6166 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister of Agriculture

6166 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister of Agriculture: Does the Minister accept the findings of the Environment Southland report on nitrate contamination in groundwater that "Monitoring data, land-use patterns, and established nitrogen cycling science all indicate that agriculture is the primary source of nitrate contamination in Southland’s groundwater", if not, why not?

Hon Todd McClay: The Environment Southland report finds that agriculture, along with point source contamination, including non-secure wellheads, septic tanks, leaky effluent infrastructure, abandoned bores, and localised discharges all have a likely effect on groundwater.