Abstract
Safe, good quality drinking water is crucial to public health. The Queenstown cryptosporidiosis outbreak highlights the need for greater understanding of the connections between infrastructure, land use, regulation, and governance. It is these factors in combination that determine whether water from our taps is clean and safe to drink. While authorities continue to investigate a range of potential source of this outbreak, they have confirmed the drinking water supply in Queenstown is vulnerable because it lacks a protozoa barrier. Regardless of the eventual findings, there needs to be more public discussion on how to keep communities’ drinking water safe and more informed debate from central and local
government politicians on this important issue.