Category: MIL-OSI

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Have you checked your bore lately?

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Making sure your bore is in good working order and protected from contaminants is crucial to protecting your family and those living on your property from sickness.

Winter is coming, and that means wetter soils, deeper drainage, and a higher chance of surface water flooding — all of which can carry risk to your drinking water supply.

A study published in April 2025, from the Department of Public Health at University of Otago, and the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at University of Canterbury, found that people using private water supplies in rural areas are more than twice as likely to get a Campylobacter infection compared to urban residents who have access to treated public water.

While often transmitted through contaminated food, campylobacteriosis can also be found in private water supplies, particularly in areas with a higher density of dairy farming.

“Waterborne disease outbreaks can occur due to various factors, such as heavy rainfall or spring runoff, improper disposal of manure, sewage, or wastewater, and issues with septic tanks, cesspools, sewers, or landfills,” the study said.

Look after your bore and keep your drinking water safe

There are some important steps to look after your bore:

1. Keep it tidy: Make sure your bore is fenced off from stock (at least 5 metres), is located well away from areas where fertiliser, pesticides or chemicals are used, and is as far away as practical from potential sources of contamination such as compost, rubbish, septic tanks, offal holes, and effluent disposal areas, as contaminants infiltrate into groundwater through the soil/land surface.

Consider checking the historical use of the land to understand possible groundwater contamination risks in the Listed Land Use Register.

2. Keep it sealed: To prevent stormwater and contaminants entering the water supply, the top of the borehead should be elevated and securely sealed.

The bore casing should extend at least 0.5m above the ground and ideally be surrounded by a concrete apron. Don’t forget a backflow preventer to stop contaminants siphoning back into your well.

3. Know your flow: Flooding situation? Heavy rain or snow? Power cut for an extended amount of time? Make sure you boil your water and don’t forget to let others on your water supply know to do the same.

Head to our drinking water page for more information and or download this handy printout on keeping your bore water safe (PDF file, 146.5KB).

For a secure borehead, follow these steps:

1. Borehead cap

Install a secure cap and seal between the casing and any hoses or cables going down the bore.

2. Borehead casing

Ensure the borehead casing is elevated at least half a meter above the ground surface.

3. Concrete apron

Seal between the borehead casing and the surrounding ground with a concrete apron. If you’re drilling a new bore, install a bentonite seal around the casing.

4. Backflow preventer

Install a backflow preventer to stop contaminants siphoning back into your bore.

5. Area around bore

Keep the area around the borehead clear of animals, pesticides, fertilisers, compost and rubbish.

6. Sample point

Have your groundwater supply tested if you suspect a problem with the water quality.

Who is responsible for my private drinking water?

If you have your own private water source, the responsibility for maintenance and testing of drinking water rests with you.

If you own or operate a water supply that’s being used as drinking water by people outside of your own home (for example workers’ dwellings), you’re deemed to be a drinking water supplier and will have responsibilities under the Water Services Act 2021 to ensure safe drinking water to those people who rely on your supply.

Taumata Arowai can help you determine if you’re a water supplier, what that means, and key timeframes for registering your supply under the Water Services Act.

A test is best

It’s a good idea to carry our regular analysis on your water supply, whether it’s bore or rainwater collection.

Nitrate is just one risk factor in people’s water supplies. Pathogens such as E. coli can also enter water sources (particularly if there’s been heavy rain or you’ve had flooding through your property).

Copper and lead plumbing in older dwellings can affect the quality and taste of your water. In some areas, the groundwater has naturally high levels of manganese or arsenic, which can also pose a health risk.

The best way to check water quality is to collect a water sample and have this tested by an independently accredited IANZ laboratory, which you can find on the Taumata Arowai website.

Water treatment steps

If you’re concerned about the quality of your water supply, or if testing shows that the water does not meet drinking water standards, you may need to consider treating the water. Water treatment requires specialist advice specific to an individual supply, so it’s best to get this done to determine the best treatment option for the site.

ESR (Institute of Environmental Science and Research) has produced a comprehensive guide to household water supplies, which can be viewed or downloaded from the ESR webpage.

Need more information?  Visit Te Mana Ora/Community & Public Health, Taumata Arowai or visit your local council’s website. 

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Ban on engineered stone essential to protect workers

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The Green Party has renewed its call for the Government to ban the use, supply, and manufacture of engineered stone products, as the CTU launches a petition for the implementation of a full ban.

“Let’s put people before profits and protect our workers by banning this dangerous product,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Workplace Relations and Safety, Teanau Tuiono.

“Workers are the backbone of our economy, and their safety must be protected from dangerous practices including the use of engineered stone, the dust from which can lead to fatal lung disease.

