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The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright has released the update to her 2012 report, Water quality in New Zealand: Understanding the Science.
The update re-canvases some of the issues the report initially raised and reviews the responses from Government, Parliament, and relevant sector organisations.
Wright says the initial report was designed to shine light into the often heated debate about New Zealand's water quality.
"My intention with this report was to provide a clear and simple guide to the science of water quality so that debate about our waterways was properly informed.
"The report has been largely successful in this respect and is currently being used as a reference by MPs, by journalists, and in schools and at least one university.
"A year and a half on from the release of this report there are still many serious issues with water quality in New Zealand, particularly nutrient pollution, and I'll be releasing a report focused on this matter in the near future."
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