Dirty farmers, councils, have stolen waterways
Aneglected treasure hides behind the native palms between Kawhia and Raglan. It’s a steep drop for Waire¯ inga, which pokes out from the small section of native forest like a gangplank and sends an otherwise tranquil stream hurtling down.
During its 50-metre drop, what looks like a little stream spreads out into a long white curtain, earning it another name, Bridal Veil Falls.
It’s an awe-inspiring sight, which had me captivated this week. I felt a jolt of vertigo following the stream from the quiet of the track to the sudden drop. But as I walked down to the base of the waterfall, my amazement was tinged with dejection.
You see, the pool beneath Waire¯ inga looks like the perfect place to swim. It was a hot day when I visited, there hadn’t been too much rain – so the waterfall packed just enough punch to be interesting but not enough to scare off swimmers.
But there’s a dark secret here at Waire¯ inga, which you’re unlikely to read in the Tourism Waikato brochure.
This geographic taonga, at the heart of rugged west Waikato, has been reduced to an open sewer.
The condition of the water is so bad the Department of Conservation has erected fencing to keep swimmers out. The reason for this restriction is printed in black and white. Due to farming, the water is polluted and dangerous for swimmers.
The sturdy fences suggest the department has little hope that neighbouring dairy farms will clean up their act. This is a treasure which dirty farmers have stolen from the public.
The sad plight of Waire¯ inga is not an anomaly in the depressing field of freshwater testing.
In Gisborne, the degradation of our much-loved waterways is clear as day at Rere Falls.
Upstream from the falls is the popular Rere Rockslide, rated one of the most popular attractions in New Zealand and equally popular with Taira¯ whiti locals.
But when I visited, in mid-summer not long ago, big signs warned against putting your head under the water. How exactly you can keep your head above water when you’re speeding down a water slide, I’m not sure.
E-coli readings at Rere Falls indicated dangerous levels of the diarrhoea-causing bacteria present in the water.
The surf lifesavers at Raglan’s Ngarunui Beach didn’t bother with jargon when I visited on Monday. Swim at your own risk, one lifeguard said. In capital letters, her chalkboard read, ‘‘Faecal Contamination!’’
E.coli, or more simply faecal, contamination, tends to be caused by farms overloading paddocks near streams. The cows’ poo makes its way into the water, and if that water makes its way up your nose, there’s a good chance you’ll be stuck on the toilet – or worse.
The same has happened to the Selwyn River, in Canterbury, a beautiful spot for camping and – formerly – swimming.
But runoff from farms has ruined it for all of us. I understand many farmers are sensitive around the publication of these facts. They will say, quite rightly, that many good farmers are trying to clean up the rivers. They’ll say that farming is the ‘‘backbone of the economy’’ and therefore shouldn’t be subject to environmental regulations.
Sadly, many farms and other businesses have profited from the decimation of our shared environment. Some bad farmers are still acting in poor faith. A photo shared with me from Martinborough last week shows that stock have been free to walk and poo in streams. These farmers must be held to account.
Former prime minister John Key once said ‘‘noone’’ owned the water.
But if no-one owns the water, then why can dodgy businesses destroy something which they do not own? If we all have a claim to water, why is it that in the most sacrosanct sites of public good, conservation and council reserves, the water is of such poor quality that we must be fenced off from it?
Farmers are right when they say the dire state of our waterways is not their fault alone. It is a fault of government for not fulfilling its duty to protect a taonga. The Crown claimed ownership of the water, with no constitutional basis for doing so, but, rather than protecting it, it allowed for rivers to be built over and turned into stormwater systems in the cities. It allowed forestry and farm runoff to pollute rural waterways.
Many native freshwater species now face extinction. Our favourite swimming spots make us sick.
The Waitangi Tribunal found Ma¯ ori do have rights over freshwater, but Crown law refuses to properly acknowledge this.
Given the Crown’s failure as kaitiaki of this most precious resource it must cede that role, so Ma¯ ori can take back the mantle. When you treat a ta¯ onga as an open sewer you forfeit any claim to it.
The sad plight of Waire¯ inga is not an anomaly in the depressing field of freshwater testing.