Leadership Needed On New Zealand's Rivers

Leadership Needed On New Zealand's Rivers

Tuesday, 08 May 2012, 9:15 am

Article: Kyle Church

Leadership Needed On New Zealand's Rivers

The last time we really saw coverage of our water quality in the media was in May last year when John Key appeared on Hardtalk and was questioned about it by Stephen Sackur. Sackur queried whether New Zealand’s claims of “100% Pure” were greatly exaggerated after recent work by environmental scientist Dr Mike Joy (who had released research about this as early as 2007) had shown the degradation of New Zealand’s waterways, with “over half [New Zealand’s] lakes and ninety per cent of lowland rivers classed as polluted”. Key’s response was to reject the proposition, and then go further to say that, with academics, “like lawyers, I can provide you with another one that can give you a counter view”. This exchange set off a moderate amount of media coverage on the issue, the argument see-sawing between environmental concerns and economic viability.
Federated Farmers chief Bruce Wills for example stating that “If we’ve got a dirty river let’s understand why it’s dirty and what science can tell us about fixing it”, and at the same time pointing out that the agriculture and dairy industries are an economic necessity. Since this flurry of activity we have seen very little movement, either by the government or the media, to address what appears to be a serious problem.

In March this year Dr Jan Wright, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, released a document titled “Water quality in New Zealand: Understanding the science” the aim of which was to create a guide for water quality science and to explain the situation as simply as possible. In this way the paper hoped to make more accessible an issue that is very close to many New Zealanders’ hearts- the question of our access to clean fresh water resources. The paper explains that there are “three main pollutants of fresh water in New Zealand- pathogens, sediment and nutrients. Pathogens make people and animals sick. Sediment makes clear water murky and blankets stony riverbeds with mud and silt. Excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) can lead to rampant weed growth, algal blooms, and oxygen depletion.” It goes on to say that understanding these pollutants- where they come from, and the effects they have- is the first step in solving the problem. The paper then looks at the historical effects of human society on our freshwater resources- sewage, factories, farming; all of these have used our rivers and lakes as water supply and dumping ground in the last one-hundred-and-fifty years. As a result the disaster we are facing has an historical element, but it is the action we take now that will decide the outcome.

Some steps to address the problem have already been taken. In 2003 the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord was agreed on by Fonterra and government bodies. While not legally binding, it did seem a step in the right direction. Since 2004 public funds have been assigned to clean up specific lakes and rivers- operations on Lake Taupo and the Waikato River receiving almost $300million dollars between them. However, these funds have been allocated predominantly to ‘iconic’ fresh water resources, which while also at risk, are not the largest part of the problem. In fact, the way in which funding is being assigned makes the cynic ask whether this is an effort on behalf of government, not to solve the over-arching problem, but to ensure that we have enough “100% Pure” tourist destinations to maintain our global image. There have also been policy releases- of note, the Bluegreen policy document released by National this year that contains a two page section on Fresh Water. The government has acknowledged that a problem exists, but to some extent these actions feel like token nods in the direction of a New Zealand public that is anxious to see us retain our “Clean Green” image.

We have major problems when it comes to our fresh water resources. Many of our rivers are too polluted to swim in, let alone provide an environment for the many fresh-water creatures they should be harbouring. Dr Mike Joy says that these problems stem predominantly from a central government that has failed to take on a leadership role and take action- historically as well as presently. A Resource Management Act too unwieldy to be implemented effectively, and council bodies too under-resourced to enforce it, adds to the problem. Further, industry leaders whose industries are the main contributors to fresh water pollution are talking big but doing very little on the ground. They might say that this is the economic reality- that there has to be a compromise between making money, and the effect of their business on the environment. Most New Zealanders would tend to agree, the question is which side we want that compromise to fall on. There is only a limited period of time available, at the current rate of degradation, in which New Zealand businesses can claim to be 100% Pure, if they can even say that now. By taking immediate action on this issue we will be able to ensure the economic futures of those businesses, and more importantly ensure that New Zealand’s fresh water environments are clean enough to sustain species and to be enjoyed by the New Zealand public.

Dr Mike Joy, senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science from the Ecology group-Institute of Natural Resources Massey University will be talking further about the state of New Zealand’s rivers at the University of Auckland, Thursday 10th May 6.30pm, Engineering Building Room 1439.

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