People in hazmat suits were seen wading in one of New Zealand’s polluted rivers yesterday, as Greenpeace activists installed an imitation Department of Conservation sign labelling river pollution ‘Luxon’s legacy’.

Greenpeace spokesperson Will Appelbe says, "The Luxon Government’s move to scrap world-leading freshwater protections through amending the Resource Management Act will cause more pollution, and take away people’s right to safe healthy drinking water and swimmable rivers.

"We’re putting a name to the increased degradation that Prime Minister Luxon will cause with this new Bill. Greenpeace is calling on the Luxon Government to scrap the bill before unswimmable lakes and rivers, and contaminated drinking water become Luxon’s legacy.

"Everyone should feel safe to drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap, and everyone should be able to take a dip in their local river without getting sick. But by removing requirements to comply with these critical freshwater protections including Te Mana o Te Wai, Luxon will leave behind a legacy of ongoing freshwater pollution."

The Government’s Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill recently passed its first reading. The Bill removes regulations on intensive winter grazing, often referred to as mud farming, as well as requirements for those seeking consents to comply with Te Mana o Te Wai - which prioritises the health of freshwater and drinking water over commercial use. Greenpeace says that this move enables polluting industries like Fonterra and the dairy industry to further contaminate lakes, rivers, and drinking water with no consequences.

"These are the only freshwater protections standing between New Zealand’s lakes and rivers and the intensive dairy industry, which is not only New Zealand’s biggest climate polluter, but also the biggest polluter of freshwater," says Appelbe.

"This is the latest attack in the Government’s war on nature, and people are not happy about it. More than ten thousand people have signed the Greenpeace petition calling on Luxon to keep his hands off the freshwater protections, and people across the country are prepared to stand up and fight to ensure safe, healthy lakes, rivers, and drinking water for all."

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