Why are we allowing China to take our water? And where have I heard Oravida from again?

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
69
1562

Wait, WHAT?

Chinese company Nongfu Spring wants more NZ water

A Chinese company wants to buy a Bay of Plenty water bottling plant and dramatically increase its water take, and it will get the water virtually for free.

Otakiri Springs currently pays only $2003 in compliance costs each year, allowing it to take 700,000 litres a day. The consent doesn’t expire until 2026.

Now prospective owner Nongfu Spring Natural Mineral Water wants to increase the water take to 5 million litres a day. It’s the same aquifer where New Zealand company Oravida takes 400,000 litres a day.

Why the hell are we allowing a foreign country to take our water for free? Isn’t it enough that our Government’s slavish worship of the free market allows bugger all measures to stop our land from being flogged off to foreigner interests, but are we allowing our water to be taken as well?

And hold on, Oravida takes 400 000 litres a day already? The same Oravida that Judith Collins husband is on the board of? The same Oravida that Judith Collins went to as a formal representative of NZ? The same Oravida that Judith went to dinner with meeting senior Chinese officials? The same Oravida that donated $80 000 to the National Party?

So THAT Oravida has a deal to take 400 000 litres of water from NZ per day???

In other countries this is called corruption, in sleepy old Nu Zilind it’s just National Party crony capitalism unchallenged by voters too distracted by Rugby or The Batchelor to say anything.

Shouldn’t someone investigate the relationships senior National Party Ministers have with wealthy Chinese benefactors?

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69 COMMENTS

  1. The fact these thieves pay so little for OUR WATER and make so much – is a complete joke, on us. Wake up New Zealand you are getting totally Ripped off! This water pillaging needs to stop now!

    • Stop it now we not sell offshore land or water! wake up now you kiwi one chance now for the future of Land of the long white cloud We got to protect our future or our future is slaves to the Chinese!! COMMUNISION

      • Fact is no government can revisit water rights because that will trigger a treaty claim the government can mot afford politically and fiscally.

        It’s so obvious you have to be a kind of genius not to see it

  2. It’s like taking candy from a baby for the Chinese.
    I have a friend who has been teaching advanced English in China to some government officials and apparently over there, just quietly , they think Kiwis are ‘easy meat’.
    Subtext….Kiwis pretty dumb with no eye on the future. They just give us what ever we want.

  3. Where have I heard Oravida before?
    Geez! silly bloody question.

    Oravida, Shanghai, Black money, Skoi Sutty, Auckland property market – now Queenstown and Wellington, the Kiwi equivalent of the Koch Brothers …. stupid fukn question really.
    But of course it ain’t so – we’re the Whurl’s least corrupt cuntry – or near to supposedly

    Listening to “that The Panel” earlier, I’m now beginning to wonder whether those old hags Brian (and my beauty JUDY who keeps me ‘grounded’) , and what’s her chicken neck handle – despite the counteractives, once was a Nat Party officionado of supreme influence and now someone the MSM seems to think is still relevant (Brian Edwards included) …… oops let me research, back in a minute ……..
    A Boag a Michelle ……
    It took me a while to get there. The MSM seem to fawn all over her, although I can’t remember what value her glorious presence has ever contributed to anything. Other than a Q+A or A Nation or even an RNZ journalistic flit.
    Michelle – you’re fucking gorgeous – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise (Darling!)

    Where have I heard Oravida before?
    Probably at swank little PonceBee restaurant or whilst trying to catch the FulaShit Ferry to Waiheke so I could check out the changes over the last 20 years (B I G crash btw in the not too distant)

  4. Now I’ve calmed down – here’s an extract from a interesting article on the revolt in Iceland. Maybe it’s time New Zealand ( had a revolt – yes!) had a referendum on all this water pillaging by foreign companies…

    ‘ Oddsdottir and others think that a strong reason for the current opposition from within government to the constitution is the conservative parties’ close association with the fishing industry: the new constitution says that the country’s natural resources should belong to the people of Iceland rather than a select few – something which threatens those who profitefrom the current system. “It’s crazy to have a referendum and ignore the results,” the lawyer says. “You can only hold the lid on that saucepan for so long before it really explode.’

  5. Why is Nick Smith defending foreign companies pillaging what is becoming a precicous resource, for free?

    Given he is the mouthpiece for this government who lies and misleads at every turn nowadays you’ve got to wonder why that us, who in National are making money out of this, who is “donating”what?

