Satisfaction with the condition of local waterways in Aotearoa New Zealand

Freshwater bodies are closely tied to the wellbeing of New Zealanders. But the quality of freshwater is one of the most serious environmental issues the country faces and has been consistently rated as bad/poor in the last decades.

In 2018, the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Survey (NZAVS) asked 47,948 adult New Zealanders to rate their level of satisfaction with the quality and health of waterways in their region. Participants’ average level of satisfaction was 4.8 out of 10. This indicates that most New Zealanders are, on average, dissatisfied with the quality and health of local waterways.