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“Saving the Lakes” Level 2 2012 Achievement Standard “Explain aspects of a contemporary Geographic Issue” Credits 3 Rotorua Education Network

Viewpoints on causes of lake water deteriorating quality

Participants in Surveys Participants saw human activities as a major source of nitrogen in the lakes, and that the older traditional type of septic tank would not remove nitrogen or phosphorus from human effluent, aside from plant uptake and scum and solids that settle in the tank. For example: “So the human impact has got to be probably the major source of nitrogen and phosphorous…” “I think the biggest polluter of the lake of all is humans and residential. Clearly the worst areas are the ones around the townships” Volcanic soils generally absorbed phosphorus, but nitrogen was the main nutrient that leached from septic tanks, they explained. There were various residential properties around the lakes, and participants said that some of these still had the older type of septic tank sited as close as five meters from the edge of the lake. They expressed their concern about the continued development of residential subdivisions. For example: “That’s been pumping sewer into this lake for years, for like 100 and something years. And all the houses around the lake, their little septic tanks have been pumping nitrogen; you know they’re right there; they’re 5 metres from the lake”

Maori For Maori who are the kaitiaki of the land and the lake waters, their priority was to ensure that the land was looked after so that it would continue to provide benefits to future generations. They said that there was no common view among Maori about how to respond to policy changes, and they seemed to be getting conflicting information about how to best address the issues they faced. Local government manage environmental issues and resource management, mainly through Regional Councils which are established for every catchment in . Currently Maori say that they have not received clear guidelines from regional councils, but they realised that new regulations would at some time be put in place. Because they didn’t know how to respond appropriately there was a widespread sense of uncertainty. For example: “That’s what I’m waiting for: some clear direction as to what we are supposed to be doing. And I think that’s what probably a lot of people are doing. At the moment a lot of people are just farming and some of them are increasing their stock units because they are frightened that they are going to be told to cut back, so they are increasing them as high as they can so if they are told to cut back, they can cut back and they’re still profitable”. “”You can’t be green if you’re in the red. If you are fighting for survival you can’t be green – that’s the way.”

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Newspaper Articles

Wednesday May 31, 2006

Lakes rate will ruin us, say Rotorua farmers

Farmers fear higher rates to clean up Rotorua's lakes may drive them out. Picture / Daily Post

Rotorua farmers facing higher rates to clean up the area's ailing lakes have confronted the local authority proposing the measure. The regional council is arguing for targeted rates for all property owners in the Rotorua district to raise some of the estimated $200 million needed to rid the lakes of nutrients from human activity that have caused bad pollution. Farmers have been hardest hit in the proposal, which would require owners of properties of 4ha and more to pay rates based on land area and nutrient losses into the lakes. Some say it could spell the end of farming in the area. About 40 farmers vented their anger at the proposal, contained in Environment Bay of Plenty's draft 10-year plan, at a submissions hearing in Rotorua yesterday. Lachlan McKenzie, who runs a 200ha dairy farm at , said the targeted rates would cost him $700,000 over the next 10 years. "I don't have that money," he said. "It will cost me my farm." Stuart Morrison, who has farmed in the area for 41 years, said farmers had already shown their commitment to saving the lakes by agreeing to Rule 11, a set of regulations introduced in November that limit the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous allowed to run off farms into the lakes' catchment. Rule 11 has forced farmers to change farming practices, often at financial cost, and Mr Morrison said it was unfair that they were now being asked to shoulder more of the burden. "Targeting the viability of farmers who have a lot of goodwill, who live in a situation where they want to clean up the lakes, makes no sense to me." Federated Farmers also voiced its opposition, presenting a petition with more than 400 signatures. "We don't think we've been treated fairly," Rotorua-Taupo president Gifford McFadden said. The proposal would affect 24 dairy farmers and about an equal number of sheep farmers in the lakes area. Rotorua District Council opposes targeted rates, but Environment Bay of Plenty wants the scheme to raise $1.64 million towards the cost of restoring the lakes next year, rising to almost $4.5 million in 2014.

