To make the Tarawera safe for swimming again, the Green Party will:

• Require as a minimum that all water bodies be safe for swimming in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, rather than the current ‘safe for wading and boating’ standard
• Develop national standards to limit the amount of pollution going into water
• Put a levy on pollution going into rivers. We’ll use this money to support sustainable land and water management programmes like freshwater habitat restoration.
• Put a hold on all new conversions of land to dairy farms
• Require resource consents in cases where the proposed land use is more intensive than the current land use
• Introduce rules that require all farms to be fenced from rivers and creeks, and for riverbanks to be planted so that excess run-off is absorbed
• Ensure Māori are recognised and supported in their role as kaitiaki of their taonga and tikanga
• Make an amendment to the Resource Management Act to put a time limit on discharges.

Read more about our solutions to the freshwater crisis