Freshwater For Life independently reports on the impacts to New Zealand’s fresh water. Information is provided on the main threats to good water quality in our lakes and rivers. We strive for greater protection of native aquatic life and the places they live. Our goal is to safeguard and protect fresh water and the life it supports, so present and future generations can enjoy what we all love.
On Freshwater for Life you can find:
- Myths you’ll hear used to justify intensive farming, and the reality on what is actually happening.
- Background information and news to help you understand the freshwater situation in New Zealand.
- A glossary for some freshwater terms.
- Frequently asked questions and our answers.
Polluted Inheritance
New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis
By Dr Mike Joy, published by BWB Texts
“The parlous state of our freshwater ecosystems is just one signal that we face a more widespread, and unprecedented, environmental crisis.
New Zealand’s dairy industry is big business. But what are the hidden – and not so hidden – costs of intensive farming? Evidence presented here by ecologist Mike Joy demonstrates that intensive dairy farming has degraded our freshwater rivers, streams and lakes to an alarming degree. This situation, he argues, has arisen primarily through governmental policy that prioritises short-term economic growth over long-term environmental sustainability. This BWB Text is a call to arms, urging New Zealand to change course or risk the wellbeing of future generations.”
[MORE INFORMATION HERE]
‘Squandered’ E-book
The Degradation of New Zealand’s Freshwaters
BY DR MIKE JOY
“In this book I show how in the last few decades environmental protection was deregulated, allowing a few to profit by polluting on a massive scale, and how that has led to the destruction we see today. I also show how this reality is denied and covered-up so that relatively few are aware of the full extent of the damage.”