NZTE encouraged Chinese firms to get into business of bottling Kiwi water

Monday, 8 October 2018

Anti-water bottling campaigners are gobsmacked by revelations government officials were actively encouraging foreign bottlers to set up in New Zealand.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 'actively encouraged' the Chinese bottling giant Nongfu Spring and other overseas companies to invest in local water businesses in 2015.

Documents released under the Official Information Act revealed NZTE 'actively encouraged' the company to apply to the Overseas Investment Office for consent, and in its application Nong Fu said 'NZTE indicated the investment would be welcome'.

In a statement NZTE said it had stopped promoting water-bottling investment opportunities to overseas investors by the end of 2016.

Aotearoa Water Action spokesperson Niki Gladding said while she welcomed the news NZTE was no longer promoting overseas investment into water bottling companies, there were still unanswered questions about why it had stopped and whether it could resume such discussions in the future.

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'Many parts of the OIA were redacted. We want to know who else has been involved in the decision and what other companies and countries they had promoted NZ to. We can't afford to give away our natural resources,' Gladding said.

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'It takes nothing to ruin ourselves for some money.'

The government organisation said it worked to promote and develop business investment opportunities to create jobs and economic benefit in New Zealand.

In June Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage greenlit Nongfu Spring's plan to purchase land to expand the existing Otakiri Springs water bottling plant near Whakatane. The controversial decision is being appealed through the Environment Court.

At the time Sage complained that she was essentially forced into the decision as the current law only allowed her to consider economic factors - not issues surrounding water usage.

The Labour Government had initially proposed the 2c-per-1000-litre levy before being elected, but that proposal was canned after they did a deal with NZ First to form the government.

In August the Greens pushed for a 'water test' to be included on land sales to foreigners, meaning the Government would be able to stop people buying land for water bottling.

The Government approved Nongfu Spring's application to draw 580 millions litres of water a year from Otakiri Springs, near Whakatane.

Gladding said she was not confident the Government had good understanding with what needed to happen with water in New Zealand.

'They're water bottling policy is terrible. Overseas water bottling companies don't have to go through the OIO to get approval. There needs to be a discussion on what needs to be done with the people it affects, and till that happens it needs to stop.'

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