Cloud Ocean Water Ltd is a China-based company specialising in investment in New Zealand. This month they gained the water rights to the Belfast aquifer in Waimakariri.
The amount of water they will be allowed to take for free each day is obscene.
4.32 million litres of water per day!
That’s more water than most suburbs would use in a day!
This follows numerous other examples of foreign companies cashing in on our water for free. Nongfu Spring Natural Mineral Water takes 700,000 litres a day until 2026 and they want to expand that to 5 million litres a day!
It’s not just foreign companies exploiting our water, at the very same aquifer that Nongfu Spring Natural Mineral Water is drawing from, Oravida takes 400,000 litres a day and most shocking, a local company called Okuru Enterprises Ltd is attempting to build a water pipeline under a kiwi sanctuary in the Mount Aspiring National Park to take 800 million litres of water each month.
How have we gotten into a situation where a company can build a water pipeline under a kiwi sanctuary in a National Park to give access to offshore tankers shipping our water off for free around the planet?
We should be outraged! This is not how we protect our environment, our people or our land. Kiwis need to wake up and understand now why Maori will go to great lengths to protect our environment and interests – and if Maori do well, then the whole country benefits.
NZ Maori council co-Chair Manu Paul has launched a claim on behalf of all Maori for customary rights to the country’s foreshore and seabed. Now that’s a claim where all Kiwis will benefit.
Paul says Governments have failed to protect the quality and quantity of our water and he is right. He says also that under Maori management fracking, water bottling and dairy pollution would be minimised. Who in their right mind could argue with that? Would it matter if Maori managed this on behalf of all New Zealanders?
We are being taken for a ride here, people. In an environment where water is increasingly scarce, to be handing over a treasure as precious as our water for free is an abomination.
How on earth will we explain this madness to our grandchildren? How will we tell them that we just gave away our water for free? Will they curse us for our apathy?
It doesn’t matter if you are right wing or left wing, Maori or Pakeha allowing our water to be drained away for free is an idea we should all be against.
A water royalty should be applied to these companies and we must tighten up on water consents so as to protect the water we have remaining so that we leave something for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
It is time that MPs stopped being politicians on this issue and started being New Zealanders.
First published in the Manukau Courier
Completely agree, foreign owned companies taking massive amounts of water from NZ for free is insane and has to stop. Do the Saudi’s just give their oil away?
Yet another stellar reason why there is civil war on the horizon. Oravida has deep connections to the Chinese mega-dictatorhsip, just like other companies mentioned.
Oh FFS, you’re a broken record, mate!
Outright neo-colonialism by the largest DICTATORSHIP in history: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/332054/chinese-investment-offer-a-win-win-councillor
FFS, you’re in denial, mate!
It isn’t the Chinese per se that are the problem. They’re just opportunists who have a vivid history of shitting where they eat. Seen the polutions they’ve caused in their own country so as they can supply us with the shit we buy out of the likes of The Warehouse?
The real problem is that the fuckers who brokered the deals are still sitting comfortably in their plush little offices counting out their money. They are the ones we need to focus on. Who are they, where are they and are they running for their lives?
You mean the ones who are closely connected to Oravida?
Right CB.
The emphasis on counting our THEIR money.
If a fair proportion of the money was going into helping infrastructure and services in the areas from where the water was being taken, then perhaps we could live with it.
But it seems they are getting jack s…t and the only ones getting any money are the fat pricks at the top in Wellington, Auckland and Beijing, most of whom probably wouldn’t even know where the water is being collected from.
That’s why it is a rort.
Thanks for this Willie.
Theft of our water by wealthy foreign or local corporations, is very serious, far too serious to ignore. It’s theft of our sovereignty, regardless of whether we are Maori or Pakeha. This must be addressed through the election this year.
It has to be top of the election agenda.
Yes, let’s place a commercial price on water. Is this Labour party policy now?
Nah mate – lets just stop the bastards getting a virtually free lunch and exacerbating an already tenuous predicament for our native flora and fauna.
Screw you and your free market mentality.
Slap heavy costs on any water leaving New Zealand for commercial gain and make them think twice before they come over here ‘specializing in investment ‘ and making huge profits while paying peanuts for our natural resources.
Maybe that would go a long way towards actually funding and reversing Nationals deliberate underfunding of efforts to protect our wildlife.
Yes, for foreigners wanting to take our water for free, Gosman. Tell us, when did countries give away their OIL for free? Never, said everyone in unison!
Spoken like a true traitor @ Gasman, you slippery little tike.
