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Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Luxon Government To Favour Dairy Pollution At The Expense Of Drinking Water
Press Release – Greenpeace Greenpeace Aotearoa freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says, 'Safe drinking water requires healthy freshwater ecosystems, and that should always be the priority. But todays decision will drive more water contamination, especially in rural communities.' Luxon's Government is once again putting corporate profits ahead of people's health by proposing freshwater policies that will drive more dairy pollution at the expense of safe drinking water and swimmable rivers. The proposed changes to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, announced today, include giving more favour to corporate uses of water like intensive dairy. This fundamentally undermines Te Mana O Te Wai, the framework that prioritises the health of freshwater ecosystems and the health of community drinking water ahead of corporate uses of water. Greenpeace Aotearoa freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe says, 'Safe drinking water requires healthy freshwater ecosystems, and that should always be the priority. But today's decision will drive more water contamination, especially in rural communities.' 'Make no mistake, this will facilitate dairy expansion, and we know what that means for the country. More cows means more pollution from effluent and fertiliser, poisoning waterways with nitrate and nasty pathogens.' 'Just this year, several new dairy expansion consents have been approved in Canterbury, where many communities are facing a drinking water crisis as a result of nitrate contamination from intensive dairy.' 'The Government is meant to be protecting the health of communities, not lining the pockets of corporate polluters. We've already seen the influence the agriculture lobby has had over the rollback of freshwater protections last year, and this announcement today demonstrates how much of a hold lobbyists have over Luxon and his Cabinet.' 'But communities are ready to fight for clean drinking water and swimmable rivers, even if Luxon won't. It's more important than ever that local governments – like Environment Canterbury, which has responsibility over the majority of New Zealand's freshwater ecosystems – step up and take real action to protect lakes, rivers, and drinking water.'
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Luxon's War On Nature Opens Gate For More Dairy Conversion
Press Release – Greenpeace Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, 'Everyone, no matter where they live, should be able to drink the water from their kitchen tap without getting sick. But this basic right is under threat by an already oversized intensive dairy industry … Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the Luxon Government for 'leaving the gate wide open' to more dairy conversion with no plan to protect fresh water from pollution. Temporary rules that restricted the conversion of farmland to intensive dairy were in place until 1 January this year, to allow time for Regional Councils to implement the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. This was effectively a stop-gap to prevent further degradation of lakes, rivers and drinking water. However, the Luxon Government repealed many of those intended protections last year, blocked Regional Councils from implementing their own freshwater plans, and allowed the dairy conversion restrictions to be lifted without replacing them. BussinessDesk has reported that Environment Canterbury has approved several dairy farm conversions this year. Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, 'Everyone, no matter where they live, should be able to drink the water from their kitchen tap without getting sick. But this basic right is under threat by an already oversized intensive dairy industry that's set to expand further.' 'Assurances made by Government Ministers that there would be no further dairy expansion were clearly a load of cow manure.' 'They were happy to delay freshwater plans for Regional Councils, and repeal the few freshwater protections we had, but did not extend the stop-gap on dairy conversions. Now that dairy conversions have started up again, we have to ask how many more communities have to have unsafe drinking water before intensive dairy is reigned in?' Nearly half of New Zealand's rivers are now unsafe for swimming, and 20% of the population could be drinking water contaminated with unsafe levels of nitrate. Emerging evidence shows that drinking water nitrate levels from 1mg/L are associated with a higher risk of some health conditions, including colo-rectal cancer. The largest contributor to nitrate contamination is cow urine and the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser in the intensive dairy industry. At water testing events run by Greenpeace in the Ashburton District last month, almost half of all bore water samples tested were above 5 mg/L of nitrate, a level linked to an increased risk of preterm birth. Several Canterbury town supplies are close to or exceed this level, including Darfield, Hinds, and the Oxford Rural 1 supply. The New Zealand College of Midwives recommends that pregnant people consider avoiding water above 5 mg/L for nitrate. 'We've already seen what dairy expansion does – unswimmable rivers and water that's unsafe to drink. It's now up to Regional Councils to step up and protect drinking water, lakes and rivers. And if they're unwilling, for candidates to step up at the Local Body Elections this year to get the job done.' 'Environment Canterbury must halt any dairy conversion or intensification applications, at a bare minimum, and swiftly take action to protect the health of people and fresh water from dairy pollution.'