    Supporting this was that our former PM even more concerningly who was quite vociferous about anyones ability to take our water for nothing, at a time when cow shit was poisoning Havelock Norths drinking water, (sorry that was a mystery sheep contamination wasn’t it after National and its Nat mayor Laurence Yule ensured dairy farming would not be included in an investigation).

    We badly need and must have daylight on political donations, independent of political party’s and all MP’s must declare anything even remotely ressembling conflicts of interest!

  6. “Shouldn’t someone investigate the relationships senior National Party Ministers have with wealthy Chinese benefactors?”

    Yes it’s one of the biggest swindles of the century, and will rob our future so this bandit should be jailed for crimes against the state.
    She has already poached 60% our irreplaceable swamp kauri!!!!!

    How much is enough?

    Bloody criminals all.

  7. I’m disappointed you are presenting this as a
    “China taking our water” issue. Sure this is China, but our water is available, for free, to anyone. Like Coca-Cola in Putararu with the Pump Brand.
    And I would be interested to know how our Dairy companies overseas, like Fontera operating Dairy farms in South America AND China, are treating other countries resources. I suspect there is some poor farmers in China wondering why New Zealanders are taking all the clean water and pumping it back into their river full of crap.

    This is NOT a ‘Country’ issue, this is an issue of OUR and ALL National interests vs Corporations and Multi Nationals.

    NO need for click bait headings Martyn.
    Its not talk back radio.

    • Yeah sure , it is a ‘ corporate issue’ … and while we cant influence the policy’s of other country’s , – we sure as blazes can and should raise hell about our own govt’s policy’s that ENABLE this sort of carry on.

      Global corporate neo liberalism is no friend of international borders , the environment and certainly not working people – and that not only includes the ‘poor farmer ‘ in China but the ‘drugged out ‘ New Zealand worker (according to Bill ) as well.

      • I think we’re agreeing? I don’t know, I’ve still got PTSD from being on The Standard.
        I can’t see where I said ‘corporate issue’, but I guess I implied ‘corporate issue’ by which I meant the enemy is the Corporations…NOT that its nothing to do with ‘us’, the actual real live citizens of the world.

        • Yeah the ‘ ‘ is my thing I do hence the ‘corporate issue’ bit … just saves me a whole heap of time in explaining as people get where I’m coming from.

          And for sure , both on the same page as far as these Tory neo lib rulebenders are concerned !

          Most definitely.

  8. Have a listen to Nick Smith on RNZ this morning, his reasoning is that it’s such a small amount they are taking it’s not an issue. Also, he stated milk would cost $40 a litre if we charged everyone for water.

    • So if I decided not to pay any tax “because it’s such a small amount”, I wonder if Nick Smith would be OK with that?

    • Ok. Assuming Nicko isn’t just making sh*t up again. Yeah crazy assumption but let’s go with it for a moment.
      $40 a litre would be fine because of the extra income stream we’d have from charging people for our (i.e. the public’s) water. It would also be a clear price signal not distorted by the state intervening and subsidising farmers. We might respond to that signal by buying less milk which would decrease our income from water but be good for water quality as herd numbers went down.
      So Nicko is just showing that not only is he an habitual fibber, he doesnt actually like classical free markets either.
      National 3rd rate crony capitalists since forever

  9. AND FROM THE MAN WHO STATED THIS A WHILE BACK AS FINANCE MINISTER :

    “While Australia had the better approach, consistent and steady reform over time, it stopped 10 years ago,” English said.”They were better at it. Now they are not, while we are getting better at it.”

    English also cited New Zealand’s “more coherent” political system as an advantage. It avoids the complications of federalism.

    It’s time to take on the Aussies, says English – The New Zealand Herald
    m.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10718151
    ———————————————————————————
    AND THIS :

    Finance Minister Bill English has come under fire for saying low wages in New Zealand help it compete with neighbouring Australia.

    “Well, it’s a way of competing, isn’t it? I mean, if we want to grow this economy, we need the capital – more capital per worker – and we’re competing for people as well,” he said.

