Organisers behind an environmentally sustainable water dispensing unit for the Western Bay of Plenty are in desperate need of sponsorship to help support the project.
The dispensing unit, called the Hydrohub, is a community project designed to reduce the dependence on bottled water, promote renewable energy and provide support during civil defence emergencies.

An artist's impression of the Hydrohub, which is scheduled to be situated a Mount Maunganui between Boxing Day and Waitangi Day.

The Hydrohub dispenses chilled water during events and can be powered by wind generated electricity.
Karen Summerhays came up with the idea for the water dispensing unit earlier this year after she discovered 3000 water bottles were being used during a Tauranga event.
Construction on the unit has started and permission from Tauranga City Council has been granted for the Hydrohub to be located near Mount Maunganui's main beach between Boxing Day and Waitangi Day.
But Karen says the unit is still about $25,000 short and fears the start date for the unit may have to be delayed.
Once the Hydrohub is operational, people can fill their containers with chilled, filtered water from the unit for a cold coin donation.
People also have the option to get a corn starch cup of water from the unit for a silver coin.
The design for the Hydrohub was gathered from a range of entries in the ‘Drink and Think' project earlier this year.
The Hydrohub name came from Marcus Van Boxel's entry.