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Other organisations with interests in the lakes said the regional council needed to pursue government funding. "They are a national treasure," Rotorua District Community Association chairman Richard Wilson said. Farmers offered solutions to the lakes problem, saying money for expensive schemes such as the planned $12 million Ohau Channel diversion could be better spent. Mr McKenzie suggested mussel farms to harvest nitrogen, saying this had been done successfully to clean up estuaries in the United States. Silt traps at stream mouths and retention dams were also suggested. Chairman John Cronin said Environment Bay of Plenty had noted the "very impassioned view" of the farmers on targeted rates and would re-examine the proposal. "We will have a good look at it to ensure that the rating base is fair," he told the Herald. Paul Dell, project co-ordinator for the Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Action Programme, said some of the farmers' suggestions for stopping nutrient flow had merit. "We have not closed our mind to anything," he said. THE PROBLEM * Lakes around New Zealand are being poisoned by nitrogen and phosphorous from surrounding waterways. * Much of this polluted water comes from fertiliser and effluent runoff from dairy and sheep farms. * Farmers in the Rotorua area have already agreed to change their farming methods to reduce this runoff. * Several are angry that they are now being asked to pay a special rate as well. * One said the rate would cost him $700,000 over 10 years, forcing him to sell his farm.

Passion, tears over Rotoiti cleanup plan

By Juliet Rowan

5:00 AM Tuesday Jul 4, 2006

Opponents of a structure designed to reduce pollution in Rotorua's Lake Rotoiti say it will lead to coastal pollution and diminish the mauri (life force) of a river and estuary. The Ohau Channel diversion was granted consent in November. The Environment Bay of Plenty regional council has proposed it as part of a programme to clean up Rotorua's ailing lakes. The council says it could reduce toxic algal blooms in Lake Rotoiti, one of the lakes worst affected by smelly, dangerous cyanobacteria, by up to 40 per cent in four years. Under the council's plans, the diversion would channel nutrient-filled water from down the and out to sea through the estuary, avoiding Lake Rotoiti.

The Environment Court is hearing appeals against the project at Mt Maunganui this week. Three groups, including two representing Maori, have appealed against the

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consent, saying the diversion would transfer pollution downstream. Concerns have also been voiced about potential effects on trout fisheries, although submissions by Fish & Game were withdrawn when representatives failed to show up on the first day of the appeal hearings yesterday.

Representatives of Nga Tangata Ahi Kaa Roa O Maketu, a group representing iwi at Maketu, made emotional addresses to Judge Jeff Smith and commissioners John Mills and Kathryn Edmonds.

Raewyn Bennett cried as she spoke, saying the Maketu estuary had already been degraded by an earlier diversion. "Our whanau wants the estuary restored before we consider taking Rotorua's pollutants," she said. Maketu kuia Piatarihi Kerr said: "Maketu and all its beautiful kai there has been ruined by the first diversion."

The Nga Tangata group is seeking an amendment to the consent to reflect local kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over the estuary. The other Maori appellant, Darlene Dinsdale of Tapuika iwi, opposes the diversion on cultural and spiritual grounds, saying it will affect the mauri of the Kaituna River by creating adverse health effects through the increase of nutrients in the water. But Judge Smith said evidence could show that the mauri of the river might be restored by the diversion if it were to clean up the water.

Ms Dinsdale's appeal will be heard later in the week, with that of Katikati resident Jim Chapple, who is arguing that the diversion is unnecessary and will pollute the coast with additional nitrogen and phosphorous. Mr Chapple says changes to farming practices to restrict the use of fertilisers would stop the main source of pollution. He told the Herald that the ocean had been "blatantly excluded" from consideration by Environment Bay of Plenty. But Paul Cooney, acting for the regional council, said the consent application had been made solely for environmental reasons. "If no immediate action is taken in an integrated way ... it will take many years before water quality in Rotoiti is improved." The consent has been granted for 12 years with conditions.

OHAU CHANNEL DIVERSION * 1.25km steel sheet-pile wall extending from lake bed to 500mm above water surface. * Designed to keep polluting nutrient-laden water away from Lake Rotoiti by diverting it down the Kaituna River and out to sea at Maketu. * Estimated cost: $12 million.

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Sewerage work sets off lakes' big cleanup By Juliet Rowan

Wednesday Jun 28, 2006

The Government has committed $17 million to the lakes' cleanup, but the district council wants $100 million. Picture / Alan Gibson