So, you want to give away our water for free, Gosman? What about our oil, gas, timber etc? Is that for free as well??
That sounds ominously like “communism by stealth”, you know.
It’s high time exporters paid for our resources. It’s ridiculous that our free market government thinks that the “free” in “free market” means we give away our resources for FREE!!!
No. I thought it was pretty clear that I agreed with Willie Jackson on putting a commercial price on water.
I think a better question is where is the water not going where it should? And there are a lot of scared earth where water once was so it makes sense to lacks restrictions around those instead of doing what was it again?
Eh???
So Cloud Ocean Water Ltd is a China-based company ‘ specializing in investment ‘ in New Zealand , are they ?
Well how jolly convenient for them. How jilly jolly spiffy.
Well then, – its time we turned the taps off , isn’t it . And they can go and ‘specialize their investing ‘ somewhere else.
………………………………………………………………………………………..
NZ Maori council co-Chair Manu Paul has launched a claim on behalf of all Maori for customary rights to the country’s foreshore and seabed. Now that’s a claim where all Kiwis will benefit.
………………………………………………………………………………………..
I posted a NZ Herald article on The Standard about the above story about Manu Paul . They didn’t seem to be that interested, to be honest. I was – and give 100% support to the efforts of Manu Paul and his supporters.
Its time we stopped these racketeers dead in their tracks and taught them how to have some respect.
I also notice an article in the Herald again today where it quoted our native bird species are in dire straits and that funding was inadequate to enable effective programs for pest eradication , and maintaining their environment , according to Dr Jan Wright … and that up to a third of our bird species are at risk of extinction.
Two of those species happen to be Kiwis.
And here we have this govt allowing this un- mandated thievery of our natural resources to occur , and not only that – to put in a pipeline in a highly sensitive environment for one of these endangered Kiwis.
This is the colossal gall this government operates with.
This is symptomatic of the greed of their neo liberal ideology.
And both the water theft and the threat to that species of Kiwi are symbolic of the destructive , plundering regard this govt has for the people of New Zealand and its natural environment.
Vote them out this coming September.
They are cancerous.
That is a very very good question…why are we giving our water away for free?
China must have some sort of blackmail hold over this reckless Government…
The water exploitation is shocking. Especially when we have a water problem apparently in Auckland (certainly we are expected to pay for it via Metrowater, and water restrictions asked for in droughts or floods), Havelock North with their water being polluted. It’s stark crazy, giving water rights away for nothing to foreigners or crony government friends, when we have children in poverty in this country and a huge burden of government debt!!
Saying that after seeing the Maori party which seem to just be a Maori party branch of the National party taking effect, not sure whether Seabed and Foreshore would do anything if the 1% of Maori somehow get control and agree with allowing exploitation for business, while expecting the NZ public and rest of Maori to pay for water and have worse quality.
The Maori Party helped the RMA go through which is a big part of the problem as it is enabling this mass exploitation of resources against community interests.
Whether the ,1% of Maori get a slice of the pie, does not count when it’s involving in exploitation and a lowering of quality of the resource as well as taking profits and leaving the problems like pollution or down stream droughts to the locals to deal with.
So it’t not about who is better to deal with the environment, the laws of our country should be stopping this rout, it’s not about controlling the rout, it’s about STOPPING it.
Nothing better exemplifies the unearned reputation that the Nats have for being “good economic managers”! Bloody incompetent is what they are!
Free trade deal with China….They allow us to trade milk powder with them if we give them our best artesian water for free….
How very magnanimous of them…
Why don’t we bottle our famous N.Z artesian water and then sell it to them if they are so desperate for it….?
I’ll do you one better , mate .
Lets make any company that sells water overseas a STATE OWNED ENTERPRISE.
And make it illegal for any privately owned outfit to attempt to do the same. Whether China based or based here in NZ. Seems a few New Zealanders need a couple of basic lessons in national sovereignty obligations and a little less thinking that our natural resources are there for their wanton plundering.
That’ll put the shits up the neo liberals, provide employment for New Zealanders and provide tax funds for DOC and wilderness area maintenance.
Win – win.
Yes. And when a business which has a water right is bought then closed down and set up to do something else, the water right should have to be reapplied for. It should not carry over.
Water right should only be granted to any applicants,including NZers, for a very short, finite period before it has to be reapplied for.
All water consents should be granted only with clauses stating that they will be curtailed or withdrawn in adverse climate events or unacceptable pollution levels.
And the water needs to be charged for at acceptable commercial rates per litre.
