Water

Water is a vital resource for our planet. We need water for drinking, for growing our food, for keeping ourselves clean and even for having fun. Here in New Zealand, we often take our fresh tap water for granted, but others are not so lucky.  There are many places around the globe where water is in short supply or seriously polluted. Less than 1% of the world’s fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use. The UN estimates that by 2025, forty-eight nations, with combined population of 2.8 billion, will face freshwater “stress” or “scarcity”.

Waiheke is different from lots of places around Auckland and New Zealand because there is no mains water supply. A few properties have bores, but the majority of households rely on rainwater catchment and tanks for their water supply. This requires a different way of thinking about water and often a need to conserve water, especially over the summer months.

The WRT is working with The Sustainable Living Centre at the EcoMatters Environment Trust in New Lynn to provide information and free water saving devices to Waiheke households. If you are interested in any of these devices please come up and see us at the Waiheke Resources Centre, Studio 2, Artworks in Oneroa

Water in numbers - interesting facts

71% of the planet is covered in Ocean

97% of the water on Earth is ocean, 3% is freshwater

0.007% of all water on earth is accessible for drinking

70% of the world's fresh water supply is devoted to agriculture