The Green Party has unveiled an ambitious new environmental policy package aimed at restoring the health of Aotearoa’s rivers, lakes and oceans, while ensuring every New Zealander has access to safe drinking water, swimmable waterways and sustainable fisheries.
The policy, titled Drink Swim Fish, sets out a wide-ranging plan to strengthen environmental protections, tighten water quality standards and rebuild marine ecosystems that have come under increasing pressure from pollution, intensive land use and climate change.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson says the package is designed to reverse decades of environmental decline while protecting the natural resources that communities, iwi and future generations depend on.
At the centre of the proposal is a commitment to improve the quality of freshwater across the country so that rivers are once again safe for swimming, drinking and gathering kai. The party argues that cleaner waterways would deliver significant health, recreational and cultural benefits while reducing long-term environmental costs.
The policy also seeks to strengthen protections for marine environments by restoring fish habitats, improving the sustainability of fisheries and reducing damage to vulnerable seabed ecosystems.
A key feature of the package is the introduction of tougher environmental standards.
The Greens are proposing lower nitrate limits in waterways, tighter controls on wastewater discharges and stronger environmental bottom lines for freshwater management. The party says these measures would require local councils to enforce more robust water quality standards while industries would need to adopt practices that reduce pollution entering rivers and coastal environments.
Supporters argue stronger regulation is essential if New Zealand is to reverse declining freshwater quality and meet growing public expectations for healthy rivers and beaches.
The policy is likely to have implications for sectors including agriculture, wastewater management and regional councils, which would play a central role in implementing and monitoring the new standards.
The Green Party argues environmental degradation has been driven by years of weak regulation and decisions that have prioritised short-term economic gains over the long-term health of ecosystems.
Davidson says protecting freshwater and marine environments should not be viewed as being at odds with economic prosperity. Instead, the party believes healthy ecosystems underpin industries such as tourism, fisheries and agriculture, making environmental protection an investment in New Zealand’s future rather than a cost.
The proposal also recognises the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the role of iwi and hapū as kaitiaki of rivers, lakes and oceans. Greater Māori involvement in environmental decision-making is seen as an important component of achieving long-term restoration and sustainable resource management.
One of the most significant proposals within the package is the phased removal of bottom trawling from New Zealand waters.
Bottom trawling has long been criticised by environmental groups because of its impact on seabed habitats and marine biodiversity. The Greens argue that ending the practice would allow damaged ecosystems to recover, improve fish populations and strengthen the long-term sustainability of commercial and customary fisheries.
The party acknowledges that marine restoration would take time, with improvements expected to occur over many years as ecosystems regenerate and fish stocks rebuild. Success, they argue, would be measured through healthier oceans, more abundant marine life, stronger biodiversity and fisheries capable of supporting future generations.
The release of Drink Swim Fish places freshwater quality, marine conservation and environmental regulation firmly on the political agenda ahead of the election, setting up further debate over how Aotearoa balances economic development with protecting the natural environment.
For Māori communities, where waterways and oceans are closely connected to whakapapa, mahinga kai and kaitiakitanga, the discussion extends beyond environmental policy to the protection of cultural identity, customary practices and intergenerational responsibility.
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