Polluted Inheritance - New Zealand’s Freshwater Crisis

Polluted Inheritance is a call to arms, urging New Zealand to change course or risk the wellbeing of future generations. The parlous state of our freshwater ecosystems is just one signal that we face a more widespread, and unprecedented, environmental crisis.

New Zealand’s dairy industry is big business. But what are the hidden – and not so hidden – costs of intensive farming? Evidence presented here by ecologist Mike Joy demonstrates that intensive dairy farming has degraded our freshwater rivers, streams and lakes to an alarming degree. This situation, he argues, has arisen primarily through governmental policy that prioritises short-term economic growth over long-term environmental sustainability. 

• Written by Mike Joy
• Part of BWB Texts series

BWB Texts are short books on big subjects by great New Zealand writers. Spanning contemporary issues, history and memoir, new BWB Texts are released regularly, and the series now amounts to well over fifty works. 

Available online and in-store at Space Place, Wellington. Explore our collection of jewellery, taonga, souvenirs, science-themed gifts and more from across Aotearoa New Zealand.