MEDIA RELEASE
Joint plan of attack mooted for lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti
For immediate release: Thursday 4 December 2003
Sister lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti require “a joint plan of attack” to fix them up but their problems are different and
may need to be worked on separately.
Though linked by the Ohau Channel, the lakes face quite different issues that are best tackled by separate working
groups, suggests Rotorua Lakes Strategy joint committee chairman Grahame Hall. An Action Plan to improve the quality of
the lakes is being developed with community input next year.
The strategy’s three partners, Environment Bay of Plenty, Rotorua District Council and Te Arawa Trust Board, met on
Wednesday 3 December to discuss various options.
Lake Rotorua has a city on its shores, smaller settlements around it, and sits in a large catchment with many dairy
farms. Both urban and rural land uses have an impact on water quality so managing the land will probably be the key
focus of any Action Plan, Mr Hall says.
On the other hand, Lake Rotoiti’s main problem is the water flowing into it from Lake Rotorua. Its Action Plan is more
likely to involve engineering solutions, like a barrier to divert the Lake Rotorua water.
Environment Bay of Plenty’s Paul Dell, who is coordinator of the Rotorua Lakes Strategy, presented a possible model for
Action Plan development to a meeting of Environment Bay of Plenty’s regulation and monitoring committee last month. His
model shows two working parties focused on their different lake catchments. A combined group, with several members taken
from each, would pull together a joint Action Plan.
“Because of the linked nature of lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti, we will need to develop a single Action Plan. But there are
quite different issues that relate to the two lake catchments,” Mr Dell says.
A community meeting will be called in late January to set up the working group or groups, which will involve community
residents.
For information about the work planned for the Rotorua lakes go to www.envbop.govt.nz.
ENDS