Safe Summer Swimming Spots Identified In North Canterbury

Friday, 26 September 2025, 5:27 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

Swimmers will again need to pick and choose their rivers and beaches throughout North Canterbury this summer. 

With summer just around the corner, Environment Canterbury has released its latest water quality data on popular swimming spots throughout the region, including 52 rivers and lakes, and 47 coastal sites.

Among the North Canterbury sites, the Ashley River/Rakahuri River has shown improvement, and the Hanmer River swimming area and Hurunui River at State Highway 1 are deemed suitable for recreation.

But sites at Hurunui River at SH7, Waipara River at the Boys’ Brigade swimming hole, and Waimakariri River between the highway bridges remain poor and unsuitable for recreation. 

‘‘We will continue to work with local councils and the community to identify the sources of the contamination and improve water quality at these popular recreational sites,’’ ECan acting chief scientist Dr Elaine Moriarty said. 

The grades show 77 percent of the nearly 100 monitored swimming sites are suitable for contact recreation (swimming and other water-based activities) based on data from the 2024/25 summer season, a similar result to the previous season. 

ECan will begin monitoring again from November. 

‘‘Our teams are out weekly throughout the summer season collecting water samples and testing for faecal indicator bacteria to determine which sites are safe for everyone to enjoy,’’ Dr Moriarty said. 

‘‘Canterbury has some fantastic swimming spots to cool off in over summer, and we're pleased that remains the case this season, with 77% of all monitored sites graded as suitable for contact recreation.’’

Last summer, 46 temporary public health warnings were issued across 34 sites throughout the Canterbury region, including 28 warnings for faecal contamination and 18 for toxic algae. 

‘‘These temporary warnings are a crucial part of keeping the public safe,’’ Dr Moriarty said. ‘

‘We monitor not just for bacteria but also conduct surveys for toxic algae at freshwater sites where blooms may pose health risks.’’ 

Toxic algae (also called cyanobacteria) is a naturally occurring algae with the potential to bloom, producing toxins that can harm or even kill dogs, people and other animals. 

Public warnings can be viewed online at ecan.govt.nz/health-warnings. 

Before taking the leap this summer, ECan recommends checking out the Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA) website - lawa.org.nz. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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