Rivers
Are the muddy waters any clearer?
It's been exactly a week since the government announced its best efforts on improving freshwater- swimmable lakes and rivers in 90 percent of the country in just over two decades. Massey University's… Audio
Unswimmable Canterbury lake now swimmable under new rules
Washdyke in South Canterbury would be classified as swimmable under the new water standards, but locals says it definitely isn't. Video, Audio
Prof. David Hamilton on state of lakes, rivers
Professor David Hamilton leads the water quality group for the Lake Ecosystem Restoration New Zealand organisation and says our waterways are a mixed bag and not all are polluted. Audio
Our Waterways: A Farmer's Perspective
The Government's target to boost water quality in lakes and rivers has come under fire. We speak to a dairy farmer who says the science and numbers won't change a thing Audio
Waterways will be riskier to swim in, rural GP network says
The Rural General Practice Network understands that under the government's revised standards, the water that New Zealanders can swim in will be riskier in terms of exposure to E-coli. Video, Audio
Government aims for 90% swimmable waterways by 2040
The government announced today it wants to make 90% of the country's rivers and lakes swimmably by 2040, but critics say that's meaningless. RNZ political reporter Benedict Collins reports. Audio
Environmentalists condemn new water quality standards
Forest & Bird says the new standards for New Zealand waterways allow for a five-fold increase in the chance of getting sick from swimming in rivers. Audio
Ecologist, Mike Joy criticises govts swimmable rivers target
The Government today announced a target of 90 per cent of New Zealand's lakes and rivers meeting swimmable water quality standards by 2040, alongside releasing new policy, regulations, information… Audio
'They've signed off on everything we've done'
A Canterbury dairy farmer is defending the use of public land 50 metres from the Rakaia River, saying the regional council has let him farm it since 1990. Video
Council to use 'rule book' for river bank development
Canterbury's regional council is stopping agricultural use of braided river margins that breaches the rules, but says not all development required consent. Audio
'They've basically stolen public land'
It defies belief that almost 12,000 hectares of land on the margins of Canterbury's rivers has been converted for intensive agriculture, an environmental group says.
ECan responds to farm creep claims
A regional council report details "agricultural encroachment" on the margins, or berm lands, of 24 of Canterbury's rivers. Environment Canterbury Don Chittock responds Audio
Canterbury farms creep onto public river banks
A new report shows Canterbury farmers have acquired thousands of hectares of public land for their own use.
The history of NZ's rivers
Kathryn Ryan talks to Dr Catherine Knight who has charted both the physical and cultural history of Aotearoa's rivers in her new book "New Zealand's Rivers: An Environmental History" (Canterbury… Audio
Re-building healthy rivers
Freshwater ecologist Dr Catherine Febria, talks to Kathryn Ryan about boosting healthy resilience in polluted rivers. Audio
Irrigation NZ on Selwyn River
Chief Executive of Irrigation New Zealand Andrew Curtis discusses the the state of Canterbury's Selwyn River with Allan Strong, an engineer and member of the Fish and Game Council. Audio
Gastro bug risk prompts warning for Taranaki swimmers
Gastrointestinal illness after swimming in lakes and rivers could be far more common than reported cases suggest.
Dismay over NRC's slo-mo river protection moves
Northland Regional Council cops flack for moving slowly over river protection requirements. Audio
Fish-friendly city streams
Environment Waikato is helping native fish commute up urban streams by providing aids such as ropes running through culverts and pipes. Video, Audio
When a river meets the sea
NIWA oceanographers are using Deep Cove in Doubtful Sound, where the tailrace from the Manapouri power station flows into the sea, as a natural laboratory to study complex fluid dynamics. Audio, Gallery