Luxon, stop freshwater destruction | GREENPEACE

Every New Zealander should be able to swim in clean rivers and know that the water coming out of their kitchen tap is safe to drink.

But dirty dairy has been polluting lakes, rivers, and streams across Aotearoa for decades. As a result, two-thirds of New Zealand’s rivers are too polluted to swim in, and once-safe drinking water is becoming increasingly contaminated with dangerous nitrates.

Despite this, Christopher Luxon’s Government wants to take away important freshwater protections and open the door to big irrigation schemes again.

In a recent letter to Greenpeace from Minister Chris Bishop, he outlined the Government’s plans to scrap laws that protect New Zealand’s rivers, lakes and streams. The newly introduced 'Fast-track Consenting Bill' could unleash horiffic environmental destruction including big new dairy irrigation schemes.

This Government is putting the profits of Fonterra above the health of people and nature, but from the smallest towns to the biggest cities, people are standing up for the protection of freshwater and drinking water.

Will you join them? Send a message now.

Tell Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to stop the rollback of freshwater protection

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Letter

I, like many New Zealanders, treasure this country's rivers and lakes. I have a fundamental human right to access safe drinking water, and it is the Government's duty to protect this right.

Prime Minister, your Government's plan to repeal the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPS-FM), remove Te Mana o Te Wai, and introduce new fast-track consent legislation will lead to dirtier rivers and lakes, and more contaminated drinking water.

This is a radically anti-environment policy programme, and I urge you to drop it now. In particular, you must retain the NPS-FM (2020) and Te Mana o te Wai so that the health of waterways and communities’ drinking water is prioritised before commercial use.

You must also drop the fast-track consenting plan which runs roughshod over proper democratic process. It will open the door for rubber-stamping big irrigation schemes that we know are destructive to the health of freshwater.

Already, more than three-quarters of our native freshwater fish are threatened with extinction. Many rivers are so polluted from dirty dairying we can no longer safely swim in them. A meagre two in every one hundred monitored lakes are considered in good or very good health in Aotearoa.

This freshwater crisis will be made worse by your Government’s policies to fast-track consents and remove freshwater protections.

I oppose the fast-track consenting bill.

I oppose your plans to remove Te Mana o Te Wai from the regulations.

I oppose your plans to repeal the National Policy Statement on Freshwater.

I urge you to drop the fast-track consenting bill and retain the current freshwater rules so that every New Zealander can swim in clean rivers and access safe drinking water now and into the future.