If New Zealand relies on the white gold of dairying to keep its economic motor lubricated then we're running as dry as a Hawke's Bay hillside in summer, writes Bruce Bisset.

All it takes when driving is a second of inattention while you change the radio station or talk to the children in the back seat, writes Tracey Chatterton.

Bruce Bisset writes: For a region which prides itself on its natural beauty we have a disturbing ambivalence toward pollution.

Those who deserve the most praise, apart from the Swannells themselves, are the wonderful generous people of Hawke's Bay, writes Linda Hall.