Fed-up Canterbury residents gathered outside Environment Canterbury (ECan) this morning to protest what they say is years of council inaction that has left rural families unable to safely drink from their kitchen taps.

The demonstration saw locals deliver bottles of nitrate-contaminated drinking water from homes across the region, directing their anger at ECan for its failure to protect freshwater resources.

Greenpeace’s Canterbury spokesperson, Will Appelbe, voiced the frustration of protestors, accusing the council of neglecting its responsibility to safeguard the region’s lakes, rivers, and drinking water.

“Today, we’re delivering nitrate-contaminated drinking water from homes across the region to the people responsible for that contamination, because Environment Canterbury has failed in their duty to protect Canterbury’s water,” Appelbe said.

“Instead of defending Canterbury’s water, ECan has allowed intensive dairy expansion and the excessive use of synthetic fertiliser. That has to change.”

The rally took place ahead of the council’s final meeting before the upcoming local elections. At this meeting, councillors are set to vote on a motion to declare a ‘Nitrate Emergency’ — a proposal from Councillor Vicky Southworth, aimed at addressing the ongoing issue of freshwater pollution in the region.

“We’re calling on all Environment Canterbury candidates running in the local elections to make a serious commitment to fresh water by protecting lakes, rivers, and drinking water in our region,” Appelbe said.

“Today, ECan councillors will leave this building for the last time before jumping on the campaign trail to try to win Cantabrians’ votes,” Appelbe said. “And we’re here with people from across the region to say that we don’t want more dirty dairying.”

Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury’s decision to declare a ‘nitrate emergency’ is a shameless political stunt that won’t help anyone.

“It’s incredibly disappointing to see Environment Canterbury (ECan) playing these kinds of petty political games,” says Federated Farmers vice president Colin Hurst.

“Declaring a nitrate emergency isn’t helpful or constructive. All it will do is create unnecessary panic and drive a wedge between our urban and rural communities.

“I think most reasonable Cantabrians will see the declaration for what it is: a cynical and alarmist stunt from a group of councillors trying to score points during the local body elections.”

Hurst says ECan’s decision is divisive and risks undermining the good work done by farmers, councils, iwi and the wider community over the last few decades.

“What I want to know is why this is suddenly an “emergency” for ECan? The data shows the trends have been consistent for decades. That just goes to show it’s all politically motivated.

“Nobody is disputing we have an issue with nitrates in Canterbury. It’s a longstanding challenge that our community have been aware of, and working on, for some time now.

“To suddenly come out and call it an emergency is political theatre.”

He says the situation hasn’t been helped by extreme anti-farming activist groups like Greenpeace spreading harmful misinformation about nitrates.

“Greenpeace have made a lot of false claims trying to link nitrates in drinking water to colon cancer – but that’s just politically motivated misinformation.

“It’s outright scaremongering and simply doesn’t line up with what the credible experts are saying on this issue.”