25 Feb 2026

New report exposes potential nitrate pollution in Southland

From Checkpoint, 5:44 pm on 25 February 2026

An estimated 15-thousand Southlanders could be drinking water polluted by nitrates according to a new report. The report exposed the increasing contamination in the region's groundwater, which has coincided with a dairy boom. It's prompted a call from Greenpeace for the declaration of a regional nitrate emergency, although Federated Farmers says this is an over-reaction.