Sewage contaminating Auckland oyster farms highlights the “dire state” of water infrastructure in Aotearoa, says University of Auckland Associate Professor Daniel Hikuroa.

On 29 May, Hikuroa will join a panel of local and international experts discussing the state of water in New Zealand and globally.

With climate change causing more frequent extreme rainfall in some areas, Hikuroa says lakes, rivers and the sea are suffering from contamination with everything from sewage to industrial runoff.

“After heavy rain, it’s not unusual for swimming to be categorised as unsafe at more than 60 beaches in Auckland. That’s due to sewage mixing with stormwater washing off our roads and roofs and overflowing into the sea.

“We’ve had decades of underinvestment in water infrastructure, whether that’s getting freshwater to houses or wastewater and stormwater systems.

“It’s not just a problem in Auckland. Throughout the country, it’s pretty much broken or not working as intended in the majority of places,” says Hikuroa.

Central and local government urgently need to invest in upgrading “woefully outdated” water infrastructure, he says.

Changing our attitude to water is vital to shift the realities New Zealand faces, particularly as climate change hits, says Hikuroa.

He upholds a traditional Māori view of water as a sacred taonga - something to be treasured.

“Water is often framed as a property right and a commodity.

“We need to think of water as a taonga, as something to have a relationship with, and then different realities can start to happen.”

Hikuroa says sadly in some areas, intensive land use is draining waterways for irrigation and contaminating rivers, lakes and eventually the sea with sediment and excess nutrients.

Forestry can also lead to sediment washing into waterways, smothering aquatic and marine life, he says.

Massive amounts of forestry slash – leftover wood – is washing into rivers and onto beaches.

“Forestry slash, exposed disrupted soil and heavy rainfall is a terrible recipe for disaster, which we have already experienced with the devastation caused by Cyclone Hale and Gabrielle in places like Gisborne.”

The panel discussion- A Coming Water Crisis: Science, Politics, and Solutions – will also feature University of Auckland Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard, who was chief science advisor to the Prime Minister from 2018 to 2024; University of Auckland antimicrobial resistance expert Professor Naresh Singhal; and Lund University’s Dr Filippo Verre, whose research focuses on the geopolitics of water.

The discussion will be moderated by Associate Professor Maria Armoudian, who is director of the University of Auckland Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society and of the Sustainability Hub.

A Coming Water Crisis: Science, Politics, and Solutions will open with drinks and nibbles at 4pm on Thursday 29 May at Old Government House, 24 Princes Street, Auckland. The panel discussion will be from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. All are welcome to the free event - register here.

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