Page 16 - Selwyn River News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Behind New Zealand s clean, green image is a dirty truth Posted MonMonday 15 updated WedWednesday 17 A river in New Zealand s Southern Alps. ( Print text only Cancel New Zealand s waterways are some of the most degraded in the developed world. Will the Ardern government clean it up or will Māori take control? In New Zealand s Southern Alps, braided rivers radiate turquoise from the glacial flows coming off snow-capped mountains. Breathtaking vistas like these have provided the backdrop for Hollywood epics like Lord of the Rings and underpin one of the world s most recognised tourism campaigns, 100% Pure New Zealand . But behind New Zealand s clean and green image is a dirty truth its freshwater rivers are among the most polluted in the developed world. Last year, a government report found nearly 60 per cent of the country s rivers carry pollution above acceptable levels, with 95 to 99 per cent of rivers in pastoral, urban and non-native forested areas contaminated.

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