Dirty money: that’s what Greenpeace is calling the $26 billion in revenue brought in by dairy giant Fonterra over the last financial year.

Greenpeace spokesperson Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn says, "While many New Zealanders are unable to drink the water from their taps, and still more are struggling to pay for butter at the supermarket, Fonterra is profiting at the expense of our health, Aotearoa’s rivers and lakes, and the climate.

"Everybody should be able to safely drink the water coming out of their kitchen tap, or take a dip in the local river without getting sick. But the dirty dairy industry, led by Fonterra, is contaminating lakes, rivers and drinking water with unsafe levels of nitrate and E. coli.

"When we look at the state of drinking water, rivers and lakes, it is clear that the only thing trickling down in this economy is nitrate and E. coli."

"In Canterbury, this has led to a declaration of a nitrate emergency, because of the sheer volume of groundwater supplies that are unfit for drinking."

In September, 44% of wells tested in a Canterbury study were above the Government’s legal limit for nitrate in drinking water. A growing body of research also highlights health risks associated with consuming nitrate-contaminated drinking water at much lower levels than the current legal limit.

"Fonterra is milking New Zealand dry. While a handful of executives are lining their pockets, the rivers and lakes are being choked with toxic algae, and people are getting sick from drinking the water from their taps." says Deighton-O’Flynn.

Greenpeace is calling for an end to dairy expansion because of the environmental harm caused by the industry.

"We’re in the middle of a climate and biodiversity crisis," says Deighton-O’Flynn. "Fonterra is raking in billions while polluting New Zealand’s lakes and rivers, and intensive dairy is cooking the climate."