“Australia banned this product following extensive consultation and analysis, revealing incontrovertible scientific evidence of the dangers posed by silica dust exposure to workers. What’s stopping our country emulating this ban?

“Instead of looking for excuses to reduce workplace protections and safeguards, the Government must prioritise workers’ rights that have been fought for over generations

“Aotearoa has serious mahi to do regarding workplace safety, as far more people are injured or killed on the job here than in countries like the UK or Australia.

“Banning engineered stone is a good place to start,” says Teanau Tuiono.

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Greens continue to call for Pacific Visa Waiver

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The Green Party recognises the extension of visa allowances for our Pacific whānau as a step in the right direction but continues to call for a Pacific Visa Waiver. 

“The Greens continue to call for our Pacific neighbours to be granted Visa Waiver status as a necessary step to strengthen and honour our relationships in the region,” says Green Party spokesperson for Pacific Peoples Teanau Tuiono.

“While an extended visa period will lessen the financial and administrative burden for our Pacific whānau, we continue asking them to pay more money and face more delays to visit families compared to other countries. 

“This is a missed opportunity to deliver what our Pacific whānau deserve.

“Earlier this year, the Green Party launched our petition to allow Pacific whānau visa-free access to Aotearoa. This would see people from all Pacific Island nations – those in the Pacific Islands Forum and those not – travel to Aotearoa without needing to jump through the hoops of bureaucracy to get a visa. 

“Aotearoa is part of the family of Pacific nations. We must remove unfair barriers to entry for our Pacific whānau,” said Teanau Tuiono.

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More children going hungry under Coalition govt

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The Government yesterday released its annual child poverty statistics, and by its own admission, more tamariki across Aotearoa are now living in material hardship.

“The Government should be ashamed of the fact that more children are going without enough food and bare essentials under their watch,” says Green Party Social Development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March.

“Everyone in Aotearoa deserves a warm, dry home, a bed of their own, and a full belly. What’s achingly sad is that we have all the tools we need to give them that and more. All that’s missing is the political will to make it happen.

“Worsening material hardship and food insecurity isn’t just a statistic, it means more tamariki are going without the bare basics. At the same time, this report shows food insecurity is on the rise, which means more families can’t afford three meals a day. 

“This Government certainly is ‘Making a Difference for Young New Zealanders’–as they’ve titled their report–and it’s a pretty bleak one. 

“There is a clear line to be drawn between the Government’s choices and the increase in hardship being experienced by our youngest. 

“We are already seeing the harm that increasing public transport fares, gutting free prescription fees have had on children. While the Government hands $3 billion dollars in tax cuts to landlords and $12 billion to defence, it refuses to invest in ending child poverty. What is worse, their cuts to benefit increases will plunge more children into material hardship in the coming years.

“This Government is clipping every ticket they can from those already doing it tough, all while lining the pockets of their wealthy mates. It’s absolutely appalling.

“The Green Party campaigned to end poverty for all families in Aotearoa by providing everyone with an Income Guarantee that would ensure every household and every child has all they need to thrive. 

“If this Government won’t deliver for children, we will,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

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About us

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At AsureQuality, we’re incredibly proud of our purpose and are passionate about the work we do to help Aotearoa shape a better food world.

Owned by the New Zealand Government, our name reflects our commitment to providing independent advice backed by our integrity. Working with New Zealand’s food and primary industries for nearly 150 years, we’re not just a team of 1700-plus individuals; we’re Kaitiaki Kai, guardians of food, and it’s our responsibility to share our expertise to help protect and care for food and the environments it comes from.

Our customers are businesses across the food chain, from farms through food processing and manufacturing to the supermarket shelf. It is our role to support them through our broad range of assurance services to ensure the safety and quality of the food they produce meets the standards needed for export and domestic markets.

Together with our customers and industry partners, we are committed to protecting the trust in New Zealand food and ensuring the quality that it is renowned for around the world.

At AsureQuality, it’s not just about the here and now; we’re bold in our outlook. With our eyes on the future, we’re focused on unlocking and growing the value of New Zealand’s food industry. Using our knowledge and insights, we’re exploring technology and new ways of working to make a difference in our modern food world.

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Ka mate te Pire, ka ora Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Treaty Principles Bill dead, Te Tiriti o Waitangi movement lives on

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The Green Party is proud to have voted down the Coalition Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, an archaic piece of legislation that sought to attack the nation’s founding agreement.

“The Treaty Principles Bill is dead. Our movement for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice lives on,” says Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson. 

“Instead of dividing and conquering, this Bill has backfired and united communities across the motu in solidarity for our founding agreement and what it represents. 

