Forest & Bird says a major new Ministry for the Environment report on the state of freshwater in New Zealand confirms what freshwater advocates, iwi, and communities have long warned: Aotearoa New Zealand’s freshwater is at breaking point, with polluted rivers, unsafe swimming spots, and contaminated groundwater threatening wildlife and public health.

The report Our Freshwater 2026 (and its companion Our Water, Our Lives: The Stories Behind the Numbers) paints a confronting picture of the state of freshwater. It shows that freshwater – from wetlands and estuaries to aquifers and rivers – is under increasing pressure from intensive land use and climate change.

“This report really brings home that freshwater across Aotearoa is part of one connected system – and that damage done out of sight, especially underground, is coming back to haunt us,” says Nicky Snoyink, Forest & Bird’s Regional Conservation Manager for Canterbury and the West Coast.

A major warning sign is the growing degradation of groundwater. Nitrate pollution is increasing at nearly 40 percent of monitored sites. Because groundwater moves slowly, today’s contamination reflects decades of landuse decisions – and means damage will continue even if agricultural practices improve.

Almost half of monitored groundwater sites recorded E. coli contamination at least once in recent years, meaning many sites would require treatment to be safe to drink.

“Protecting freshwater can buffer communities from the impacts of climate change.

“Leaving rivers room to move in their floodplains protects people and infrastructure from floods. Expanded wetlands can absorb floodwaters, draw in and store carbon, filter water, and replenish groundwater,” Ms Snoyink says, “Once groundwater is polluted, it can take decades or generations to recover.”

“The report’s findings are a red flag for anyone who cares about safe drinking water and healthy rivers. For the health of all Kiwis, we cannot afford to pollute our source of freshwater."

The report also notes that nearly half of New Zealand’s river network is still unsafe for swimming because of faecal contamination linked to land use.

“The report masks that reduced flows from irrigation have devastating impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Then the land use that irrigation allows – such as intensive dairy farming, a major consumer of freshwater allocated for use – can return that water to the ecosystem in a worse state.”

“For families, iwi, and communities, this is about more than numbers. It’s why warning signs are posted at swimming holes and why gathering kai food from rivers and lakes is no longer safe,” Ms Snoyink says.

Ms Snoyink notes that the report makes no mention of the need to change current land use to restore freshwater and adapt to climate change.

“Nature is paying a heavy price for this decline. Nearly 90 percent of indigenous freshwater fish species are threatened with, or at risk of, extinction, while wetlands – which filter pollution, support wildlife and buffer floods – continue to be lost, despite so little remaining.

“Climate change is compounding existing pressures, through more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, rising temperatures, and saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers.”

Forest & Bird has been calling for and implementing nature-based solutions, from coastal restoration projects to asking Government to commit to doubling New Zealand’s area of wetland by 2050.

“We’re calling on decision makers to use this evidence to put in place stronger limits on pollution, and create land-use rules that protect the health of rivers, lakes, and aquifers.

“New Zealand needs clean freshwater, with rivers full of native fish and birds, and nature should be at the heart of every decision we make.”

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