On Tuesday 2 February 2021, Dunedin City Council (DCC) advised the customers of Waikouaiti that drinking water supply not to use the reticulated water supply for drinking, cooking or preparing food until further notice. Lead concentrations above the maximum acceptable value (MAV) in the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005 (Revised 2018) (DWSNZ) were intermittently detected in samples taken from these supplies from July 2020. The “Do not drink” notice was given based on advice from Public Health South (PHS) due to concerns of possible acute and chronic health issues for consumers.

An independent review into the health system response to this incident has found that the sector focused on reducing the risk to the community’s health first. The review also considered if any amendments were required to health legislation, compliance and operational processes to improve public safety and reduce risk to health and wellbeing.