New Zealand's 'green' image under threat: OECD

Views like this -- of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, with the Remarkables mountain range in the background -- are one of the reasons tourists flock to New Zealand. But strong economic growth is placing strains on the environment, the OECD is warning. - AFP/file

Wellington (AFP) - New Zealand's strong economic growth is placing strains on the environment that threaten to undermine its "clean, green" reputation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned Tuesday.

The South Pacific nation has long marketed itself internationally as "100 percent pure" and is undergoing a tourism boom as visitors flock to see the spectacular scenery featured in films such as "The Hobbit" trilogy.