    Low wages ‘advantage’ for NZ – English | Stuff.co.nz
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4869938/Low-wages-advantage-for-NZ-English

    (Nice housing crisis and cheap immigrant labour source you got there , Bill – we love the low wages , slave conditions and family’s sleeping in cars while working two jobs as well… hell ! – it took you since 2011 to get it just how you wanted it , but hey ! – good things take time , right? )

    ———————————————————————————

    TO THE SAME FAILED PM (2002 – AND NOW 2ND TIME ROUND ) THAT’S OK WITH THIS SORT OF ‘ HONEST’ NATIONAL MP …
    ———————————————————————————

    ”Why the hell are we allowing a foreign country to take our water for free? Isn’t it enough that our Government’s slavish worship of the free market allows bugger all measures to stop NZ land from being flogged off to foreigners, but we are allowing our water to be taken as well?

    And hold on, Oravida takes 400 000 litres a day already? The same Oravida that Judith Collins husband is on the board of? The same Oravida that Judith Collins went to as a formal representative of NZ? The same Oravida that Judith went to dinner with meeting senior Chinese officials? The same Oravida that donated $80 000 to the National Party?

    So THAT Oravida has a deal to take 400 000 litres of water from NZ per day??? ”
    ———————————————————————————

    Yep ,… we just gotta love this ‘ foreign investment ‘ kick cos that injects capital into NZ.

    Mind you I said ‘capital into NZ’ ,… which is an entirely different matter than injecting capital into the domestic NZ economy and keeping it here. Bills world encourages capital to be made here on the backs of cheap NZ labour ( and now supplemented by cheap immigrant labour as well ) after initial investment and then flown back out overseas to help out his mates.

    ( Amazing how our ‘drugged out Kiwi workers’ – according to Bill – were such productive types that all these foreigners just couldn’t wait to invest here and use our labour force … embellished of course by letting good old Bill lax up a few laws so they could bring in a few of their own)

    A bit like Judith .

    Shes really happy with Bills low wages , cheap immigrant labour sources and foreign investors , – so much so she thought she’d do a little ‘foreign investing’ herself … you know ,.. just a little helping out for her overseas foreigner mates… after all , what are friends for?

    Whats a few bottles of water and a few old Kauri stumps , and maybe a little bit of milk product between old companions , eh ?

    Phsaw !!! ,… whats all the fuss about , after all….

    ——————————————

    I like this song from Bob Dylan.

    I think we should all kick back and have a listen.

    Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues (alternate … – YouTube
    Video for bob dylan subterranean homesick blues youtube alternate▶ 2:19
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mb3CoWwNyY

    Its nice.

    • Well said, I’ve had a say, but not as eloquent as the above. Suggested listening: The Big Yellow, Taxi chorus in particular.

  10. Oh, how the worm turns.

    China’s literally able to take our water, enabled by one of our own all bought and paid for politicians after they pollute their own water making plastic gimmickry to sell to us via the likes of The Warehouse so as we can slap that shit up to further cement the Bank marketed and greedy idiocy that Christmas has become into our feeble, over worked , under imagining brains. What’s that saying about be hoisted by our own petards? Of being the authors of our own demise?

    The water plant in question needs to be remodelled and renovated, judith collins needs to be shown how to multitask, i.e to run while screaming and the devious, opportunistic Chinese need to be told to fuck off.

    • “plastic gimmickry” – phrase of the week award to CB!
      Perhaps all that water could be diverted through every Warehouse in the country – cleaning out the Augean stables perhaps?

  11. Msm should be challenging this one with everything it’s got!

    After all media’s sole purpose is to be the proxy of the people, not the public rag of the Natziratzi … isn’t it?

  12. Oravida has a deal to take 400 000 litres a day.

    Buying that off the shelf at the cheap rate at Countdown today would cost nearly $240,000. A day. $240,000 a day.

    Probably need to take a deep cold drink of water to replenish themselves from all the laughing. That laughing all the way to the bank.

  13. When this country finally wakes up to the fact that CLEAN DRINKABLE water is not an infinite resource that can be plundered indefinitely, but is a precious resource that needs to be managed – then we will get action.
    Unfortunately most heads, particularly in the farming lobby and the government, are still asleep and when they briefly wake up from their slumbers every now and again they think they are still in the sixties where everything was plentiful and just ripe for the taking.

  14. I lived in Shanghai for awhile. Oravida do a great job of marketing high value New Zealand produce to the Chinese market. Much of the nanagement hold New Zealand passports and love the place. They are using the current law to do business. By all means criticize the Government for the policy settings, but Oravida haven’t done anything wrong.

    • Business wise in regards to the global free markets ideology ? , no. They havent done anything wrong.

      As far as conducting business here ethically ?…. that’s for NEW ZEALANDERS to decide.

