Greenpeace has announced that it will host an election
debate on fresh water in Christchurch on October 19th,
titled ‘the Great Freshwater Debate’.
The debate
will be held at The Piano (156 Armagh Street, Christchurch),
and all major political parties have been invited to
attend.
Greenpeace spokesperson Rhiannon Mackie says,
“We should all be able to swim in the local river, or drink
the water coming out of our kitchen tap without getting
sick. So far, no government has done enough to protect
freshwater from pollution and over-use.
“This debate
offers us the opportunity to hear directly from the main
political parties how they plan to protect the water we
drink, the lakes we swim in, and the rivers we take kai
from.”
Parties who have confirmed their attendance at
the debate include Labour, NZ First, the Green Party, and
Opportunity. Greenpeace is calling on National, Act, and Te
Pāti Māori to join them.
The debate will be
independently moderated by senior Newsroom journalist, David
Williams. Immediately following the debate, an expert panel
will comment on the political positions. Expert panel
members are: Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director, Dr
Russel Norman; Gabrielle Huria CEO of Te Kura Taka Pini,
Ngāi Tahu; Irrigation NZ chair, Andrew Mockford; and
freshwater scientist and public health policy researcher,
Marnie Prickett.
The public are being invited to
submit questions in advance by emailing people.power@greenpeace.org
with Great Freshwater Debate – Question as the subject
line.
The debate is free but seats are limited,
so those
attending are asked to register in
advance.
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