Norman embarks on dirty-river mission | Northland News | Local News in Northland

Usually when people want to do a spot of kayaking they pick the cleanest, prettiest river they can.

But not Russel Norman.

The Green Party co-leader was in Northland paddling the Taumarere River, also known as the Kawakawa River, as part of his nationwide "Dirty Rivers Rafting Tour".

Dr Norman said he was paddling the lowland rivers people usually kept clear of, or didn't even think about, to raise awareness of water-quality problems.

His guides for Thursday afternoon's paddle were  Chris Richmond and Vicky Froude, of Okiato, and Ngati Hine's Sue Henare, from Moerewa. Battling a stiff headwind, they hoped to reach Opua in two hours.

Earlier in the day he had explored the river's headwaters and seen many places where stock could wander into the water at will.

Agriculture - through farm run-off and stock getting into rivers - was the single biggest cause of declining water quality, but poorly maintained septic tanks, inadequate sewerage schemes and industry all played a part.

Ms Froude said after the torrential rain of 2007 caused major sewage overflows, she found hundreds of dead mullet washed up along the Taumarere River.

But Thursday's visit was not all gloom. Dr Norman also visited a project by Te Rere i Tiria Trust, which was employing Community Max workers to build fences keeping stock out of the area's waterways. The trust was also replanting river banks, which kept the water clean and helped restore scarce lowland forest.

Dr Norman said anyone who cared about fishing or collecting kai moana, or wanted their kids to be able to swim in rivers, should care about water quality in Northland rivers.

Polluted rivers could contaminate shellfish with bacteria from human waste, and even swimming at the beach could be dangerous after heavy rain because of pollutants washed into the sea, "and this is in clean, green New Zealand".

Dr Norman had previously visited  sewerage schemes at Taipa and in the Hokianga, and took part in a march against sewage overflows in Whangarei Harbour. Whangarei District Council's current proposal to ease the problem simply shifted the problem from one place to another, he said.