7. Freshwater Management—Water Quality of Rivers and LakesCATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to the Minister for the EnvironmentFreshwater Management—Water Quality of Rivers and Lakes7. CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green) to the Minister for the Environment: Is he considering a national requirement for all water bodies to be swimmable?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment): There were no national requirements for water quality prior to this Government. We introduced the first national standard in 2011 and in February we initiated a consultative process on how it could be further strengthened. We are considering changes to improve water quality specifically for swimming but it would not be possible to require all water bodies to be swimmable all the time. The challenge is in extending the national requirements in a practical way that increases the frequency and the number of places where water quality is suitable for swimming.Catherine Delahunty: Is the E. coli reading for human health the only definition he is considering of a swimmable river?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: No there are a number of ways in which water bodies would be unsuitable for swimming. For instance if I take Lake Rotoiti in the North Island it was a lake where cyanobacteria made it not only unsuitable for swimming but also for wading. Actually this Government has invested tens of millions of dollars and that lake is now in better condition than what it has been in 30 years.Catherine Delahunty: What percentage of the time are rivers required to be wadeable?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The current national policy statement does not set down specific percentages of time but where I have asked my officials to do work is that if we are going to improve water quality in a way that clearly can be measured we need to focus not just on the E. coli count but how frequent it is because it is actually the improvement in both the number of areas that are swimmable and how frequently they are swimmable that the Government wants to achieve.Scott Simpson: What specific programmes is the Government advancing to improve water quality for swimming and can you give a practical example of where it is occurring?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The Government has increased by sevenfold the funding for freshwater improvements and we are strengthening the national regulations with a requirement from 1 July next year starting with dairy farms that all lakes and rivers need to have stock excluded from them with fencing. There are many practical examples around the country where the Government has improved freshwater quality. Lake Rotoiti in the North Island is well on measure. I was recently with the list MP on the West Coast and Lake Brunner—we were able to identify good progress that was being made there.Catherine Delahunty: Can he explain whether birds are more of a problem for water quality than effluent from 10 million cows across the country?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I have noted the member has tried to claim that in the lecture I gave at Lincoln last week my only focus was birds. I would point out that actually I made reference to agriculture 20 times in that speech but it is true that there are water bodies like Washdyke Lagoon where there are thousands of birds where the E. coli count is very high as Jo Goodhew knows and with the Washdyke it would not be possible for it to be swimmable unless you actually had a bird cull.Ron Mark: What reports has he seen about the potential impact on our economy of banning all livestock farming in New Zealand as some people would it seems prefer?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: This is a party that is blue-green. It stands for economic growth for a strong agricultural sector but it is also a Government that wants to look after the great lifestyle and clean environment that we have and we are proving in our programme that a country can both improve the environment and have a strong growing economy including in crucial sectors like agriculture.Ron Mark: Has the Minister for Primary Industries shared with him this Waikato land users group letter dated 23 August 2016 that points out that Waikato Regional Council's healthy rivers plan would not only ban hill country farming in the Waikato but cost that region over a billion dollars a year?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: The member mischaracterises the work that the Waikato Regional Council is doing in that area. It is true that there are parts of New Zealand where there will need to be limits on intensified farming if we are serious about improving freshwater quality. But this is a Government that is committed to a balanced and practical approach and that is where we will be working with the national policy statement and those rules on stock exclusion to ensure that we can have a strong growing agricultural sector as well as clean water.Catherine Delahunty: Will he stop making excuses for polluters and set a national standard for swimmable rivers which is what New Zealanders want or will he keep blaming the birds for poor water quality?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: When the member claims that all New Zealanders want it I think there is a member of Parliament two seats away from her who holds the opposite perspective. What it reflects is that this Government is taking a balanced perspective that is improving water standards in a practical sensible way. What we are not going to do is as the Green Party suggests and require that all water bodies be swimmable all of the time because it is simply unachievable and impractical.Catherine Delahunty: Will he listen to the people of Havelock North who marched on Saturday for swimmable rivers and safe drinking water and set a date for a more ambitious bottom line for water than wadeable"?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I have the national policy statement in front of me. The member does not characterise it correctly. Swimmability is clearly one of the priorities in that document. The second point I would make is the member should await the conclusion of the inquiry in Havelock North. The GNS Science carbon dating of the contaminated water was less than a year old in an aquifer where it should be more than 50 years old. That would actually suggest there is an issue of well integrity rather than actually the aquifer itself being polluted.Catherine Delahunty: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. My question asked: "Will he set a date"—Mr SPEAKER: No. Order! That was not the question at all. The question started with "Will the Minister listen to the Havelock North people who marched the other day.""