Te Mauri o Tarawera Protecting the Health of Tarawera
Lake Tarawera is a taonga tuku iho (ancestral taonga) for Tūhourangi and Ngāti Rangitihi, and a taonga of immense importance to Tarawera communities, Rotorua and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Declining water quality means action is needed now to protect the lake.
A significant amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in Lake Tarawera comes from natural sources like geothermal so action is focused on the “manageable load”.
Mana whenua, Government, Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC), Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) and farmers are investing in protecting water quality of the Tarawera catchments through the Tarawera Lakes Restoration Plan. This includes actions to manage the effects of land use on the lake.
Tarawera property owners have been asked to contribute to the collective effort by supporting sewerage reticulation.
Reticulation will also reduce public health risks associated with poorly performing on-site treatment systems and will contribute to maintaining the bathing water quality of the lake.
