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Regional | Rotorua

Lake Ōkaro returned to Te Arawa in a filthy state

Lake Ōkara. Source/LAWA.

Te Arawa iwi finally get the missing piece to the puzzle in terms of true ownership over its 14 lakes, one being the last effort for the governance over Lake Ōkaro.

However the Crown has not returned it, in the same state that it was taken. Lake Ōkaro was once a food source, providing delicacies like koura (freshwater crayfish). The health of the lake has deteriorated to the extent that it may not be swimmable.

Lake Ōkaro. Source/LAWA

Te Arawa Lakes Trust chairman, Dr Sir Toby Curtis says:

“Without the legacy of the koroua who fought to preserve the rights of Te Arawa as kaitiaki, we wouldn’t be here on this momentous occasion.

"Which will help us play an instrumental role in protecting this taonga for generations to come.”

Lake Ōkaro is still considered to have a ‘very poor’ water quality according to Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA), a national database that collects information from the 16 regional councils and communities on fresh water and beach water quality, freshwater quantity, air quality and land cover.

Lake Ōkaro. Source/LAWA

The big plan by Te Arawa who hold ancestral stories and connections to their 14 Lakes, plays a crucial role in ensuring the Crown recognise that restoration, preservation and protection is the way forward for both Treaty partners.

Medical Officer of Health for Toi Te Ora Public Health Dr Neil de Wet had released important findings in December last year on LAWA that Lake Ōkaro had a bloom of potentially toxic blue-green algae. The health warning meant that ‘people should avoid any activity which results in significant contact with the lake water,’ he says.

Lake Ōkaro has a Trophic Level Index which indicates the life supporting capacity of a lake and is based on four water quality indicators. Each lake is assigned a number between 1 and 7, the lower the number, the better the water quality in the lake, in this instance, Ōkaro sits at level 5.

The Crown have an obligation to fund the restoration of Te Arawa lakes, which has seen Te Arawa Lakes Trust work with local councilors under the umbrella of Te Arawa Lake Strategy Group.

It co-manages the funds and work programmes in order to restore the lake water quality.

“It will be deeply significant to Te Arawa and those who whakapapa to the lake,” Sir Toby Curtis says.