New Zealand is about to run its largest ever search for the so-called forever chemicals that have built up in soil and water around the world, with the Environmental Protection Authority, regional councils and Crown researchers teaming up later this year to test far more sites than ever before.
The chemicals in question are PFAS, short for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of thousands of synthetic compounds that have been used since the 1950s in everything from non-stick frying pans and waterproof jackets to food packaging and firefighting foam. They earned the nickname forever chemicals because the bonds that hold them together barely break down in nature, so once they enter the environment they can linger for decades and slowly accumulate in water, soil and living things.
The new round of testing will cover more parts of the country, more wells and more individual chemicals than the last national survey, which was carried out in 2022. That earlier effort sampled just 131 of the many thousands of wells across New Zealand. The authority concluded at the time that there was very little contamination of groundwater in the areas it looked at, and therefore a low level of risk. As RNZ reported, some of the low readings that did show up were later put down to PFAS contaminating the testing equipment itself rather than the water.
EPA acting manager Dr Shaun Presow said the wider sweep was about getting a clearer national picture rather than chasing a known problem. “I’m still relatively relaxed about PFAS generally, but it is useful to do this testing on a broader scale,” he told RNZ. He added that the authority had freed up more monitoring funding than it had in 2022, which is what makes the expanded programme possible.
While the overall picture in New Zealand has so far looked reassuring, there are pockets where PFAS has caused real and expensive headaches. The Onehunga water treatment plant in Auckland was shut down for years because of contamination. At the Ohakea air force base in the ManawatΕ«, the Defence Force spent around 12 million dollars piping in clean water after firefighting foam left a plume of contamination in the groundwater. Reports back in 2019 warned that the plume could take more than a century to clear. More recent work has been calmer, with 2025 testing of drinking water intakes and wastewater along the Waikato River showing only minimal contamination.
Independent science has pointed in a similar direction. A University of Auckland study that sampled 20 locations across the country in 2024 found PFAS levels below even the strictest drinking water rules in the world, although the researchers still recommended regular monitoring to keep on top of any changes. The fresh national programme answers that call by widening the net considerably.
New Zealand has also been steadily tightening the rules around where these chemicals can be used. PFAS firefighting foams were banned from December 2025, closing off one of the biggest sources of past contamination at airports and military sites. From the end of December 2026, cosmetics containing PFAS will be banned as well, whether they are made here or imported, putting New Zealand among the first countries in the world to take that step.
The interest in PFAS is not confined to this country. Australia has launched a lawsuit worth around two billion dollars against the manufacturer 3M over the chemicals. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency set its first national drinking water limits for several PFAS compounds in 2024, although the current administration has since moved to roll some of those limits back and give water suppliers until 2031 to comply. Closer to home, Attorney-General Chris Bishop declined to comment on whether New Zealand might pursue any legal action of its own.
The reason PFAS attracts so much attention is the mix of how widespread the chemicals are and how stubbornly they persist. They have been detected in rainwater, in remote snow and in the blood of people and animals all over the planet. Health researchers overseas have linked higher exposure to a range of concerns, though the science on exactly how much is harmful and at what level is still developing. For most New Zealanders the day to day risk from tap water appears low on the evidence gathered so far, which is part of why officials here have struck a measured tone rather than sounding an alarm.
That measured tone is exactly why the broader testing matters. A survey of 131 wells can only tell you so much about a country with thousands of bores, private supplies and surface water sources. By widening the scope to more regions, more wells and more chemical types, the new programme should give councils, water suppliers and households a much firmer basis for deciding whether anything needs to change. If the results come back clean, that is genuine reassurance. If they turn up hot spots, communities will know early rather than years down the track.
For now the message from the authorities is steady. New Zealand has cleaner background readings than many countries that industrialised earlier and used these chemicals more heavily, the worst known sites are already being managed, and the rules on new uses are getting stricter rather than looser. The expanded testing later this year is less about reacting to a crisis and more about making sure the country actually knows what is in its water before any crisis can take hold.
What do you make of the plan to widen the search for forever chemicals in New Zealand’s water? Do you want to see the results made public well by well, or are you comfortable with the reassurances so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job π
Leave a Reply