Greenpeace Aotearoa is slamming the Government after Parliamentary Under-Secretary for RMA Reform, Simon Court, refused yesterday to commit to upholding Water Conservation Orders, which protect lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n\n
Speaking at the Environmental Defence Society\u2019s annual conference, Simon Court refused to answer whether the Government would uphold existing Water Conservation Orders for rivers, as well as National Environmental Standards, under the Government\u2019s RMA reforms.<\/p>\n\n
Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, \u201cEveryone should be able to swim in and fish from New Zealand\u2019s lakes and rivers without getting sick. But nearly half of New Zealand\u2019s rivers are unsafe for swimming, and many are unsuitable for food gathering. Water conservation orders are meant to protect significant waterways – the ones that are still in a good state – and ensure that they aren\u2019t also destroyed.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why it is deeply concerning to hear a member of the government refuse to commit to upholding the very limited protections we have for fresh water in Aotearoa. <\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe primary polluter of fresh water in Aotearoa is the intensive dairy industry. It has polluted lakes, rivers, and drinking water with excess nitrate contamination, as a result of the overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. And their excessive water takes have sucked rivers dry in order to irrigate dairy paddocks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cNow, the government wants to allow the intensive dairy industry to pollute the few waterways that have been identified for special protection. This is a government that is letting polluters write the policy, and going against the interests of everyday New Zealanders who just want to be able to swim in their local river.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWith a government that is overturning every freshwater protection that exists in order to please the dairy industry, it\u2019s more important than ever that local governments – like Environment Canterbury, who have responsibility over the majority of New Zealand\u2019s freshwater ecosystems – step up and take real action to protect lakes, rivers, and drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThat means phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, and not allowing any new dairy conversions or intensifications to take place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cPeople across the country are standing up for better protection for lakes, rivers, and drinking water. If the politicians won\u2019t take action, then they should expect resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Greenpeace is slamming the Govt after Simon Court’s refusal to commit to upholding Water Conservation Orders, which protect lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":62357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[19,22],"p4-page-type":[7],"class_list":["post-70167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greenpeace","tag-food-and-farming","tag-freshwater","p4-page-type-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\n