A striking billboard in the Judea industrial area is a sign of Mark Goldthorpe's growing frustration.
Mark painted the billboard himself because his battle with regional authorities concerning the Kopurererua Stream is 'going around in circles”.
He wants one of the regional authorities to take responsibility for the stream, believing the mounting silt on the streambed will put businesses in the area at risk.
Mark's family own the area of land directly next to the stream and believes the silt build-up is rapidly accelerating erosion on the stream's banks.


Mark Goldthorpe painted this billboard in the Judea industrial area.

He also believes the silt build-up will create a dam in the stream, which will cause a major flood in the Judea industrial area during heavy rain.
It took Mark two weekends to paint the billboard, which he finished about two weeks ago.
'We have got to the point where we are going around in circles. It's better to do something now rather than wait for the area to flood.
'If it does ever flood, from water surging up or coming down, it's just going to capture the water and that's going to be it, we'll get flushed out,” says Mark.
He believes the dogleg shaped pylon holding up the Judea Bridge is also channelling water towards one side of the stream and contributing to erosion.
Mark is proposing various options including dredging the river of its silt, building stop-banks to prevent erosion or even replacing the Judea Bridge so it is built properly.
'I realise money is tight but surely there comes a point where maintenance must be done. I understand the environment needs to be left alone, but there needs to be maintenance,” says Mark.
After speaking to numerous people from Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Environment Bay of Plenty, engineering firms and NZTA, Mark says he is back at square one.
He says local authorities are bucking responsibility for the stream and keep referring him elsewhere.
Terry Wynyard, special projects manager at Tauranga City Council, says he has dealt with Mark for some time and is not going to enter into further discussion at this stage.
'Mr Goldthorpe needs to be dealing with EBOP. We have told him on many occasions, but he is not heeding that.
'TCC has no jurisdiction over this river. He needs to go away and decide what he wants to do with his piece of land,” says Terry.