The first of eight sewerage schemes aimed at improving water quality in the Rotorua lakes will be launched next week, amid heightened calls for more Government funding to clean up the polluted waters. The /Okawa Bay scheme and accompanying eastern sewer trunk main are part of a $95 million project to replace septic tanks in lakeside communities with reticulated sewerage linked to Rotorua's wastewater treatment plant. Mayor Kevin Winters, who chairs the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Joint Committee, said the $2.9 million sewerage scheme and $5.2 million trunk main was a historic step in the cleanup, but completion of the project was "absolutely dependent" on Government funding. "The problem of the lakes' declining water quality is a national one and way beyond the pockets of the Rotorua community alone," he said. "The Government must come to the party and share the cost of solutions." The lakes have been polluted over decades. The Government has committed $17 million, but Rotorua District Council wants $100 million. Last week, during a select committee hearing on a bill to return the lakes to local Maori, calls were also made for a bigger Government contribution to the cleanup. Critics of the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Bill, which is intended to end iwi claims to the lakes, said it did not address the issue of pollution. "It's the responsibility of the Crown to restore them before they hand them [the lakes] back," said Te Arawa Federation of Maori Authorities spokesman Pihopa Kingi. The bill vests ownership of 13 of 14 lakebeds in a Te Arawa trust. The Crown retains ownership of the water column and airspace above the lakes. The bill also gives the Te Arawa Lakes Trust financial redress of $2.7 million - which Mr Kingi and others said would do little to help with the cleanup. Communities use septic tanks which, particularly as they get older, run the risk of leaching polluting nutrients which flow into the lakes. Funding for the Mourea/Okawa Bay scheme has come from subsidies from Environment Bay of Plenty (the regional council), the Ministry of Health and a general rates levy of $1500 a property imposed by the Rotorua District Council. Property owners in Mourea and Okawa Bay have

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contributed the rest of the cost and about 30 per cent have already been granted resource consent for their connections. New sewerage schemes are also planned for Brunswick/Rotokawa, Okareka, /Otaramarae/Whangamarino, Gisborne Pt, , Tarawera and Rotoma. The official opening of the Mourea/Okawa Bay scheme and eastern sewer trunk main will be at the Ngareta Rd pump station on Monday.

POLLUTION THE PROBLEM * Rotorua's lakes have been polluted over decades by nutrients entering the water and creating toxic algal blooms. THE COST * The latest estimates of the cleanup is $200 million over 20 years.

Family's contribution to lake's wellbeing By Juliet Rowan Tuesday Apr 4, 2006

Shane and June Birchall and son Daniel in the wetland built on their property to help improve Lake Okaro. Picture / Alan Gibson

June and Shane Birchall gave up 2ha of their Rotorua farm to help save the lakes. "We just felt it was the right thing to do," Mrs Birchall said yesterday. The patch of land on the shores of Lake Okaro is now a wetland and home to an array of birdlife. "It's definitely added to the scenic side of things," Mrs Birchall said. But the 14 species of bird that have appeared since the wetland was officially opened in February are really just a bonus. Constructed by Environment Bay of Plenty, the wetland's main purpose is to improve water quality at the polluted lake. Like Rotorua's other lakes, Okaro suffers from an excess of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous. Wetlands act as filters of these nutrients, which cause toxic algal blooms and make the water unsafe for swimming. Construction of the 2.3ha wetland, built on the Birchall’s' land and reserve, began a year ago. Paddocks were dug out to create shallow ponds, which were then covered with truckloads of sawdust and topsoil to help in the filtering process. The planting of 60,000 native plants began in September and the wetland was opened on World Wetland Day on February 3. John McIntosh, project co- ordinator at Environment Bay of Plenty, said it would take a couple of years for the plants to get established. The Birchalls, whose family have farmed the area for four generations, are also adopting farming practices they hope will save the lake. Mr Birchall said they had reduced fertiliser use on their 250ha farm and milked their 400 cows only once a day, measures aimed at reducing nutrient run-off. The couple had also begun using "standing pads", or fenced-off areas to keep the cows in in bad weather, which limited the amount of nutrients the animals released into topsoil that was easily picked up by heavy rain. "We still want to be here in 25 years," Mr Birchall said. "We've got to utilise all the science to make sure we are still farming."

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Newspaper articles 2009

Lake Rotoiti Diversion Wall

LA $10 million wall designed to stop nutrients polluting Rotorua's Lake Rotoiti is successfully diverting water away from the lakebed. But Environment Bay of Plenty says it is too early to say whether the wall has lowered levels of harmful algae in the lake.

The Ohau Channel Diversion Wall was finished in September and officially opened the following month. Jointly funded by the regional council and the Government, the 1275m wall runs along a portion of Lake Rotoiti to divert nutrient-rich water from Lake Rotorua down the Kaituna River. The council's Rotorua lakes programme manager Andy Bruere said since the wall's completion, flow monitoring had been undertaken in three locations around the wall.

"The results of that are showing the wall is performing as predicted," he said. "A lot of boaties are [also] noticing it's diverting the water from [Lake] Rotorua quite clearly down the Okere arm [of Lake Rotoiti] and into the Kaituna."

Mr Bruere said the response from lake residents and the wider public about the wall's effectiveness was also good, but it was too early to say whether the structure was having an effect on algae. That would be determined at the end of an intensive five-year monitoring programme covering water quality, algal concentrations, and the effect of the wall on fisheries and bird life.

