Zealand is managed well and we're doing that in a way that balances a wide range of interests.But this really marks out how important it is to make sure that the water that we get out of our taps—that when we drink that we can make sure that we are not going to make ourselves sick and we want to make sure that right across New Zealand no matter where you live you can turn on the tap and make sure that the water that you give to your family is of a good quality.Some of the key provisions that have come through the select committee process have taken into account some of the submissions that the Health Committee heard and it was good to see some of those changes taking place. There was strong support for clause 4 which basically meant amending powers for drinking-water assessors and making sure that we didn't have—like what happened in Havelock North—that three-year waiting period which didn't enable a quick response.I do note that there were some concerns raised regarding clause 5 which concerns ensuring that the Minister adopt appropriate consultation for proposed change and that suppliers are given enough time to transition once a change has occurred. So that is important as well.The policy content of the bill if I can touch on that quickly is that it really shows that these amendments and the four that are so important will enable that response to happen should we ever be in situations like the one that we've seen in Havelock North. I do note too that there's a wide variety of ways that people source water in New Zealand and all are important.Growing up in some parts of New Zealand—when I was growing up in rural New Zealand I vividly remember the day my father cleaned out our water tank and found the remains of a dead possum. We'd been drinking that water for quite a few months. No one got sick but it's not a great feeling when you know that what you've been turning on from the tap hasn't been particularly good or good for immunity in the long run. But we want to make sure that what we're giving our kids is good quality and we want to streamline the processes so if there are impurities in the water supply if there are issues in terms of where our water is coming from and the sources of where that water's coming from is adequately protected then when there's a problem we can act quickly and make sure that no longer should we have New Zealanders fearful of what they're putting into their bodies from a tap. We need to protect what is beautiful in New Zealand what is a fresh natural resource and not take that for granted. I commend the Minister for this piece of legislation and I really look forward to the good work being done by Minister Parker and Minister Nanaia Mahuta in terms of the wider work on water quality that is happening in New Zealand. It's long overdue and I'm looking forward to seeing that come forward. So without further ado I commend this bill to the House.