I hear that most U.S. banks are now owned by China. Call it a country takeover without firing a shot. I think China owns New Zealand.
I have a raised middle finger that says differently. And we should send the Chinese a sack containing the heads of the Kiwi-as traitors who sold us out to them.
Who brokered the deals and where do they live? Ten thousand other New Zealander/ Aotearoan’s should be asking that same question.
Suspect that the influence of Chinese investors / Chinese govt over Nats considerably greater than that immediately apparent and that in turn explains what is happening with water / immigration / housing market / Chinese funding for flag referendum etc . . literally the Nats are trying to profit wherever they can to the detriment of our sovereignty and future.
Only NZ’ers to who vote Nats are self-serving traitors and the stupid.
Wherever I go this is what I find and I truly believe the people of New Zealand have also been sold down the river. http://www.thecommonsenseshow.com/2014/05/06/world-war-iii-has-already-been-lost-and-the-chinese-are-in-the-process-of-occupying-amerika-part-two/
@ Grant – exactly!
New Zealanders need to WAKE UP and STOP being taken for a free ride by larger Nations!
What is Labour’s policy on this? it should be a winner. Or is Willie pissing into the wind with this.
D J S
” We need to understand to wake up and understand why Maori will go to great lengths to protect our environment and interests ”
Then where the hell have the Maori party been while all this water is being drained away and where is the Hikoi to parliament on this issue.
Where is the pressure on the National party their partners to act now.
Is it because the customary rights have not been granted yet and maori don’t have a direct ownership under law and if they did where does the profit they make selling the water then go ? or will the resource not be for sale.
The silence is deafening.
to bloody right its theft out right looting but it ok national allows it wankers need to go.
The great global water exploitation is very disturbing indeed.
This reckless government is due to expire in September so we must make it a permanent fix so the new government has the years needed to reverse all the damage they have done to us and our future by reversing the horrid underhanded deals to have these global pirate to come steal all our assets as they have done elsewhere.
You’re totally right Willie. Here’s National saying that if these companies weren’t taking water then it was just “going to waste” – seemingly without even the slightest inkling that if companies are going to this trouble it’s because they’re making a lot of money out of it. And this is supposedly the party that’s good for the economy. Honestly National’s lack of insight on this is gobsmacking, and I’ve come to very low standards already.
Why don’t we adopt a Norwegian model – they used a natural resource (oil*) and put the profits back into the country. The resource that these foreign-owned companies are trading on isn’t even really the water – it’s our “clean green” image. Sure, it’s more marketing than reality but obviously that image is making someone overseas lots of money. Why aren’t we bottling it ourselves and putting the gains back into the country?!
* yeah okay, burning that resource turned out to be a bad idea
Let’s get real 4.32 million litres a day charged at 1 cent per litre is $43.2K. Say that is the cost of a major surgery…..That’s another 365 people off waiting list. What could a school do with $40K?
I work in commerce. We don’t give stuff away. These deals are providing a resource to a company. The resource should be left in the well as we lose nothing..it’s commercial stupidity to give it away.
Just curious, what could possibly be an acceptable commercial rate per litre for our precious water? Anyone???
Simple answer, not zero. The real thing is to get the cost breakdown that makes the market price of say a bottle of water. Im sure that the bottles are sold for $2 or more, if they cant spare a few cents without costing sales or profits then there is something wrong. So a real answer is the cost of water is what ever can be added to or taken out of the sales price without affecting sales.
So China business is allowed to pollute their water, and then for a few baubles to the Natz, come to NZ to export our pure water for nothing to the Chinese middle class and rich.
What is that saying for the local Chinese who can’t afford bottled water? We are increasing both inequality as well as the bottle itself is polluting.
And what is that saying for NZ where our water is being exploited and we are allowing business takeovers with Chinese money, and this is the legacy they leave in their own country!
Wake UP!
In China, the water you drink is as dangerous as the air you breathe
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jun/02/china-water-dangerous-pollution-greenpeace
Couldnt agree more Willie, campaign hard on this everyone knows it doesnt make sense to give away our sovereignty, something is very rotten in the system.
Labour should promise a royal commission into recent water allocation – both farming and for bottling. Feel free to allow investigation of the minister of swamp kauri and Oravida and her family dealings while you are at it too.
Wow….I’m lost words. I thought the government was aiming to make rivers swimable by 2040.
Have we been distracted by a photographic exhibition of a city we now have official links to (good news released in April)
https://www.waimakariri.govt.nz/your-council/media-and-news/2017/04/discover-our-sister-city-for-yourself
Comments are closed.