A freshwater scientist has slammed Hawke's Bay Regional Council about water quality in the region, but the council says it is working to improve water quality.
Mike Joy, senior researcher at Victoria University's Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, shared pictures of the Papanui Stream on Facebook, showing the issues the stream has with algae blooms.
"It is disgusting. If that's an example of Hawke's Bay Regional Council protecting freshwater then they need a kick," he said in an interview with Hawke's Bay Today.
Joy said feedlots upstream were part of the problem.
"It's just a classic result of that which everybody told them would happen but they [the regional council still allowed it to happen."