How they would ensure a better New Zealand for future generations was the question put to Napier candidates at a Forest and Bird Napier branch meeting.
A crowd gathered at the Tamatea community church last night to hear four of the candidates vying to be Napier's next MP discuss the issues facing Hawke's Bay, and New Zealand's environment.
They fielded questions on cleaning up waterways, sea level rise, and climate change, and spoke of what they hoped to achieve for the environment if elected.
Joining Labour MP Stuart Nash in the hot seat was Green Party candidate Damon Rusden, Maori Party candidate Maryanne Marsters, and Democrats for Social Credit candidate Karl Matthys. National candidate David Elliott was unable to attend.
To clean up waterways, Mr Nash said the "softly, softly" approach of the National Government needed to change - advocating for a tougher stance to return formerly clean sources of water - from the Tukituki River, to Lake Tutira - to this state.