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22 days ago

Rural residents advised to test drinking water if concerned

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

Rural Waimakariri residents concerned about water in private wells should get it tested by a registered laboratory, the local council says.

The Waimakariri District Council issued the advice after Greenpeace raised alarm following drinking water testing in Oxford last weekend.

Greenpeace freshwater spokesperson Will Appelbe warned of a looming public health crisis in rural Canterbury due to nitrate levels in drinking water.

‘‘Nitrate contamination is a result of diffuse pollution from the intensive dairy industry.

‘‘Put simply, there are too many cows in Canterbury, and nitrate from the oversized dairy herd is making its way into people’s drinking water.’’

But a Waimakariri District Council spokesperson urged caution.

‘‘Our advice to residents would be that if people are concerned about the water in their private wells, we suggest they get this tested by a registered laboratory so they have all factual information, as some of the last testing done by Greenpeace turned out to be inaccurate.’’

The council’s own drinking water supplies are tested monthly for nitrates in accordance with the Drinking Water Quality Assurance Rules, the spokesperson said.

‘‘The results across all council water supplies are all less than 50 percent of the maximum allowable value under the drinking water standards, this means they are all less than 5.65 mg/L.’’

Water services regulator Taumata Arowai has set the maximum allowable value for nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water at 11.3mg/L, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

More messages from your neighbours
3 days ago

Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.

This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

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Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
  • 84.5% Yes
    84.5% Complete
  • 14.1% No
    14.1% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1514 votes
14 hours ago

It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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2 days ago

What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

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