“Te Tiriti o Waitangi offers us a blueprint for a future where everyone thrives and nobody is left behind, including Papatūānuku. This is the sentiment we saw in the tens of thousands who flooded the streets, we heard it in the drove of submissions to Parliament, and we can feel it in this new generation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice.

“Hapū, iwi, te Tiriti o Waitangi experts, reo Māori experts, legal experts, historians, community organisers – tangata whenua mai, tagata moana mai, tangata tiriti mai, tauiwi mai – submitted and stood in opposition to this Bill. Ninety per cent of submitters rejected this attempt to re-write our history and erase Māori from it. 

“This Government is clearly out of touch with the very essence of Aotearoa. History will judge Christopher Luxon for his lack of leadership and accountability to our founding agreement. His absence today speaks volumes.

“The vast majority of us in Aotearoa know that we are here by the mana of te Tiriti o Waitangi, and will work to protect that mana in every way we can.

“Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua. Whatungarongaro te kāwanatanga, toitū te Tiriti o Waitangi. People will disappear, while the land remains. While governments come and go, te Tiriti o Waitangi is forever,” said Marama Davidson. 

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Our Story

Source:

At AsureQuality, we’re incredibly proud of our purpose and are passionate about the work we do to help Aotearoa shape a better food world.

Owned by the New Zealand Government, our name reflects our commitment to providing independent advice backed by our integrity. Working with New Zealand’s food and primary industries for nearly 150 years, we’re not just a team of 1700-plus individuals; we’re Kaitiaki Kai, guardians of food, and it’s our responsibility to share our expertise to help protect and care for food and the environments it comes from.

Our customers are businesses across the food chain, from farms through food processing and manufacturing to the supermarket shelf. It is our role to support them through our broad range of assurance services to ensure the safety and quality of the food they produce meets the standards needed for export and domestic markets.

Together with our customers and industry partners, we are committed to protecting the trust in New Zealand food and ensuring the quality that it is renowned for around the world.

At AsureQuality, it’s not just about the here and now; we’re bold in our outlook. With our eyes on the future, we’re focused on unlocking and growing the value of New Zealand’s food industry. Using our knowledge and insights, we’re exploring technology and new ways of working to make a difference in our modern food world.

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Annual Reports

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The AsureQuality Annual Reports webpage is where you can find information on our progress and financial performance. Annual Reports, Interim Reports, and Statement of Corporate Intent are produced each year. Learn about our commitment to ensuring New Zealand’s economic prosperity. 

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Unions launch campaign to ban engineered stone

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The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has today launched a campaign to ban the import, supply, and use of engineered stone in Aotearoa New Zealand.

“We are urging the Government to do the right thing and save workers’ lives by banning engineered stone, an extremely dangerous product that causes the fatal lung disease silicosis”, said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“Engineered stone is the asbestos of our times. It is not an essential product and there are many safe alternatives already in the market.

“Silicosis is a debilitating disease that cannot be cured. The evidence is clear that the only solution is to stop workers from being required to process engineered stone, which exposes them to the dangerous silica dust.

“Brooke van Velden has the power to save workers’ lives. All she needs to do is follow Australia’s example and implement a total ban.

“There is broad support for this campaign. Last year the CTU joined with 18 other organisations, including public health experts and health and safety specialists, and called on the Minister to act.

“Aotearoa has a terrible record when it comes to work-associated deaths. The Government has the opportunity to help turn that around by banning engineered stone. It’s time they stepped up on behalf of Kiwi workers,” said Wagstaff.

The NZCTU have today launched a public petition calling on the Minister to implement a full ban on the import, supply, and use of engineered stone.

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Govt vocational education reforms will cause massive disruption

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The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi is warning that the Government’s decision to adopt a new model for the vocational education and training sector will lead to massive disruptions and instability in an already fatigued sector.

“The NZCTU remains fundamentally opposed to these reforms, which will create further disruption across the sector and come off the back of a period of disruption and change in the sector over the past five years,” said NZCTU Acting President Rachel Mackintosh.

“We are concerned by the impacts that another several years of change processes will have on the sector, learners, and industries.

“Our major concern regarding the model that the Government is adopting is the risk of the creation of new private agencies competing for public funding within the sector; this model has not served New Zealand well in the past.

“Profit motives drive instability in education, and it is not a good use of resources to have multiple agencies competing for funding as they must focus attention on securing funding at the expense of focusing on delivery for learners.

“The whole process for these reforms has been flawed. There is no reason why the consultation needed to have such a narrow scope, excluding critical stakeholders, and key subject matter experts.

“The Minister’s insistence on pushing ahead with these poorly thought through reforms is likely to create several more years of instability in the sector, and more uncertainty for learners, industries, and the vocational education and training workforce,” said Mackintosh.