1 May 2017

Govt buys time to prove worth of new swimmable river standards

From Morning Report, 7:39 am on 1 May 2017

The Government has failed so far to provide evidence to support its claims that proposed new water quality standards are tougher than the ones they will replace.

none

none Photo: 123.rf

The Government said in February its new rules would make New Zealand the world leader in water quality standards for swimming,

But the Freshwater Sciences Society asked for a comparison of how the new standards compared to existing ones.

They were told they'd be given that analysis before submissions on the proposals closed last Friday.

But the day before that, the scientists were told the information was still not available. The Government says the analysis will be provided soon and scientists will have three extra weeks to make submissions.

But submissions from the public have now closed.

the spokesperson for the student-led lobby group, Choose Clean Water, Marnie Prickett, is unimpressed that the information on how the new water standards compare to the existing standards has not been made available to the public ahead of the deadline for public submissions on the proposed new water quality standards.

She says it is a  "shady, unfair situation".