Table 5 Example quotes from health focused or health and environment focused media items

Governmental/Political Stakeholders

 Deputy Director-General for the Ministry of Health

“[the Ministry deputy director-general] has previously said a ‘comprehensive review of the standards’ was under way, but the Danish study did not fully take into account other risks such as smoking, diet and obesity.”

 Green Party Member of Parliament (MP)

“[the MP] said the studies showed the effects on human health happened at much lower levels than the World Health Organization standard for drinking water of 11.3 mg/L, which has influenced regional plan rules to ensure families avoided blue baby syndrome.”

 Staff at the Ministry of Health

“Ministry of Health staff said they were happy with the current nitrate regulations and ignored calls for further study.”

 Chief Scientist for Environment Canterbury (a local government agency)

Drinking water was “definitely” safe and would “continue to be so”…”quite a lot missing from a proper analysis and some pretty poor understanding”

 Canterbury Medical Officer of Health

“midwives had become ‘the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ in parts of Canterbury, responsible for ensuring pregnant women did not drink water polluted with nitrates from their private bores.”

“The implications if we don’t meet our targets—and we are not meeting our targets in Canterbury—is that we will see more sickness, we might see people dying… we’ve already seen people dying.”

“Let’s not put our community at risk by exposing them to nitrates in their drinking water, let’s do the research… so we understand the real risk to New Zealanders.”

“He told Stuff [news outlet] homes with nitrate levels above acceptable levels were not suitable for anyone to live in, not just pregnant women.”

Environmental/Recreational Stakeholders

 Chief Executive for Fish & Game

“…the cows are coming home to roost”

“Some detractors will say this is scaremongering. It is not.”

 Spokesperson for Aotearoa Water Action

“[the spokesperson] said the group was concerned about the lack of public notification on a consent that could have grave ramifications for human health and the environment. “

 Chairperson for the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations

“…no tangible action seems evident on rivers. For example the Canterbury Medical Officer of Health has warned of nitrate levels in the region’s water and its link to bowel cancer rates, extremely high in the region. The Government has dismissed the need for research.”

 Secretary of the NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers

“The NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers has measured nitrate levels over recent years and the findings are alarming—toxic to trout, salmon smolt and native fish, and also well above safe human health levels. A 2019 Danish study of 2.7 million people reported a strong link between nitrate in drinking water and the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer. Significantly, NZ has one of the highest bowel cancer rates in the world.”

 Senior campaigner for Greenpeace

“Everyone should be able to trust that their drinking water is safe to drink but many of the people we have talked to today have been shocked and worried at the amount of nitrates in their drinking water”

“In fact 100% of them [water samples] were over the 5 mg/l which is the risk for pre-term birth and all of them are over the cancer risk limit of 0.87 mg/l”

“[the senior campaigner] pointed the finger at industrial dairy farming for allegedly ‘poisoning’ public and private water sources for profit.”

“[the senior campaigner] said a precautionary approach was needed given emerging research showing links between nitrate contamination and human health effects, including bowel cancer and premature births.”

“[the senior campaigner] said the 11.3 mg/L limit was for one health condition only—blue baby syndrome—and given the mounting evidence there was no guarantee even water under that level was safe”

University researchers

 Freshwater ecologist at Massey University, subsequently Victoria University

“…surface water in many parts of the land is highly contaminated with nitrates due to intensified farming. This is damaging freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, and may harm human health.”

“…this was an opportunity to make it more real for people to think about what is happening to their water in terms of human health.”

“We would be failing in our duty if we hadn’t shared all this information with the people who are affected.”

“…the US figures showed what a drain high nitrate levels could be on individuals’ health and on the economy”

 Senior Research Fellow at the University of Otago, Wellington

“ ‘Those [obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity] are the five major risk factors for colorectal (bowel) cancer that are known, and Southern, at a regional level, performs really well,’ [the Senior Research Fellow] said. ‘While that doesn’t say that nitrates is the reason why they’ve got higher rates of colorectal cancer, it does show that there is something else going on here.’ “

“[the Senior Research Fellow] said the limits in place now were set on the risk of blue baby syndrome. However, that limit did not consider any other potential health implications.”

“Around 3.7% of all southern colorectal cancer or bowel cancer cases could be attributable to nitrate”

“This research highlights the potential burden of nitrate contamination, particularly if further evidence on the link between nitrate and bowel cancer reinforces existing studies”

“The results support the need to take a precautionary approach towards nitrate contamination in NZ”

“…the authors [including the Senior Research Fellow] called for better reporting of nitrate levels in NZ and further research into the link between nitrates and adverse birth outcomes.”

 Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington

“…[they] have raised the alarming point that some water supplies in NZ, particularly in rural areas, have nitrate levels above the risky level in the Danish study.”

“Another problem, he said, was that the report didn’t address the mounting problem of nitrates in water—something linked to colorectal cancer and other health risks.”

“there has been increasing knowledge that low and intermediate levels of nitrates in drinking water are associated with adverse health outcomes.”

 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland

“There’s no conclusive evidence that nitrate in drinking water causes adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth or birth defects. That’s according to my analysis of a decade’s research. But we can’t be complacent.”

Local residents/general public

 Canterbury resident

“My daughter was told not to drink Ashburton water while pregnant due to high nitrate levels.”

 Springston resident (town in rural Canterbury)

“…the presenter outlined the very real threat of young babies developing methaemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) from high nitrates in Selwyn drinking water. This is a serious and potentially fatal illness. This seems like a very, very dangerous situation to me.”

“…the huge health risks this will bring to the community. Expensive mitigations will be needed to ‘manage’ this massive increase in nitrate—from providing ‘safe’ water to young families…”

“Now that valid scientific studies suggest a link between nitrate in drinking water and colorectal cancer, the stakes are raised even higher, and as a precaution, for the sake of my health and that of my family, I’m sourcing cleaner water. I would have thought BCNZ [Bowel Cancer NZ] would support the precautionary principle on this one.”

 Strowan resident (suburb of Christchurch, Canterbury)

“Now there is real concern for the pollution of aquifer drinking water by nitrates, with the possibility of increasing the already high risk of bowel cancer.”

 Resident of Maraetai (suburb of greater Auckland)

“Nitrates are beginning to find their way into the water table and aquifers. Currently this is not monitored. If these appear in drinking water there will be severe public health consequences.”

 Resident of Riversdale (town in rural Southland)

“I think it’s very related to the high incidence of cancer in this area.”

Agricultural sector

 North Island Policy Manager for Federated Farmers

“There’s no link. There’s no causation there either.”

Health entities

 Medical advisor for Bowel Cancer NZ (a NGO)

“[the medical advisor] said when analysis of all seven studies was measured against the number of bowel cancer cases recorded, it was questionable that there was ‘anything there at all’.”

 WHO

“The WHO responded that while it was possible ingesting nitrates could cause cancer in humans, other studies had shown conflicting data. It concluded the Danish study did not establish nitrate in drinking water caused colorectal cancer.”

Iwi or mana whenua

 Ngai Tuahuriri (an iwi [tribal] authority)

Regarding the Waimakariri committee’s proposal for nitrate levels: “Ngai Tuahuriri had also made clear it did not support aspects of the proposal”

Other

 Editor-at-large for Healthy Food Guide

“Until we know more about our levels of exposure to nitrates in water, there’s no reason to give it [drinking water] up.”