— The drain is the stream —
Outdoor drains don't go to treatment plants — they flow directly into our streams, estuaries and out to sea. Simple behaviour change can make an immediate difference.
of New Zealand's indigenous freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened
Source: Our Freshwater 2026, Ministry for the Environment, April 2026
Why it matters
Paint pollution in drains is a highly visible issue — and one where individual behaviour change can make an immediate difference.
When paint, brush water or bucket wash-off goes into an outdoor drain, it can flow directly into local streams, estuaries and eventually the sea. Once there, paint can harm aquatic life, smother stream habitats, reduce water quality and affect the wider food web.
While sediment remains one of the region's largest environmental pressures, paint pollution is something we can prevent at the source — by changing how paint equipment is cleaned and how leftover paint is handled.
Paint in drains can harm aquatic life, smother habitats and degrade water quality across our streams and estuaries.
Discharging contaminants into waterways, or onto land where they may enter waterways, can breach the Resource Management Act 1991 and may result in enforcement action.
Local evidence
Stream advocate and water quality monitor Viv Walker has spent years undertaking quarterly stream monitoring across the Hibiscus and Bays region, regularly assessing water clarity and other key indicators.
During this work, Viv and the wider Restore Hibiscus & Bays team have witnessed a concerning increase in paint pollution entering local waterways. Social media posts across local community pages have highlighted growing frustration about painters washing paint equipment into drains and streams.
At the 2025 Wai Care Convention, water quality monitors from across Auckland confirmed they were seeing similar paint contamination issues in their own regions.
Environmental monitoring helps us understand the scale of the issue, measure change over time and guide effective solutions.
Paint pollution can harm eels, fish and invertebrates that depend on healthy streams.
Paint can coat stream beds and damage the substrate native species rely on.
Chemicals and contaminants reduce water quality and affect ecosystems from streams to estuaries.
Act quickly
If you see paint, cloudy water or other pollution entering a drain or local stream, please report it as soon as possible.
Take photos or video and note the exact location.
Call the Auckland Council Pollution Hotline right away.
If it is safe to do so, follow the pollution upstream to help identify the source.
What you can do
Whether you are painting at home, working on a renovation, or painting professionally, the most important thing is to keep paint, wash water and chemicals out of outdoor drains.
Do not rinse brushes, rollers, trays or buckets into outdoor drains, gutters or driveways.
A simple way to clean brushes and rollers while keeping paint residue out of waterways.
Keep lids tightly sealed and store leftover paint for future touch-ups.
Never pour paint into drains or onto the ground. Use responsible disposal or recycling options.
The campaign
Through collaboration, education and community action, we can help protect the streams and coastlines of the Hibiscus and Bays region for future generations.
Help people understand that outdoor drains lead directly to streams, estuaries and the sea.
Support safer paint clean-up practices that protect native taonga species and local waterways.
Encourage households, painters, retailers and local communities to take practical action.
Help keep paint and contaminants out of waterways so stream and coastal ecosystems can recover and thrive.
For paint retailers & trade stores
The No Paint In Drains campaign aims to create long-term behaviour change through education at the point of purchase.
Campaign materials include flyers, stickers, pull-up banners and QR codes that link people to easy-to-follow guidance on safer paint clean-up practices — designed for both DIY and commercial painters.
Display campaign materials in-store and online to support safer paint clean-up and help protect local streams, estuaries and coastlines.
Request campaign materialsBacked by the community
After engaging with the paint industry, the campaign received overwhelmingly positive support from retailers, suppliers and environmental partners who recognised the need for greater public awareness.
Get involved
Want to help protect local streams and coastlines? We'd love to hear from you.
Volunteers can support the campaign by helping share resources, connect with local businesses, monitor local waterways, distribute campaign materials, or get involved in wider stream restoration mahi across the Hibiscus and Bays region.