The wall is part of a wider project aimed at restoring Rotorua's degraded lakes, which also involves sewage reticulation and controls on dairying in the catchment area. The structure extends from the lakebed to 500mm above the water, and Mr Bruere said it took advantage of the geography of Lake Rotoiti. He said the wall was only feasible because the inlet and outlet of the lake were so close, and it was revolutionary in that respect.

Before it was built, opponents argued that it would simply transfer pollution downstream. Iwi from Maketu, on the coast, said increased nutrients in the water would affect the mauri [life force] of the Kaituna River and create adverse health effects for locals. Others argued it would pollute the coast with additional nitrogen and phosphorous. Since the wall was finished, fishermen have also voiced concern about the possible effect on fish stocks in Lake Rotoiti, but Mr Bruere said there was no evidence either way yet.

The water in the Rotorua lakes has become degraded over decades, and the high nutrient content can cause toxic algal blooms, particularly in summer. The blooms are unsightly, and can be harmful to animals and humans.

A health warning has been issued for parts of Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. The affected areas include the eastern side of Lake Rotorua from Holden’s Bay to Ohau Channel and the Okere arm portion of Lake Rotoiti.

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Routine water test results provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council have confirmed a bloom of blue-green algae. “The health warning means that people should avoid any activity which results in significant contact with the water,” says Dr Jim Miller, Medical Officer of Health. “Blue-green algae have the potential to release toxins which can affect health by aggravating hay fever and asthma, causing skin rashes, and even neurological effects such as tingling around the mouth, headaches, breathing difficulties and visual problems,” advised Dr Miller. “As we have many recreational waters in the area, the sampling points are limited. Blooms can also occur quite quickly in the right conditions, so it is always safest to check the water before you get in,” says Dr Miller. “Look before you leap; if the water looks discoloured, smells unusual, or if there is scum on the surface of lakes or on the beds of rivers, go somewhere else to swim or to do water sports.”

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Land Management group manager Warwick Murray said the improvement in Lake Rotoiti was a "wonderful intermediate step for the lake".

"I think it's probably early days, but it's a very positive sign." He said the lake's improvement was largely due to a diversion wall built in 2008 to prevent high nutrient water flowing from Lake Rotorua into Lake Rotoiti. But, he said the wall was not a long-term solution and the underlying problem of too much nutrient run-off from farms getting into Lake Rotorua needed to be solved. Mr Murray said removal of septic tanks from properties in the Rotoiti area had helped the lake's water quality to improve.

Lake Rotoiti is one of four priority lakes in which central government had given funding to contribute to its improvement, Mr Murray said. The three others are Lake Rotorua, and Lake Okareka.

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Rotorua Lakes: Plants tell the tale John Clayton and Paul Champion National Centre for Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity Deterioration in water quality can result from a complex array of factors. In the early stages of eutrophication nutrients affecting water quality tend to be associated with surface and groundwater inflows. Catchment modification (e.g., removal of marginal wetlands, forest clearance, fertilising of pasture, sewage or septic tanks inflows) is a key factor driving eutrophication, with acceleration most notable when lakes are small or where they have limited buffering capacity. One of the characteristics of advancing eutrophication is that bottom waters of a lake become depleted of oxygen during the summer months. When this happens it is common for years of accumulated nutrients previously locked up in the sediments to be released. Large pulses of nutrients subsequently mix with the upper layers of water, further accelerating the eutrophication process. What can you do about it? Apart from management agencies, members of the public who use these lakes or reside close by also have a responsibility to protect and care for these lakes. Boat users can play a key role in preventing inter-lake spread of weed species. Boat owners and property owners with ornamental ponds need to know what plants they may be unwittingly harbouring that may pose a threat of transfer or escape. Surveillance by local lake residents can provide a valuable opportunity for early detection of new incursions. Further information and photographs of important aquatic plant species can be found on the NIWA website (www.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/aquaticplants). Suspected sightings of new species should be reported. One effective option is to take a digital photograph of a healthy shoot tip, which can be emailed to agencies that can help with identification, such the Regional Council, Department of Conservation or Aquatic Plants staff at NIWA Hamilton. Owners of land adjacent to lakes can help arrest the progressive decline in water quality by identifying sources of sediment and nutrient input and taking active measures to minimise these inputs into lakes. Community groups can facilitate or become actively involved in a wide range of beneficial projects, such as fencing of catchment streams, planting of riparian margins and wetland buffer strips, and slope stabilisation to prevent excessive erosion. Management agencies can help support worthwhile community protection and restoration projects by provision of guidance, funding initiatives (e.g. fencing and planting), formulation of policy and purchase of sensitive land.

Jean McCann October 2011