6172 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment

Written Question

Published date: 10 Mar 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	6172 (2026)
Question asked:	25 Feb 2026
Member asking:	Lan Pham
Portfolio:	Minister for the Environment
Minister replying:	Hon Penny Simmonds
Answer received:	05 Mar 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_06172_2026
Document guid:	154703db-cc19-4e63-8009-21caa77fcb86

6172 (2026). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment: Does she 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 Penny Simmonds: Yes. The sources of nitrate pollution are well documented, including in Our Environment 2025 (https://environment.govt.nz/publications/our-environment-2025/) and Our Freshwater 2023 (https://environment.govt.nz/publications/our-freshwater-2023/).