Beyond Safe: Setting Higher Standards for Your Drinking Water

Safe drinking water is a baseline requirement for good health. But for those aiming for optimal wellness, longevity, and vibrant daily energy, the standards set by regulators may not be enough. At Ionza, we believe that understanding your water quality — and setting your own higher benchmarks — is an empowering step on your journey to better health.

Understanding NZ's Drinking Water Standards

New Zealand's Drinking Water Standards define safety by setting limits on certain contaminants:

• Microbiological Safety: Ensures absence of harmful organisms like E. coli.

• Chemical Safety: Limits exposure to substances like lead, arsenic, and nitrate.

• Aesthetic Values: Covers taste, odour, and clarity — not necessarily linked to health, but essential for daily enjoyment.

These standards are critical — but they set the maximum allowable values (MAVs), not necessarily the ideal ones for long-term health.

How to Self-Assess Your Water Quality

• Start with a Water Quality Report: Your council or water provider can supply recent data on your supply zone. But note: this won’t capture what happens between the main line and your tap.

• Consider At-Home Testing: Simple kits can detect things like chlorine, hardness, pH, or lead. For full precision, lab testing is best.

• Compare Against Your Own Health Standards: MAVs are legal thresholds — but many wellness seekers aim lower. For example:

  • Lead: No safe level is universally accepted. Even trace amounts may affect neurological and hormonal health.

  • Nitrates: New evidence links lower-than-MAV nitrate levels to health risks, especially in children.

Aiming Higher: What Does "Optimal Water" Look Like?

If you want to go beyond basic safety, consider these enhanced goals:

• Ultra-Low Contaminant Load: Filter out as many known and emerging toxins as possible.

• Bioavailable Minerals: Ensure water contains beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

• Alkaline pH + Negative ORP: Water with a slightly alkaline pH (around 8.5-9.5) and antioxidant-rich oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) may support the body’s internal balance.

• Molecular Hydrogen: Backed by hundreds of peer-reviewed studies, hydrogen-infused water offers cellular protection and anti-inflammatory support.

• Minimal Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs): Aim to reduce exposure to chlorine byproducts like trihalomethanes (THMs), especially in city supply water.

Ionza's Tools to Help You Upgrade

If your tap water doesn't align with your wellness values, Ionza can help. Our systems do more than filter — they enliven and restore your water.

• Alka Ultra X (Rural Supply): Ideal for untreated water; removes pathogens, adds minerals, corrects pH.

• Alka City Total (Town Supply): Targets chlorine, heavy metals, DBPs — and revitalises water with beneficial minerals.

• Hydrogen Water Jug: Combines filtration with hydrogen infusion for next-level hydration.

• Ionza RO Enricher: Perfect for restoring vitality to RO-purified water.

Final Thoughts: You Set the Bar

Regulations exist to prevent illness. But optimal health is a much higher standard — and you get to define it. Whether you're aiming to reduce your toxic load, supercharge hydration, or simply enjoy better tasting water, the tools and knowledge are available.

We're here to help you drink with clarity, intention, and trust.

To your health,
The Ionza Team