LET'S hope it is good for the complexion - there's a massive row brewing in New Zealand, after $90,000 of taxpayer funds was spent importing mud from South Korea.
The organisers of the upcoming Mudtopia festival in Rotorua brought in five tonnes of mud powder from Boryeong, in the hope that the event would significantly boost tourism.
"I know there's a perception that Rotorua has enough mud," said local councillor Trevor Maxwell.
"But you can't just pull any old mud out of the ground and throw it at people. There could be anything in there that could end up making people sick" he said.
Boryeong hosts an annual 10-day celebration of mud (pictured below) which last year attracted about 400,000 foreign visitors - and Rotorua hopes to emulate that succcess.
Organisers insist the cost of the imported Korean mud will be eventually covered by ticket sales.
The Boryeong product "will give Mudtopia visitors a different type of mud for a hands-on experience," they added.
The importation has met with a predictable chorus of derision from visionless naysayers, with Matthew Rhodes from the NZ Taxpayers' Union likening the move to "Dubai importing sand for a desert festival".
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