NZDF full response: Formal complaint (public notification of Waiouru water toxins)

The full response from NZDF and Defence Estate and Infrastrcture (DEI) to a formal complaint regarding the public notification of Waiouru water toxins.

Received on January 31st, from Mark Brunton, Head of Defence Estate & Infrastructure:

Kia ora Erin, thank you for taking the time to write to us with your feedback around the recent water issues at Waiouru.

I want to start by acknowledging that our communication on this occasion wasn’t up to par as it did not meet our obligations in respect of advising that the drinking water did not comply with the drinking water standards. For the concern and anxiousness this has caused, we are sorry.

I want to assure you that it is our intention to keep the community informed on the findings from the investigation into the cause of the elevated aluminium and lead levels. These will be provided to the community as soon as practicable and as a priority. 

I do want to clarify one point with regards to response times. While the testing results show a sample taken from 8 January, the NZDF didn’t receive the results until 23 January. As you noted in your complaint, the initial advisory to the community via the Facebook group was on the afternoon of 24 January. So this was around 24 hours after we were notified of the results, as opposed to 16 days. Once the NZDF received this first result, you will see from the results table that we then conducted more extensive testing across the wider network.

The nature, and content of that initial advisory to the community, however, should have been more thorough and have included the water testing data. It should also have provided the relevant contact address - water@nzdf.mil.nz – which was provided at a later stage. We appreciate the second point of contact may have caused confusion, however this was a necessary change to ensure a more robust and effective response.

In your complaint, you mention that the statement that aluminium and lead are naturally occurring minerals was completely false, and cited the Drinking Water Standards Regulations. While it is correct that aluminium is classed as an ‘inorganic’ material, ‘inorganic’ in this sense relates to elements or compounds that do not contain carbon rather than to those that are not naturally-occurring in the environment. Aluminium and lead do occur in the environment, with aluminium being the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. In our latest test results, we have also included a table showing test results from the river in its natural state, which as you can see contains aluminium. 

You listed three action points for us to consider moving forward which I have addressed below.

Immediate implementation of transparent communication protocols

The appropriate workflow and communications protocols have been looked at and discussed as a matter of urgency over the course of this week, and relevant staff and departments are working to ensure that any exceedances of the drinking water standards will be promptly and clearly articulated to the community. We are also reiterating the relevant internal processes and points of contact to ensure that when these issues occur the right people are informed at the earliest opportunity.

I am confident that if this event were to happen again, it would be dealt with differently.

We will work with the team to compile past testing results and provide them to the community, and will explore the most effective way of regularly updating and sharing future test results with the community.

However, please note that with regards to testing, testing for aluminium has not historically been a requirement in the drinking water regulations, and it has only been tested for by the NZDF since January 2025, to come in line with the most recent legislative change. As a result, we only have aluminium test results available from January, but will continue to make those available to the public.

The health advice provided to us by the New Zealand water regulator, Taumata Arowai and the Medical Officer of Health with the National Public Health Service, outlined that the elevated aluminium levels posed minimal risk to the community.

We would reiterate, for context, that as per the information available on the New Zealand water regulator’s website, a brewed cup of tea contains between 2-8mg/L of aluminium.

Improved response times

We acknowledge that both the response times and the means for which the community could contact the NZDF in this case were not adequate. This will be improved going forward, primarily by making the ongoing point of contact for community feedback a shared group inbox (water@nzdf.mil.nz) which is regularly monitored by multiple people to ensure timely responses, as well as reiterating the appropriate internal workflow for getting this information out to the public in a clear and timely manner. 

Public accountability

I acknowledge your request for the NZDF to undertake a thorough review and share it with the community. However, I am confident that we have highlighted the failings in this particular situation, and as such, do not intend to conduct any further review, but would rather direct that resource directly on improving the response to the current situation in Waiouru. I hope that improved communication on this and other issues going forward will earn back the trust and faith of the community.

Thank you for your continued support to the NZDF and the NZ Army. Your, and other military families’ support and sacrifices aren’t taken for granted.