So our regional rates are set to increase by 10 per cent - the money intended for our waterways.
The money is to create an "environmental kick-start fund" which would "accelerate action on our hot spots" according to a Hawke's Bay Regional Council consultation document.
I personally don't have a problem with the increase if it is going to help our waterways. I want my grandchildren and their children to be able to swim and fish in our rivers and lakes just as I did growing up.
A couple of months ago I drove past the picturesque Lake Tutira. It looked lovely but the smell was terrible. It smelt like rotten corn - the stench lasted for at least five minutes as we skirted the lake and drove north.
How did our waterways get in this condition in the first place? Surely some of the regional rates paid in past years was earmarked for waterways.