Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
More than half the rivers in Aotearoa aren't swimmable
due to poor water quality from farm run-off.
Raiha Johns went to Kaituna River in Rotorua
to see what local environmental advocate
Kiri Danielle had to say about it.
This is Kaituna River in Rotorua,
and there are lots of warning signs for swimmers.
The Ministry for the Environment has released a report stating that
half of all rivers in NZ are polluted.
I'm shocked by the report.
It's a bad thing for our kids
who can't swim in their rivers.
It's a sad day for NZ.
This is Kiri Danielle, a self-confessed greenie.
She started cleaning the rivers and lakes of Rotorua of her own will.
There are blue algae in the Kaituna as well as other harmful things.
This is a ***, an old one. It's still bad, though.
This river also gets cow faeces
and farm run-off.
The warning for swimming in the river this summer is
'don't swallow the water'.
The river has a life force; there's none at a swimming pool.
Are we lying when we say that NZ is 100% pure?
Even though our rivers are clean by international standards,
the Environment Minister says it's still not good enough.
Raiha Johns, Te Karere.