New Zealand Rivers - The Fight to Keep Them Poison-Free

New Zealand claims to be "Clean, Green and 100% Pure".

Therefore, you could be forgiven for thinking the authorities would fight against poisoning water - forest streams and water catchments.

But in New Zealand, it's the authorities doing the contaminating, and the people fighting to keep their water pure - and they're getting arrested doing it.

Despite a resolution passed by the Westland District Council in 2009, to keep the deadly pesticide-insecticide - 1080 poison - out of water catchments - ridgeline to ridgeline - the Animal Health Board breached the council's decision, and in August 2012, poisoned the Hokitika watercatchment, again.

In a recent poison drop across Westland, farmers and locals rallied for animal welfare and the right to retain poison-free water. This is their story ...