Unsafe Waters: The Hidden Campylobacter Infection Risk In Rural New Zealand

A new study by researchers from Otago and Canterbury Universities has found that campylobacteriosis rates are more than twice as high among rural residents on private water supplies compared to their urban counterparts.

Writing in the latest Public Health Communication Centre Briefing, the authors say the risk is especially pronounced in areas with high densities of dairy cattle. Rain or irrigation can contaminate nearby water sources, exposing rural communities to harmful bacteria like Campylobacter, a leading cause of gastroenteritis.

Lead author Dr Farnaz Pourzand from the Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, says young children are particularly at risk. “Those under five years of age living in rural areas with private water sources are nearly four times more likely to fall ill than urban children.”

While urban residents in Aotearoa New Zealand enjoy safe, treated water, many rural communities depend on private sources such as wells, boreholes, and rainwater tanks. Some of these sources are untreated and unregulated.

In 2016, more than 5,000 residents in Havelock North fell sick during a Campylobacter outbreak linked to contaminated community drinking water. Dr Pourzand says almost a decade later, protections for private water supplies remain limited.

She says there needs to be action to close this regulatory gap.

“We recommend extending the National Environmental Standards for Sources of Drinking Water to cover the 15% of New Zealanders on private water supplies not presently covered by these standards. Everyone, regardless of where they live, deserves access to safe drinking water,” she says.

“Our findings can help guide the delivery of specific interventions, such as better water quality monitoring and improved water treatment options in rural areas with high livestock densities.”

The study shows that regions like Waikato, Taranaki, Canterbury, and Southland, with both high levels of dairy farming and private water supplies, are at greatest risk of Campylobacter infection.

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