NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 81 — 15 SEPTEMBER 2016

the lessons for local and central government agencies with relevant responsibilities, including whether the regulatory regime is operating effectively.

Appointment and Order of Reference

This Inquiry will inquire into and report (making recommendations that the Inquiry considers fit) upon the following:

Inquire into how the Havelock North water supply system became contaminated, how this was subsequently addressed, how local and central government agencies responded to the public health outbreak that occurred as a result of the contamination and how to reduce the risk of outbreaks of this nature recurring.

In relation to this incident of contamination of water at Havelock North in August 2016, to inquire into:

1. the causes of this incident including, but not limited to, engineering, catchment and infrastructure management, containment and process management, aquifer management, district and regional consenting processes, and monitoring and enforcement activities;

2. the timing and adequacy of steps taken by the Hastings District Council, the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and any other party, with regard to testing and diagnostics, reporting, public communication and ensuring a safe water supply in the short and long term;

3. the practices used at each stage, from identifying that a contaminant was present, through to (and inclusive of) the response and recovery stages of the public health incident, including, but not limited to, timeliness, adequacy, effectiveness, coordination and information sharing, readiness of systems, and triggers for action;

4. the response by central government agencies and the adequacy of support provided by them at the local level;

5. the actions that should be taken in response to any identified and confirmed contamination source, and actions to ensure a safe water supply can be provided to Havelock North;

6. practices and strategies to ensure the prevention of future such occurrences;

7. the implementation of contingency plans for responding to water contamination and public health outbreak incidents by the relevant agencies;

8. any lessons and improvements that can be made more broadly in the management of the water supply network in Havelock North and/or more broadly across New Zealand;

9. the regulatory regimes under which various agencies operate and any lessons and improvements that can be made to local and central government systems or practices to expedite and deal effectively with the identification of public health outbreaks; and

10. any improvements that can be made in any future response to emergency events of this nature.

Matters Upon or for Which Recommendations are Required

The Inquiry will report on and make any recommendations it considers fit on:

1. The cause(s) of the Havelock North outbreak and whether any person or organisation was at fault or failed to meet required standards;

2. the adequacy and appropriateness of responses by all relevant parties to the outbreak;

3. the adequacy of the management of drinking-water supplies for Havelock North, the implementation of drinking-water standards, contingency planning, preparedness and the responses of local and central government agencies;

4. any legal or regulatory changes or additions necessary and desirable to prevent or minimise similar incidents;

5. any changes or additions to operational practices for monitoring, testing, reporting on and management of drinking-water supplies, implementation of drinking-water standards, contingency planning and responses by local and central government, to address the lessons from this incident; and

6. any other matter which the Inquiry believes may promote the safety of drinking-water and/or prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

Exclusions From Inquiry and Scope of Recommendations

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