Andrew Little –
Having a dip at your local river or lake to cool down in summer is a cherished Kiwi tradition. My childhood was spent swimming in the Waiwhakaiho River in New Plymouth.
It is a tradition in which our children should also get a share.
Today, many of our rivers are too dirty to swim safely.
I would not want my son swimming in water that could make him sick.
What parent would?
Clearly, we need to clean up our rivers and lakes.
We need to cut the pollution getting into them from our farms and our urban areas.
For years, the government has been promising a plan to do that.
Ineffective government
However, we all know now that National’s commitment to make 90% of our rivers and lakes swimmable by 2040 has turned out to be a con-job.
They want to get to that target by weakening the definition of ‘swimmable’.
They want to increase the amount of ‘e coli,’ the bug that gets into water from animal waste and causes serious illnesses like ‘campylobacter,’ that can be in water that is graded as safe to swim.
That would mean water so filthy that has a one in twenty chance of making you sick would be labelled swimmable.
Minister proved wrong
(Environment Minister) Nick Smith says that these rivers would be safe.
Water scientists, outdoors groups, and tourism representatives are all saying this plan is bad for New Zealand. Some of the rivers and lakes that Mr Smith has deemed swimmable are absolutely filthy.
When you dig into National’s plans, many of Kiwis’ favourite rivers would be highly polluted during summer, the peak swimming season, but still be called ‘swimmable’ because their pollution levels are lower in winter.
Here is the truth: a vote for National this year is a vote for more polluted rivers.
That is not the New Zealand we cherish.
That is not the New Zealand we ask the world to come and visit.
It is time to cut the crap.
Public backlash
In 2010, National wanted to open our most highly-protected National Parks to rampant mining. The huge public backlash, including tens of thousands of Kiwis taking to the streets in mass protest marches, forced them to drop the idea.
People power works. It is people power that will put paid to National’s idea of putting more muck in our rivers.
Labour will be working with groups up and down New Zealand to build a movement to stand up for clean rivers.
(Prime Minister) Bill English and Nick Smith are completely out of touch with New Zealanders’ values on water, but they will back down if they have no choice.
The next stage will be a real plan to clean up our rivers.
Labour Strategy
Labour’s already got a good start with our Ready for Work policy.
This programme will employ young people who are stuck on the dole to do valuable, paid work and get some job experience.
I want to see those young people out helping to build the fences that will keep livestock out of the water and doing riparian planting – restoring wetlands and growing native plants on the edges of waterways to filter the run-off from farms.
Alongside that practical work, we will need proper standards without the trickery, better monitoring, and accountability for polluters.
We will need to empower every community – because when my local river is swimmable and yours is too, the whole of New Zealand has clean water.
Our rivers are part of our culture, part of our heritage and identity.
We need to get them back to a fit state so we, and future generations, can enjoy them. The first step is stopping National’s plan to pollute our rivers.
Andrew Little is Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.
