For decades, Lake Wahakari in Te Kao in the Far North has been the main supply of drinking water, but locals deem it's not safe to drink from the tap.
"You need to boil it at least three times. Well, I do anyway before I drink that water."
Grace Nathan and her Husband Robert Kākā have lived in Te Kao for more than 30 years and they said water has always been an issue.
Because of safety concerns, since 2005, a boil notice has been in place by the District Health Board, alerting whānau to boil the water before it is safe to drink.
Buying bottled water from the supermarket has been the solution.
"We buy at least two boxes of 24 small bottles of water a fortnight. We kind of have had to live with it, but we shouldn't really."
A community survey found that whānau are spending almost $1500 a year on bottled water.
Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupouri iwi Trust CEO Mariameno Kapa Kingi said the circumstances for whānau in Te Kao have not been ideal.
"It's totally inhumane. It is completely unacceptable for us that you either have to boil it or buy it, you know, truck it in or go down to the store and buy a whole plastic bottle of water."
The lake's water infrastructure was originally built by the Far North District Council but has been owned by a private water company since 1975.
Fast forward to 2022, and the iwi now owns the water infrastructure at Lake Wahakari and are determined to fix the issue.
"Our original report done in 2017 has estimated that it will cost $2.5 million to get it cleaned and sorted and drinkable. Once that report is done, then we will know exactly what it's going to take to actually clean it up."
The iwi trust has joined a pilot programme, which will be financed through the Crown Infrastructure Rural Fund.
"They will assess and analyse the water as it exists. Now, how come it's that way? How come it's that colour? How can we make it more drinkable and palatable for whānau."
The cleanup of the water at Lake Wahakari is predicted to take years, and so in the meantime, the iwi has begun providing whānau with water tanks.
"Ironically, we drought in the summer and then we're flooding in the winter. But in between, no one's catching the water. So through some huge efforts by Te Hiku iwi development and through the leadership of that team brought through this project, which is the tanks."
Kapa Kingi said it is not just poor quality drinking water that is an issue affecting whānau in the Far North - quality housing is another.
"You need a decent roof and if you ain't got it, then you've got a really nice, pretty tank, but you haven't got a roof that will enable it to catch there. So that's an issue. Then as you look at how the roof is looking, you inevitably will see what's going on under the roof, in the home. And the bigger context of issues for whānau."
Made with support from Te Māngai Pāho and the Public Interest Journalism Fund.