      Not them.

      And notice I spelt NEW ZEALANDERS in large capital letters.

      There’s a reason for that as well.

      And any overseas company that wishes to set up business here would do well to first take heed of the current sentiment of the country in which they desire to conduct that business.

      ANYONE holding double passports and coming to this country is OBLIGED first to understand local sentiment before they just simply ‘ assume’ the locals don’t give a shit either way.

      WE do ,… and the onus is on them to do their research. They didn’t. and from that perspective they HAVE done something VERY WRONG.

      • I understand that it upsets your sentiment, but you do not speak for all NEW ZEALANDERS. We have the opportunity at the election in November to vote in a new Government that can change the laws that allow this to happen. Until then, Oravida are lawfully (and ethically as far as I’m aware) going about their business selling quality New Zealand products to Chinese consumers.

  16. Water is the most valuable commodity in the world. Our survival depends on it and people all over the world everyday die through the lack of it.

    We are such a happy caring sharing people who have no problem with big overseas corporations taking our water for free and selling it all around the world and back to us in toxic plastic bottles for enormous profits.

    Sometimes when our own water supplies become infected and we get sick and at times die , we have to buy bottled water supplies from these companies until the crisis is resolved.

    At times we are asked to restrict our water use when drought hits us but
    these restrictions do not apply to bottling companies.

    This is insane !!

    Time for communities throughout the country to organise to stop the raping of our resources.

  17. yes and the same Orivada that is taking our swamp Kauri when are NZers gonna wake up corporations are raping our country and too many NZers have been fooled for far too long by the trader man jk now we have old bill with his bull

  18. Nick Smith, stated “milk would cost $40 a litre if we charged everyone for water.” We don’t need to charge everyone, just commercial users, as the local councils are doing now. This should be a value added (bottling) export. I believe the foreigners buying our farms are getting waters right as well.
    I totally agree with all the keyboard warriors above, Siobhan excluded, but what are YOU/WE doing about it?
    Long term contracts are a death knell, but maybe some 1080 will find it’s way into it and we will have to import water ourselves.
    WATER WILL BE WORTH MORE THAN OIL IN THE FUTURE, and wars will be fought over it. Turkey actually dried up the Euphrates River to cause chaos in Syria.

    • “Nick Smith, stated …” immediately had the implication that some crap was to be spouted by Smith. It was.

    • Well Dave, I’ll bite just for you . Generally I like Trump ( much to dear old Frank Macskasy ‘s consternation’s who’s opinion I respect ) 🙂 … he’s kickin back on the Rothschilds New World Order dream ride that his little American mate George H.W. ( what does the ‘W’ stand for ? ) Bush senior was so proud of banging on about…

      That said… I’m a bit annoyed at whats happened at the Standing Rock reservation under Trumps outfit…

      Two amazing sites to view…

      Traditional Lakota/Dakota Sundance Songs 3/6 – YouTube
      Video for lakota sun dance songs you tube▶ 4:23
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=car9pBXHXKQ

      And to tie it all in , Chief Joseph Riverwind with L A Mazulli.

      Awesome stuff.

      #6 – Chief Joseph – Episode 6 – YouTube
      Video for l a marzulli interviews chief joseph riverwind youtube▶ 29:06
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC3as_3I79g

    • Oh… and btw … Chief Riverwind is an ex- serviceman who also was a spokesman for the war Vets who supported those protesting at Standing Rock – and the NZ Herald had a sizable section of his opinions on the affair quite recently.

  23. Every one of us Kiwis receive our monthly bill for our water consumption. It is insane that Judith Collins is giving our vital resource to foreign entities free of charge. My question: Who gave her this right to flog this precious New Zealand resource free of charge?? It is far more precious than gold or oil. Which part of this this she does not understand?? And how come we give such a person such a position???

    • Interesting insights and background info, Frank. It shows the interweaved relationships between various businesspeople and the National govt. In any other country, the Nats would be investigated for corruption or conflicts of interest. But not here in good old NZ, where it seems anything goes.

  25. The entire National party should be investigated for conflicts of interest. The corruption and backhanders just ooze from them – yes we know your dodgy! Nats have traded the welfare of the citizens of New Zealand and its environment – for $$$$$$ – which certainly DOES NOT trickle down.

  26. In Nu Zilind ANYTHING, even that what is nailed to the ground, is FOR SALE under this government! That is it, full stop.

