Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she finds it incredible and absolutely unacceptable that the previous government was promoting New Zealand to water bottling companies and says that's not happening under her Government.
TVNZ1's Q+A reported Whakatāne locals have been outraged at recent findings that the government actively encouraged a Chinese water bottling company.
Nong Fu seeks to take just over a billion litres of water a year from Otakiri Springs.
The company's application to the Overseas Investment Office, obtained under the Official Information Act, explained it was actively encouraged to buy the water bottling plant by New Zealand, stating New Zealand Trade and Enterprise "indicated the investment would be welcome".
The office of Minister for Economic Development, Environment, and Trade and Export Growth David Parker yesterday said those were the actions of the previous government.
At her post-Cabinet news conference this afternoon, Ms Ardern said she had just been handed "one of the documents that was used in July 2005 which details aquifers that for all intents and purposes look like they might be for sale.
"West Coast, Franz Josef was listed as one of the pristine glaciers that overseas investors might want to come and take a stake in.
"I find it incredible that we would have been in that position in 2015 and absolutely unacceptable."
She said such promotion is not happening under this Government.
"We've now said under the work that we're doing with the OIO that we consider that to be a highly sensitive issue.
"The notion that a past government would have instead been prompting it while we're trying to discourage people form investing in that way for purposes of exporting overseas seems incredible to me."
The company has plans to bottle more than a billion litres of water from Otakiri Springs annually. (Source: Other)
Ms Ardern said the Government is "looking at all the options around how we could ensure that we do not see that ongoing bottling and export without there being any return or benefit to New Zealand".
She said there're a number of "different mechanisms" that could be used but far from wanting to promote it, the Government thinks New Zealanders have a much bigger stake in freshwater and the idea of promoting it abroad "just does not sit well with us".
The Opposition Leader says he supports a levy on bottled water, and that Eugenie Sage had the final word on a plant in Whakatane. (Source: Other)
Earlier today, National Party Leader Simon Bridges said the previous National government did nothing wrong by courting a Chinese company to set up a water bottling plant near Whakātane, and stressed that the final decision was made by current Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage.
Mr Bridges told Breakfast it was "a bit cute" of the Government to say it wasn't on them.
"I'm not sitting here from the pulpit saying they got it wrong or some such thing, but it is a bit cute for them to hide behind [the previous government's courting of Nong Fu] - ultimately those ministers made the decision," he said.
"Eugenie Sage had the absolute discretion - I know because I've sat in that chair."
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