{"id":76133,"date":"2026-03-18T10:30:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=76133"},"modified":"2026-03-18T10:30:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:30:56","slug":"nitrate-emergency-demonstration-environment-southland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/nitrate-emergency-demonstration-environment-southland\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace hold nitrate emergency demonstration outside Environment Southland meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greenpeace activists are demonstrating outside Environment Southland today, handing out copies of a recent report on Southland groundwater to force councillors to confront the realities of nitrate contamination in the region. Greenpeace says that high levels of nitrate in drinking water in the region warrant immediate action to protect the health of the community.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

Environment Southland\u2019s \u2018Nitrogen Contamination in Southland Groundwater\u2019<\/em> report, published in January 2026, showed that nitrate in Southland\u2019s groundwater and drinking water supplies was \u2018both regionally widespread and locally severe in multiple locations.\u2019<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace Aotearoa agriculture campaigner Sin\u00e9ad Deighton-O\u2019Flynn says,<\/strong> \u201cThe alarm bells are ringing. There is a nitrate emergency in Southland and it\u2019s time for the regional council to take action.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe report is explicit. There is widespread nitrate contamination throughout the region, and no one who has read the report could deny that Southland is experiencing a nitrate emergency. And yet Environment Southland has done nothing. It would seem some councillors either haven\u2019t read the report, or they\u2019re in denial about the findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe main cause of this crisis is cow urine and synthetic nitrogen fertiliser from the intensive dairy industry. A number of councillors have a clear connection with Fonterra or fertiliser companies, which means that these councillors have vested interests in turning a blind eye to the nitrate crisis polluting their constituents\u2019 drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

A third of the Environment Southland councillors declared pecuniary interests in either Fonterra, or fertiliser companies Ballance and Ravensdown. <\/p>\n\n

Environment Southland\u2019s report states that there may be more than 15,000 Southlanders at risk of exposure to high concentrations of nitrate in drinking water.<\/p>\n\n

Drinking water nitrate has been linked to several health risks, including bowel cancer, preterm birth, and Blue Baby syndrome. Recent research also indicates a correlation between high levels of nitrate in drinking water and an increased risk of dementia.<\/p>\n\n

Deighton O\u2019Flynn says, \u201cNo one should have to worry that the water from their kitchen tap could be making them sick, and yet for many people here in Southland, that is their reality. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cPeople\u2019s health should be prioritised ahead of political interests and dirty dairy profits. It\u2019s time for the council to take action and protect their communities from intensive dairy\u2019s nitrate pollution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Last year, Environment Canterbury became the first council in Aotearoa to declare a nitrate emergency, following widespread concern from Cantabrians over the safety of their drinking water. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cDeclaring a nitrate emergency is just the start, but it is an indication that the council is taking this seriously,\u201d says Deighton-O\u2019Flynn. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cUltimately, Environment Canterbury and Environment Southland both need to take action to stop the pollution at its source. That means reducing dairy herd sizes, and ending synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greenpeace demonstrates outside Environment Southland, calling on councillors to declare a nitrate emergency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":76134,"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-76133","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":"\nGreenpeace hold nitrate emergency demonstration outside Environment Southland meeting<\/title>\n<meta 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