This indicator will aim to show the safety of the water, in particular, waterways around New Zealand for recreation and food gathering.
This measure still needs to be developed.
As a proxy, we have information on Escherichia coli (E.coli) concentrations in New Zealand rivers, which is used to quantify the risk of Campylobacter infection.
E.coli is a group of bacteria usually found in mammal intestines and the presence of E.coli in fresh water indicates the presence of faecal matter, so the level of E.coli in a water sample indicates how likely the water is to cause disease.
