Were you looking forward to your first freshwater swim this summer? Well, think again. A crowded and loud public swimming pool with a pungent chlorine smell may become your new reality. Many perceive New Zealand to be clean, green and pristine. However, were you aware that our waterways are some of the most degraded in the developed world? If you dig deep enough behind New Zealand’s clean image, you will find the dirty truth. Currently, 60% of our monitored rivers do not meet swimming standards. The Government is reducing these standards even though conditions are getting worse. This behaviour is simply unacceptable. In 2014, Government lowered the criteria for swimmable waterways. What used to just be wadable is now swimmable. The main cause is New Zealand’s booming dairy industry wreaking havoc on our waterways. Fertiliser runoff, sediment loss and faecal effluent are fatal combinations. Ngāi Tahu are distraught as they consider rivers and lakes to be their ancestors. They believe Government and the markets have failed the country. Don’t be blindsided by New Zealand’s image portrayed to the world. Look beneath it. We all should be held accountable to make New Zealand’s waterways clean and pristine again.