    Oravida and with that Collins’ friends are at it, so are numerous other “entrepreneurs” and pocket fillers.

    Only by voting this lot out will there be a SLOW DOWN of this scandalous SALE of the country and its resources, as even Labour will struggle to take the action needed, being far too mindful of the selfish business operators that run the show here.

    So vote in September, vote wisely, and make sure the party vote goes to a party that is more serious about all these kinds of issues.

  28. For much the same reason that we are providing lebensraum for citizens of the expansionist Chinese dictatorship, obviously.

  29. We are told that National is better at running the country because they’re better at running it like a business. In short, they have better business acumen.

    This issue shows that to be the biggest piece of BS ever.

    Today water is as valuable as oil, and it’s only going to become more valuable. NZ is in the enviable position of having lots of it, and really clean excellent quality water.

    And this government is letting foreign corporations come in and take it away for almost free.

    Total idiots.

    We need to kick them all out, and if we’re going to sell our water we should bottle it ourselves and sell it at a premium. This government could get ALL the profits and reinvest back into the community.

    NZ could be as wealthy as Brunei or Saudi Arabia. We could all retire FFS.

    Totally idiotic, worst management of a resource EVER by this incompetent government.

    Now, to be fair, I do think that putting our water in plastic bottles and shipping it overseas is a hideous thing to do to our environment, but I’m trying to think of this from a business POV not an environmental POV, in short, to think how we’re told National thinks.

  30. Shouldn’t someone also be providing oversight over the three Chinese Banks in NZ with strategically placed ex National party cabinet Minister Chris tremain, Dame Jenny Shipley, and Don Brash.

    My Late brother use to say that the only way you do business in NZ was to be embedded in government.

    Well as long as Nick Smith can destroy the RMA and supersede it with Urban Development Authorities that facilitate little if any public consultation we will have a style of government in New Zealand that emulates our Chinese masters and provide a “suitable business environment” before you can bat an eye.

    Nothing to see here folks – move along.

  33. This is hilarious and also true! Well done Raybon Kan on Water!! Best read this century in the Herald!

    “We don’t have to be greenies. Let’s be greedies. Where’s the state-owned water bottling company? Why aren’t we the country where the police drive Lamborghinis?

    Why aren’t we the country where nobody pays a cent of tax, because we be rich, baby!
    We’d be better off if Jed Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies was in charge. He at least knows gold when he sees it. (Black gold. Texas tea.)

    Water is the new gold. Water is the new oil. And it’s our dumb luck to have billions upon billions of litres of it. Let’s not spit in the face of luck. Luck works. Luck made Donald Trump rich, at birth. We’ve been rich this whole time. This is Antiques Roadshow, and we just found something valuable in the cellar.

    Have you seen the world recently? Billionaires are buying NZ citizenship, to avoid the apocalypse. High-decile, modern parts of the world, don’t drink their tap water. Let’s take the advice of One Direction, and know that we’re beautiful.

    Smith said: what next, air? Well, there are laws governing airspace. Councils tell you how high you can build. Airlines take big detours around certain countries.

    Our country, our rules. The Government just redefined ‘swimmable’ as fresh water where the turds aren’t the size of legal snapper.

    So let’s just declare that they – we – own underground water. You want it? Round these parts, we charge by the barrel. You think the Saudis have a problem with owning the oil under their ground? Do they say: Nobody owns oil! Know what they don’t have? Water.

    Let’s see who gets thirsty first.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11818830

    • l0l !….

      ” We’d be better off if Jed Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies was in charge. He at least knows gold when he sees it. (Black gold. Texas tea.)”

      – Raybon Kan.

  34. I have my lamppost.I have my rope.I have my pitchfork and flaming torch.I,m ready to run amok!! Point me in the direction of the National Party.

  36. We are the duped, they are the shiesters….this can be turned around easily at the ballotbox…just do it..before its all gone

  37. I’m glad our water is being taken. I’m glad there is corruption and whatever enabling the bottling companies to be built and operate. I’m glad only the fat cats will be able to afford it. Because the rich will leave more local fresh water for the poor to drink. One third of humans don’t have fresh water and this trickle down effect directly helps the thirsty poor. It’s been going on in India with South American water for years. I have been to industrial cities where the water is ruined by factories making cheap clothes. The rich drink bottled water leaving more local water for the poor. Since water is a natural resource we have a duty to help fellow humans, especially as we benifit from their cheap labour.

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