Remember, this is what Milford local Sacha Stevenson recently wrote to DoC about. No warning signs for tourists. Turns out they won’t be putting any up about the water, just the usual signs with the skull on to warn them since they haven’t resources to put signs up in every tourist’s language. Signs will only indicate pellets, not the risk of water contamination. And the other rationale cited, that it’s ‘extremely unlikely’ the water will be poisoned. Whatever happened to the precautionary principle? Not good enough. EWR
By Carol Sawyer Video by Shane Wilson
“Oh well”, says the NZ government, “They’re Chinese. They don’t know any different. What do we care?!”
It’s appalling actually. No self-respecting Kiwi (on second thoughts there might be a few) would drink out of those creeks in the middle of a 1080 poison drop – or afterwards. Shane Wilson watched as four busloads of tourists stopped there on “Aerial 1080 Poison Day” and filled up their water bottles. They probably thought the helicopters were taking tourists for a joyride! Shane tried to warn some of them but they didn’t understand him.
Well it must be getting very bad when mainstream media is concerned about the image of a woman drinking from our toxic (oops 100% pure) rivers. Seriously. Horowhenua has one of the top 10 worst polluted lakes in NZ, so toxic that ingesting it could potentially kill a small child or an animal. Then we can only swim in 40% of our rivers, how ever is the tourist going to discern which 40% they are? Signs up everywhere praps? Drink this but not that? Then there’s the 1080 issue (non issue according to the corporation) with the pellets landing in our drinking water. Ever join any dots about the soaring cancer stats? Isn’t one in 3 or less a bit high? Anyway, a warning to tourists, don’t believe the spin. Our esteemed authorities even dump sewage into the waterways here. Buy bottled water like you do in third world countries, just to be safe. We really are getting into third world status in my opinion with some places bringing home bottles from the water fountains. Oh, and on the spin, NZ is not the least corrupt nation on the planet at all … sadly that is all spin as well. (See here also). Along with the not so well known fact that we are actually a corporation and not a true government. EnvirowatchRangitikei
This would be more like the truth from our ‘protective’ authorities who place profits over health, being a corporation and all … a young man contracted trench mouth from oral contact with the water this sign guards
New ‘100% Pure’ campaign shows tourist drinking river water
While concerns grow about the health of New Zealand’s waterways – including the potential for reputational damage – it has not changed the way the country presents itself to the world.
The latest “100% Pure” campaign, released last week, shows a tourist drinking water from a river, something that would be dangerous in parts of the country.
The Government-funded ad was released last week by Tourism New Zealand (TNZ), and will be broadcast around the world over the next two years.
The campaign is titled “where one journey leads to another”, and anchors on a dream-like video following two tourists tramping, diving and kayaking in various locations throughout New Zealand.