Right now, the Government is pushing ahead with plans to rewrite the rules that protect our lakes, rivers and drinking water – in a move we’ve called the ‘freshwater pollution plan’.

Their proposals would give more power to corporate polluters like the intensive dairy sector, while stripping away the few safeguards we have left for lakes, rivers and drinking water.

What will the freshwater pollution plan actually do?

The Luxon Government is going to make water quality worse. Among a whole host of planned changes, some of the worst are that they want to:

  • Scrap the cap on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, which exists to stop more nitrate from contaminating our drinking water
  • Make it easier to build massive irrigation schemes, which would fuel dairy expansion and create pollution
  • Prioritise commercial water use at the expense of the health of freshwater ecosystems and people, by removing the core protections in our freshwater regulations

If Luxon’s freshwater pollution plan is allowed to go ahead, these regulation changes would lead to more cows, more fertiliser, and more polluted water across the country.

The Government says it wants to “rebalance” the rules. But the truth is this: they’re tipping the scales in favour of big dairy and corporate uses of water at the expense of lakes, rivers, and drinking water.

We can’t let that happen.

Submit against proposed changes now!

The freshwater pollution plan proposals are open for public consultation until 27 July 2025. That means we have a chance to speak up and demand better. Because everyone deserves access to safe drinking water. Everyone should be able to swim in clean rivers. And everyone has a right to expect the Government to act in the public interest, not just for corporations and intensive dairy.

💧 Make your voice heard.

You don’t need to be an expert to make a submission against the freshwater pollution plan. Just tell the Government what you care about:

  • Say no to removing the fertiliser cap. We need more action to reduce nitrate pollution, not less.
  • Say no to weakening the protections that prioritise the health of water bodies and safe drinking water, ahead of corporate uses of water.
  • Say no to new rules that enable more irrigation and more pollution.

Together, we can stop this rollback. Together, we can protect the water we all rely on.

Here’s how you can make a submission against the freshwater pollution plan

Use our handy submission generator here. Just follow the instructions, and you’ll be done in no time. 

A giant tap with effluent pouring out, sits in front of the Beehive, Wellington. A Greenpeace activist, wearing a hazmatsuit holds a sign saying "Stop fast-tracking pollution"
Submit against the freshwater pollution plan now!

Make your voice heard and help to stop Luxon’s plan to pollute lakes, rivers, and drinking water.

Make a submission here!

Alternatively, you can go to the Government portal and follow the instructions to make a submission. You don’t need to answer every question. Just make your submission in the “Provide general feedback” section, and you’re done!