It has been estimated that between 18,000 and 34,000 people in Aotearoa develop acute gastrointestinal disease (AGI) each year from contamination of drinking water supplies. However, this estimate was completed in 2006 and has a number of limitations.
Taumata Arowai, the new water services regulator, is introducing new rules that will require registration for marae and other small water providers.
Te Kura Taka Pini (TKTP), the freshwater entity of Ngāi Tahu, has highlighted that some marae within the Ngāi Tahu Takiwā where unaware of potential issues with their water supplies, prompting the development of a Māori-led testing and monitoring system to track water quality over time and intervene and provide support when necessary.
This project aims to establish a Māori-led audit and surveillance programme for drinking water systems on marae in the Ngāi Tahu takiwā; estimate the burden of AGI attributable to community drinking water supplies in Aotearoa that assesses differences by ethnicity and deprivation; assist Taumata Arowai to estimate the potential health and equity benefits of improvements to community drinking water infrastructure.
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