Kia ora,

Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman is about to wrap his second annual Dirty Rivers Rafting Tour. Russel has been visiting rivers that are either dangerously polluted, or threatened due to large dam and irrigation projects, and rafting or kayaking them with local environmentalists, whitewater enthusiasts, iwi, farmers, and media.

The purpose of the tour is to highlight the threats to our precious rivers, but also to celebrate some of the most beautiful rivers in the country. It's also to put pressure on Environment Minister Nick Smith to adopt clean water rules now before it's too late.

In this podcast, on the eve of his final trip, Russel talks about the highs and lows of the tour, whether he got sick from the dirty water or scared going over a 7m waterfall, and why we need clean water rules, now.

http://www.greens.org.nz/audio/russels-dirty-rivers-wrap

Rivers and lakes Russel visited in 2011 were:

Wairau – Marlborough
Nevis – Central Otago
Wairoa – near Auckland
Tarawera – near Kawerau (the infamous “Black Drain”)
Ruamahunga – Wairarapa
Mokau – Taranaki
Mangatainoka – Wairarapa (of Tui Brewery fame)
Waituna lagoon – Southland
Kaituna – near Rotorua
Waikato – Waikato (site of Auckland’s drinking water supply) - forthcoming
Rakaia – Canterbury - forthcoming

ENDS

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