Water situation not good enough - Labour

Napier Labour MP Stuart Nash speaking at the "Protecting Our Water" meeting at Havelock North Function Centre last night. Photo/Duncan Brown

New Zealand needs to clean up its act in regards to water before it's too late, Havelock North residents heard at a meeting last night.

More than 150 people attended the "Protect Our Water" meeting which launched Labour's fresh water quality policy at the Havelock North Function Centre.

Attendees heard from Labour spokesman for water and the environment David Parker, Napier Labour MP Stuart Nash and Labour candidate for Tukituki Anna Lorck.

Mr Parker reiterated the tragedy of last year's Havelock North water crisis and how it should not have been able to happen as well as the dire need to protect the country's rivers.

Labour's new 12-point freshwater policy would prevent further water crises, such as what happened in Havelock North, and would help prevent contamination to rivers from farming, he said.

According to environment minister Nick Smith fixing New Zealand's waterways would cost a huge amount but this would not be the case, Mr Parker said.

Because under the plan for freshwater quality intensity of land use for livestock would no longer be permitted.

This would be a preventative measure so would not cost a great deal but would stop rivers and lakes getting dirtier immediately while also protecting aquifers.

"Straight away the problems won't be getting worse."

Within 5 years water quality should be improving with even the most polluted rivers and lakes having to be cleaned up within a generation, he said.

Most waterways would improve on their own if they were no longer being contaminated, Mr Parker said.

Within Mr Parker's lifetime rivers have gone from being healthy and swimmable to the opposite with people getting sick and dogs dying.

"I want people to be able to swim in rivers."

Part of the plan would be to introduce a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management based on an original NPS drafted by a board of inquiry chaired by Environment Court judge David Sheppard in 2010.

"I really believe we can fix this," Mr Parker said.

Ms Lorck, who organised the meeting, said that for Hawke's Bay and Havelock North, in particular, it was important to take action on water and if elected, Labour would do so.

"Brushing our teeth has become political."

The meeting ended with residents able to ask questions to Mr Parker.

Greenpeace, Tourism Export Council of NZ, Fish & Game, Forest & Bird and Choose Clean Water also announced their own seven-point Freshwater Rescue Plan earlier this week, which includes adopting the OECD recommendation to transition New Zealand to a low carbon, greener economy.

Some points from Labour's Freshwater Quality plan:

- Require via the NPS that rivers and lakes be clean enough for people to swim in during summer without getting sick, while achieving aquatic ecosystem health.

- Adopt strong nationwide freshwater quality standards, including for pathogens, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, periphyton (slime) and macroinvertebrate health.

- Take action to protect waterways, wetlands and estuaries from excessive sedimentation caused by erosion and land use practices that lead to soil loss.

- Require fencing within five years of all intensively stocked land near waterways, with setbacks for riparian planting to filter and absorb silt and nutrients.

- Fund either Ministry for the Environment or the Environmental Protection Authority to enforce the law by prosecuting breaches of the Resource Management Act through local Crown solicitors, including the right to reclaim costs from the guilty party and the regional council.

-Support regional councils in implementing the new standards and bottom lines, and in setting minimum flow regimes on named waterways.

- Require each regional council to report annually to the Ministry for the Environment on whether, and how, city or district council rules within the region are adequate to protect waterways.