Is New Zealand's safe drinking water at risk?

Today, we’ve launched a groundbreaking interactive map to help New Zealanders get a clearer picture of drinking water nitrate contamination levels in their area.

It allows you to zoom in and see nitrate contamination levels in your neighbourhood and even search for your own property address.

Everybody has a right to safe drinking water. No family should have to wonder whether the water from their kitchen tap could be making them sick, but for many people in Aotearoa, that’s a real concern.

Rising nitrate contamination - particularly in rural areas of New Zealand - is concerning, and that’s why we have collated the data to present the Know Your Nitrate Map.

Please have a look, and if you have friends or family living in rural areas, please send it to them as well. Here’s the link: https://greenpeace.nz/nitrate-map

Scientists warn that 800,000 New Zealanders are at risk of exposure to hazardous levels of nitrate. Up to 100 cases of bowel cancer and 40 deaths every year could be attributable to nitrate contamination of drinking water. Families in rural areas impacted by intensive dairy and high synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use are more likely to be exposed.

That’s one of the reasons we have been campaigning for stronger government regulation to cut cow numbers and the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

Many rural New Zealand families in high-risk areas could be drinking water from their kitchen taps without knowing whether it’s contaminated with nitrates or how high those contamination levels are.

The map can give you some idea, but to truly know your nitrate contamination levels, only a direct test of your tap water will show you your nitrate exposure for sure, and we encourage anyone living in rural areas to get their water tested.

To find out more about what nitrate contamination means and how to get your water tested, please see our frequently asked questions and answers page.

Ngā mihi,

Nick and the whole crew at Greenpeace