About 50 people gathered outside the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to demonstrate their concern for the Bay's water quality.
Protesters at the Tauranga Save Our Water rally joined 20 other rallies across New Zealand at noon yesterday while the New Zealand Water Forum petition was delivered to Parliament.
More than 15,000 people signed the document calling for improvements in water quality around New Zealand.
Protect New Zealand Water rallies also took place at the Rotorua Lakes Council and Whakatane District Council offices.
Fly fishing guide and fisherman Miles Rushmer said he had worked in Bay of Plenty fresh water streams and rivers for 20 years and seen firsthand how the quality had dropped, losing 25 per cent of his "office" to pollution.
In the past 10 years he had started to notice a difference in the water quality, saying the dairy industry in the area was to blame.
The amount of stock and its waste was directly affecting the water quality, he said.
"We have a plethora of fresh water environments in New Zealand, world class environments, but they are being ravaged by the intensive dairy industry and it will continue to destroy our water at a frightening pace," he told the Bay of Plenty Times after the rally.
Former Papamoa woman Maureen Fraser said water was a big issue for New Zealand. She moved to Otakiri for the quiet life but has recently become concerned with the overuse of the Otakiri Spring by a bottling plant.
"It is a big issue. The problem is, nobody has had a forum where they can voice their concerns about what is going on until now.
"Nobody is taking our councils and Parliament members to task on the fact we are allocating water that we don't understand."
There had been suggestions locally companies wanted to increase the volume of water bottled from the spring.
"At this stage no one knows where that particular aquifer is recharged from. If we don't understand the water we are allocating, then how do we know it's not going to run out or cause incursion from the other undrinkable aquifer."
Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Paula Thompson attended the rally. She said caring for water was an absolute priority for the council.
"It's great to see locals as passionate about water quality as we are and we'll take the feedback we received today on board," she said.
The region's water quality and supply was generally good but it was under increasing pressure and needed improvement in some locations, she said.
The council invested $24 million each year to clean up local waterways and deliver on central government requirements.