Green Party co-leader Russel Norman will kayak down the Waihou River in an effort to highlight New Zealand's degraded waterways tomorrow.

Russel and the Greens will first visit Blue Spring near Putaruru before jumping in his kayak at the Te Aroha boat ramp, about 1pm.

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman will take part in a kayaking trip down the Waihou River tomorrow.

Russel says 60 per cent of New Zealand's bottled water comes from the pristine waters at Blue Spring which is marketed using the country's 'clean green brand”.

'But 75km downriver, the water is so degraded that the Waikato Regional Council labels the river unsatisfactory for swimming,” he says.

'100 per cent of tests in the last five years for nitrogen and phosphorous show unsatisfactory levels.”

Russel says there is a growing gap between the brand New Zealand uses to portray itself to the world and the reality of the state of the country's waterways.

We need to close this gap and ensure all New Zealand rivers are safe enough to swim in and enjoy, says Russel.