Govt plans standalone, independent tapwater czar

The government will legislate for the creation of a new stand-alone drinking water regulator, possibly before next year's general election.The decision marks the end of a three-year process that began when contaminated tapwater made more than 5,000 people in Havelock North ill in 2016.As many as four deaths were attributed to the campylobacter contamination of the public drinking water supply in the Hawke's Bay town, with the source tied back to sheep's droppings getting into the system.The incident provoked a nationwide inquiry into drinking w...