The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

'No immediate plan' to reduce nitrate levels - Parker

RNZ
22 Feb, 2021 11:45 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Environment Minister David Parker. Photo / RNZ - Dom Thomas

Environment Minister David Parker. Photo / RNZ - Dom Thomas

RNZ

The Environment Minister says New Zealand will continue to follow WHO guidelines on nitrate levels in the water despite international research finding much lower levels could still cause cancer.

The first study into the country's nitrate in drinking water says one in six people could be drinking water polluted enough to cause colorectal cancer.

The research, overseen by Victoria and Otago Universities, calls for action from the horticulture and dairy industries.

The study used overseas research including a major Danish study that found a link with bowel cancer when levels were as low as 0.87mg/L of water.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The current safe level in New Zealand, as mandated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was 11mg/L of water.

Earlier in February, Otago University senior research fellow Dr Tim Chambers said New Zealand should take a precautionary approach and reduce the maximum level from 11.3mg/L to 1mg/L.

But Environment Minister David Parker told RNZ's Morning Report that WHO guidelines were being followed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"So, there's no plan to immediately reduce the New Zealand standard for nitrates in drinking water."

He acknowledged the Danish study and said more research needed to be done in Aotearoa.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be a shortage of money that would stop it [research] being done but that's really for the Ministry of Health, whether they see it to be a priority in light of that Danish study."

He said with regard to the health of rivers, there was already a cap on synthetic nitrogen that could be applied to land.

Discover more

New Zealand

Wake-up call: Up to 800,000 Kiwis may have increased bowel cancer risk

21 Feb 07:43 PM
Business

Fonterra discharging nitrogen-heavy water on to 'ghost farms'

08 Feb 06:53 PM

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth: Agrichemicals and the State of Cancer

17 Feb 12:30 AM

NZ livestock responsible for lower emissions than previously thought

13 Apr 09:00 PM

Some people were previously applying 300kg per annum so a reduction to 190kg was significant but there were other measures needed too, he said.

"Industry are bringing forward new cultivars that are diuretic that cause smaller urine patches, therefore less nitrates are lost to the waterways because the grass can take them up."

Yesterday Victoria University ecologist Mike Joy said cow urine was one of the major contributors to increased nitrate levels.

"He [Mike Joy] is right that there have been serious problems in south Canterbury from a river health point of view. I don't know yet whether he is right in respect of human health issues," the minister said.

On the back of the Danish study, Parker has asked the Health Ministry and the Director-General of Health to "look into it".

He said Ministry for Primary Industries was doing research into regenerative farming which would be less reliant on fertilisers.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"In addition to that, there will be some land-use change. There'll be new cultivars and maybe there'll be stricter limits in the future on the amount of nitrogenous fertiliser than can be applied."

He said it would take evidence of human health issues to bring down the limit of nitrate levels.

"We'll see."

Councils could enforce tougher limits if they deemed it necessary for river health, Parker said.

"It's not necessary now; two: you need stability in the system; three: a limit that applies everywhere in the country ... if you drop it lower, might not be correct for some parts."

He said the government had to be careful that it was not "over-regulating parts of the system".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

- RNZ

Save

    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

07 Jul 05:59 AM
The Country

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
The Country

Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

07 Jul 03:57 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

'Huge shock': Community mourns beloved postie killed on final delivery

07 Jul 05:59 AM

David Bullock, 78, was killed on his last delivery before retiring.

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

'Amazing achievements': Hawke's Bay Export Awards finalists announced

07 Jul 04:25 AM
Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

Seabed mining project sparks alarm over impact on South Taranaki fisheries

07 Jul 03:57 AM
'Dearly loved' 21yo killed in Stewart Island hunting incident

'Dearly loved' 21yo killed in Stewart Island hunting incident

07 Jul 01:41 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP