Only 2% of New Zealand’s large lakes are in good health, bleak report finds

The number of cows has nearly doubled in a generation, and the resulting fertiliser and irrigation needs are having a devastating impact

In tourism adverts and on movie screens, Aotearoa has sold its pristine landscapes, churning alpine waterfalls and bright jade-braided rivers to the world, under the tagline 100% pure New Zealand".

A new report, however, reveals the dire state of many of the country's fresh waterways: contaminated by thousands of sewage overflows, flooded with nutrient pollution, blooming with toxic algae, risking public health and rendered unswimmable to the communities that have lived by them for years.