South Western Bay Settlements Reserve Management Plan – June 2015
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______________________________________________________________ South Western Bay Settlements Reserve Management Plan – June 2015 First adopted: June 2015 Next review date: Document number: A1478171 Sponsor/Group: Group Manager: Policy & Operations ______________________________________________________________ 2 South Western Bay Settlements Reserves Management Plan Contents PART 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 4 PURPOSE OF THIS RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN ...................................................................... 4 STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS AND POLICY CONTEXT ................................................................. 5 ADMINISTRATION OF LAKE TAUPŌ AND ITS ENVIRONS ............................................................... 9 PART 2 CONTEXT ........................................................................................................... 10 LOCATION .......................................................................................................................................... 10 MAPS OF THE SOUTH WESTERN BAY SETTLEMENT RESERVES.............................................. 11 PURPOSE AND CLASSIFICATION OF RESERVES ......................................................................... 17 HISTORY ............................................................................................................................................. 17 RESERVE DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................................... 23 PART 3 SOUTH WESTERN BAY SETTLEMENT RESERVE VALUES ........................... 25 PART 4 KEY MANAGEMENT ISSUES ............................................................................ 26 LANDSCAPE ....................................................................................................................................... 26 LAKE TAUPŌ WATER QUALITY ....................................................................................................... 27 VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE ........................................................................................................... 28 RECREATION AND USE .................................................................................................................... 28 SAFETY AND SECURITY ................................................................................................................... 30 ACCESS AND CIRCULATION ............................................................................................................ 30 VEHICLE ACCESS AND PARKING ................................................................................................... 31 FACILITIES.......................................................................................................................................... 31 FURNITURE AND SIGNAGE .............................................................................................................. 32 SERVICES AND UTILITIES ................................................................................................................ 33 PART 5 MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES ................................................. 33 ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT .......................................................................................... 33 CULTURAL HERITAGE ...................................................................................................................... 34 VEGETATION...................................................................................................................................... 35 WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................................................ 36 RECREATION AND USE .................................................................................................................... 37 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES, EVENTS, LEASES AND LICENCES ................................................... 38 CAMPING ON RESERVES ................................................................................................................. 39 DOGS .................................................................................................................................................. 40 ACCESS AND CIRCULATION ............................................................................................................ 41 VEHICLE ACCESS AND PARKING ................................................................................................... 41 FACILITIES.......................................................................................................................................... 42 FURNITURE ........................................................................................................................................ 43 SIGNAGE ............................................................................................................................................ 43 INFRASTRUCTURE AND UTILITIES ................................................................................................. 44 ENCROACHMENTS ........................................................................................................................... 44 COMMEMORATIONS AND GIFTS ..................................................................................................... 44 PART 6 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN .............................................................................. 46 APPENDIX ONE – RESERVE INDEX ................................................................................... 48 APPENDIX TWO – PLANTING PLAN ................................................................................... 55 APPENDIX THREE – SITES OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE ............................................... 59 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 63 ______________________________________________________________ 3 South Western Bay Settlements Reserves Management Plan PART 1 INTRODUCTION Lake Taupō, the catchment for the central volcanic plateau, is the largest freshwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere. Nestled around the lake are many beautiful settlements which offer homes, holidays and recreational opportunities for people of the Taupō District, New Zealand and the world. Hidden within the south western bays of Lake Taupō, Pukawa, Omori, Kuratau and Whareroa boast some of the most spectacular north-east facing landscapes with lake views in the Taupō District. These settlements are popular tourist and holiday spots for New Zealanders and overseas visitors, offering panoramic views of the lake and providing access to the some of the best fresh water recreational opportunities in the world. For the locals and visitors to this area the reserve network is central to the tranquil, green, hideaway atmosphere that is apparent to anyone arriving within one of these settlements. For the permanent residents the reserves contribute significantly to the quality of life, especially given that they are some of the few public facilities provided within the settlements. During the summer and long weekends the reserves become beacons of recreational pursuits; both associated with and separate from the lake. Many of the smaller reserves which wrap around the lakeshore or meander through the settlements are owned and managed by Taupō District Council. However there are a number of larger reserves which are owned and managed by the Department of Conservation. Many of these reserves connect to each other and therefore provide continuous links both recreationally and ecologically. Together these reserves represent much of what gives these settlements their character and their management needs to recognise their recreational, amenity, ecological, historical and cultural values. PURPOSE OF THIS RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN The Reserves Act 1977 requires the development of management plans for all reserves. The exception to this is local and government purpose reserves, however due to the value that many of the local purpose reserves have to the community it is useful to also include these within the relevant reserve management plan. Reserve management plans outline Council’s general intentions and provide direction for the use, maintenance, protection and development of its reserves. They seek to balance the protection of natural resources and cultural values with the provision of recreational opportunities that are relevant to the needs of users, within the limits of the resources available. The process of preparing a management plan provides the public with opportunities to contribute in the development of the plan. The consultation process of developing a reserve management plan is particularly important as it is the users of the reserve who will be affected by decision making guided by reserve management plan policy. Public involvement provides Council with an understanding of relevant local issues and reserve values from people who are familiar with and use the reserves. The process is outlined in Appendix 1. This management plan is the first management plan to be developed to manage Council reserves in the south western bay settlements area, although there was a Taumarunui County Council plan in place for Pukawa Bay at the time of amalgamation in 1989. This reserve management plan will become the key document used to make