For immediate release
Friday 5 September 2025
Freshwater advocacy group Choose Clean Water says New Zealand’s most iconic and protected rivers will be polluted if the Minister for RMA Reform acts on requests from Federated Farmers to stop Tasman District Council from protecting Waikoropupū Springs and to remove Water Conservation Orders from the resource management system.
In a letter sent on 22 August, the farming lobby group asked the Minister for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to decline Tasman District Council’s request to go ahead with policy changes to protect Te Waikoropupū Springs in accordance with the Water Conservation Order the Springs were granted in 2023. Federated Farmers then goes on to request that the Minister remove Water Conservation Orders entirely from the Resource Management system.
Te Waikoropupū Springs are located near the township of Takaka in the South Island. They are the largest cold-water springs in New Zealand, are world-renowned, and are cherished by locals and mana whenua. They contain some of the clearest water ever measured anywhere in the world.
Choose Clean Water spokesperson, Tom Kay, says the requests show the disdain Federated Farmers have for the protection of the iconic waterways that New Zealanders care deeply about and a complete lack of regard for the needs and wants of other New Zealanders, including other people and families in rural communities.
“Water Conservation Orders provide National-Park-like status to our most outstanding rivers, protecting their outstanding natural values—including for wildlife, fishing, outdoor recreation, and scenery—for future generations to enjoy. WCOs have existed in New Zealand’s legislation since 1981 and now protect iconic rivers like the Rakaia, Rangitata, Motu, Kawarau, Mohaka, and Rangitikei.”
“Communities have fought for iconic rivers that were threatened with damming and exploitation, and WCOs were introduced to protect them.”
“When the resource management system was overhauled in 1991 the WCO system was considered so important that it was brought through into the RMA.”
“The idea that we would strip those rivers of that protection, or remove the WCO system entirely, just shows Federated Farmers disdain for the protection of freshwater in New Zealand, and their disregard for anyone's interests but their own short term ones.”
Te Waikoropupū Springs WCO has been tirelessly advocated for by mana whenua and local Golden Bay groups like Save Our Springs.
Kay says the letter also shows the level of influence the agricultural lobby increasingly has and expects over the Coalition Government, which appears to be “well and truly captured”.
“The Coalition Government has demonstrated a relationship with agricultural lobby groups that is inappropriate and anti-democratic. Luxon appointed someone from the agricultural sector with no science or technical expertise to his science advisory group based on some text messages. Luxon also went on a tour of the country with Federated Farmers as PM promising the lobby group’s members that his Government would remove environmental protections. Minister Hoggard is ex-President of Federated Farmers and has been criticised over his lack of conflict of interest management with regards to his relationship to the baby formula industry.”
These questionable activities by the Coalition Government should be major warning bells for all New Zealanders, especially the many farmers who don’t share Federated Farmers’ destructive views, says Kay.
“Federated Farmers’ letter is cringeworthy in the praise it gives the Minister for making changes to legislation it had previously requested to progress its own problematic interests and then just goes on to seek more. The public interest has been completely overrun.”
“The agricultural sector is heading in the wrong direction under this Government. Further intensification is happening in already-damaged places and now they’re proposing to strip the highest protections given to our most iconic rivers and waterbodies.”
“It is short-sighted beyond belief."
ENDS