Drink Swim Fish — rivers, oceans and drinking water policy
The Policy: Green Party "Drink Swim Fish" policy package — July 2026 →
TL;DR
- This is a Green Party plan, announced on 6 July 2026, to make drinking water safer, rivers cleaner and safe to swim in, and the ocean healthier. It has eight parts.
- It would set stronger national rules for drinking water, including a much lower limit for nitrate (a chemical from farm run-off), moving toward the stricter level used in Denmark.
- It would tighten rules on wastewater and give the water regulator, Taumata Arowai, more power to enforce them.
- It would ban "bottom trawling" (dragging heavy nets along the sea floor) on underwater mountains, and phase out some other fishing methods like set netting and dredging.
- It would gradually stop the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on farms and reduce how many animals are kept in each catchment.
- It also repeats the party's earlier goal of legally protecting 30% of New Zealand's ocean, and would back Māori-led marine management and iwi-led restoration.
More detail
This is an election promise, not a law. It has not yet been fully costed, and it would only happen if the Greens were in a position to push it through after the election (due by November 2026). Co-leader Marama Davidson says it is "madness" that up to 100,000 people in New Zealand get sick from unsafe drinking water each year.
The bottom-trawling ban would have a big effect on commercial fishing, which employs around 9,000 people and is worth close to $2 billion. About 70% of the fish New Zealanders eat at home is caught by bottom trawling, so a full ban would mean a major change for an industry that supplies most of the fish on Kiwi plates.
The 30% ocean-protection goal is not new — it repeats a target the Greens have pushed since 2023, and it is tracked separately on this site.
Full Detail if you want to know more
Pitched as the Green Party's plan to guarantee clean drinking water, swimmable rivers and a healthier ocean — an eight-point package announced 6 July 2026 covering freshwater standards, wastewater rules and marine protection together.
The Policy: Green Party "Drink Swim Fish" policy package — July 2026 →
What it does
- Sets stronger national drinking-water standards, including lowering the nitrate limit from the current 11.3mg/L NO₃-N toward levels closer to Denmark's 1.3mg/L NO₃-N (RNZ)
- Strengthens wastewater discharge rules and gives water regulator Taumata Arowai stronger enforcement powers (Otago Daily Times)
- Bans bottom trawling on seamounts and phases out set netting and dredging
- Phases out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and reduces stocking rates on a catchment basis
- Reaffirms the party's existing commitment to legally protect 30% of New Zealand's moana — tracked in full detail on the tracker's separate Healthy Ocean Act entry, since that specific target predates this announcement
- Supports kaitiakitanga Māori-led marine management and iwi-led restoration funding, and would review the Quota Management System
The result
Not yet costed as a full package, and not before Parliament — this is an election pledge, not law. Co-leader Marama Davidson frames the drinking-water plank in stark terms: "It is madness that in Aotearoa, up to 100,000 people become sick from unsafe drinking water" (RNZ). On the other side of the ledger, the commercial fishing sector the bottom-trawling ban would affect employs around 9,000 people and generates close to $2 billion in value, and roughly 70% of the fish New Zealanders eat domestically comes from bottom-trawl caught stock — so a full ban would mean a genuine transition for an industry that currently supplies most of the fish on New Zealand plates. The package's ocean-protection plank is not new: it repeats the 30%-by-2030 "30x30" target the Greens have pursued since their 2023 Healthy Ocean Act policy (tracked separately — see link above), so its prospects track the same one: unrealised after the 2023 election, and unlikely to advance without the Greens holding the balance of power after the next election, due by November 2026.
This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record — we welcome corrections.
Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you — these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only — the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.
Key milestones
Green Party announces Drink Swim Fish policy
The Green Party announced its "Drink Swim Fish" election policy, an eight-point package it says will deliver clean drinking water, swimmable rivers and healthier oceans. Co-leader Marama Davidson said it was "madness" that up to 100,000 people a year get sick from unsafe drinking water. The package includes banning bottom trawling on seamounts, lowering nitrate limits for drinking water, legally protecting 30% of New Zealand's ocean territory (moana), and phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Nitrate limit and wastewater details reported
The Otago Daily Times reported further detail on the drinking-water plank: the Greens want the nitrate limit for drinking water lowered from the current 11.3mg/L NO₃-N, citing Denmark's tighter 1.3mg/L NO₃-N standard as a benchmark, alongside strengthened wastewater discharge rules and expanded enforcement powers for water regulator Taumata Arowai.
Public reaction across platforms
Aggregated public reaction — Green supporters welcomed the drinking-water and ocean-protection commitments as overdue, while some voices in the fishing and farming sectors pushed back on the bottom-trawling ban and fertiliser phase-out as costly and unworkable on short notice.
See the conversation:
Aggregated — individual posts are not cited.
Sources
- RNZ — Green Party would ban bottom trawling under its rivers and oceans policy package ↗
- Otago Daily Times — Greens announce 'drink swim fish' election policy ↗
- Newstalk ZB — Green Party releases drinking water, oceans and rivers policy ↗
- Scoop — Green Party would ban bottom trawling under its rivers and oceans policy package ↗