For all its good intentions, the Government's freshwater policy, in my view, fails to provide surety that something truly meaningful is being done to protect the country's waterways.
Environment Minister Nick Smith came in for heavy criticism when the Green Party accused him of using the new water standards to shift the goalposts of acceptable water quality downwards.
The policy came under fire again yesterday when Forest and Bird hit out saying Government's new freshwater swimming policy excludes hundreds of thousands of kilometres of rivers and streams.
National had previously set a target of getting 90 per cent of rivers and lakes "swimmable" by 2040.
The plan is estimated to cost the Government, farmers and councils $2 billion over the next 23 years.
Under the proposal, rivers or lakes that stay below the threshold of 540 e.coli per 100ml of water 80 per cent of the time would be deemed swimmable.
But the Opposition has slammed the policy, saying it is unacceptable that a river can exceed the e.coli level up to 20 per cent of the time and still be graded swimmable.
I agree.
Kiwis used to be able to assume waterways were safe to swim in, Those days sadly seem to be gone.
However, we should not adjust our expectations downwards in response to this problem.
Figures show that just 72 per cent of rivers, streams and lakes are currently considered safe for swimming.
Intensive dairy farming is one of the main contributors to pollution of our waterways.
However, other activities that can contribute to the loss of water quality include sewage, industrial effluents and stormwater - water running off roads and urban areas and the erosion of soils due to deforestation and road works.
It paints a picture of a precious, life-sustaining resource coming under constant threat from all sides.
It's a major concern if you enjoy, as I do, visiting the region's lakes or rivers to fish, swim, kayak or boat.
Our waterways need to be preserved if not for their natural beauty then for health reasons.
Last year campylobacter laid low thousands of Havelock North residents when their water supply was contaminated.
We're told that our waterways are still in better shape than many other countries, but that won't be the case if we continue to take them for granted.
The problem with National's policy is that, in my view, it doesn't represent what most Kiwis would deem acceptable.
Well intentioned, it might be, but National's policy doesn't go far enough to address growing concerns about the future of such a valuable resource.