Despite paying for water, Clare Wishart has run dry.
So, wearing a dressing gown, the long-time rates campaigner took up a spot outside the Rangitikei District Council in Marton yesterday as councillors met for the first time this year.
Ms Wishart's property is not connected to town water and she has run out of rainwater with the dry summer, leaving her without water unless she pays to have some trucked in.
It's prompted her to again pick up her campaign against the council's "public good" rate which has rural ratepayers who don't have town water on their property contributing to the cost of it.
"If we had all those urban services that the town people do, this wouldn't be an issue," Ms Wishart said.
She had covered her car in signage such as "No water- the Rangitikei great unwashed," and donned a dressing gown to highlight the fact she was unable to wash clothes.
Ms Wishart is no stranger to Rangitikei councillors and has spent years opposing the rates. She held a rates gripes day in 2012 when she fielded calls from ratepayers who had concerns about the public-good rate. She compiled a list of the "gripes" to present to the council.
But she hasn't managed to get the change she wants. "Everyone's going to have to band together to enforce change," she said.
Some councillors and Mayor Andy Watson talked to Ms Wishart at yesterday's solo protest. "They were interested, they read all the signage," she said. Ms Wishart stayed for a couple of hours.
Mr Watson was in council meetings all day yesterday and unavailable for comment.