Listen: Dr Doug Edmeades defends Prof Rowarth's Waikato river claims

Dr Doug Edmeades defended Professor Jacqueline Rowarth today on The Country by agreeing that the Waikato river is not necessarily as polluted as first thought.

The Professor has faced nasty and often personal criticism over her statement that the Waikato is in the top 5% of rivers internationally based on OECD data. Dr Edmeades has seen the data and is inclined to back up Rowarth's comments.

However, this may mean that rivers in the rest of the world are very polluted. Jamie Mackay wonders - should we be comparing our rivers internationally? Shouldn't we be focused on New Zealand's water quality rather than everyone else's?