The biggest asset this region has is Tauranga Harbour - what we do on the land impacts on us all with 19 per cent of our waterways being polluted and 50 per cent of our lakes.
A significant part of that pollution is nutrients, that is nutrient loss from the land, that continuous cycle of adding nutrients to the land and allowing them to wash away. This is so inefficient and such a waste of investment and at contradiction to the word investment, which is about maximising return for the long term.
The Regional Council has recently signed a Sustainable Dairying Water Accord which is positive, but dairying in the Western Bay is a very small land use. The Regional Council don't have a lot of rules nor the funding to adequately enforce current rules. Though more rules and enforcement is not the solution, it is public education, incentives and community pressure. There needs to be funding for ongoing high profile campaigns and free practical workshops to engage with rural, industry and deveiopers.
We are all continuously learning, and a rural sector that is protecting its investment efficiently for the long term, is also best for the environment. This is also the message that is now being sent out by national rural leaders. It's true - Environmental health creates wealth!

Tim Short, Ohauiti.