Today marks Indigenous World Water Day….

this is about recognising the invaluable, essential and (at this rate of mistreatment and exploitation) completely unsustainable life force of this earth and its inhabitants. It is also about recognising indigenous peoples special relationship with the land.

I received this e-mail from Peace Movement Aotearoa… This is happening today on the Marae at Victoria University.

Tino Rangatiratanga Hui Recognises Indigenous World Water Day

“Maori are demonstrating their concerns over water by marking Indigenous World Water Day” says Aotearoa Educators spokesperson Maraea Teepa.

“Maori are in the same position as many other Indigenous peoples around the world - fighting the commodification of water. The government’s Sustainable Water Programme of Action shows a commitment to sustainable water use, which is all well and good, but is also about encouraging trading of water rights. But does the government own water? Evidence suggests hapu and iwi continue to have customary rights to water and exercise tino rangatiratanga over waterways. The government needs to acknowledge that they do not have exclusive ownership of water, must not act unilaterally to decide what will happen with it, and should not in any event be making it into a commodity. This has long been the call from Maori - even the government’s own report on consultation with Maori stressed this.

“Maori are marking this day with other Indigenous peoples around the world to show that we care about water, do not want it commodified and want the inherent customary title rights of Indigenous peoples to be recognised to water.

This is what I think….

The Indigenous Declaration on Water states that water is a ‘gift’ on this earth, ’sacred and sustaining’ of all life and yet Western Capitalist Society treats it as a resource to be exploited, polluted, drained and used for profit.

We are killing ourselves through the destruction of our environment. The gifts that Mother Earth/ Papatuanuku has given us are being abused. For Greed and Money and Power. We have to change this. We have to fight this destruction.

ABOUT THE BOTTLE

Most Bottled water in Aotearoa comes from our Rivers, Springs and Lakes and yet the labels say it is produced by Coca-Cola.

The water they purchase from us is at around a few cents per litre and they sell it back to us in a plastic piece of landfill…

‘a study released by the World Wildlife Federation in May 2001 shows that the bottled water industry uses 1.5 million tons of plastic every year, and when plastic bottles are being manufactured or disposed of they release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere.’ …for around $2 a litre.

We must tell this company to stick its bottled water. New Zealand has no need at all to be supporting this irresponsible company and its malnipulative advertising.

We are lucky here to be able to drink water straight from the tap. ..though for how much longer?

Its scary to think of a time when Corporations who care much much more about making a profit than people or anything else, Corporations like Coca-Cola, will have all the rights to the water and all the power to control the price of this gift. Though this is a possibility for the future, unless we can work together to stop their monopoly from expanding, and that means stopping supporting them now, and stopping buying bottled water in Aotearoa.