Resources

Protecting Lake Taupo Project

The Protecting Lake Taupō Project was New Zealand’s biggest ever environmental project when it first started. Several studies had shown that any serious decline in the water quality of Lake Taupō would be difficult to reverse. Failing to act would have economic, social and cultural consequences.

The project's goal became to prevent decline in water quality. To maintain the existing water quality, nitrogen output from existing land uses had to be reduced. And further land use intensification prevented.

This meant we needed to reduce the manageable load of nitrogen by at least 20 per cent.

To achieve this, the project group defined two objectives:

1. Introduce new policies and rules for land use and sewage treatment

This meant making a change to the Waikato Regional Plan. These new policies and rules, initially known as Waikato Regional Plan Variation 5, were successfully introduced and now form part of the Waikato Regional Plan. New rules to protect the lake include:

• limits on the annual average amount of nitrogen leached from rural land use activities – dairy and drystock farming will require resource consents

• limits on the amount of nitrogen leached from new wastewater discharges (on site or community systems)

• requiring a high standard of nitrogen removal from wastewater systems near to the lakeshore

• allowing nitrogen trading between properties to provide flexibility for landowners to meet the new rule requirements and to enable optimal economic outcomes under the nitrogen cap.

2. Remove 170 tonnes of nitrogen in the catchment by 2018

The Lake Taupō Protection Trust was formed in 2007 with the overall goal of reducing the amount of manageable nitrogen entering the lake by at least 20 per cent (170 tonnes per year). Central government, Waikato Regional Council and Taupō District Council ultimately contributed $79.2 million excl. GST to support the conversion of high nitrogen-leaching land uses into low nitrogen-leaching land uses over a 15 year period. The fund has also supported research, new technologies and education about farm systems in the Lake Taupō catchment.

“WATER QUALITY OF LAKE TAUPŌ & ITS CATCHMENT 1973-2020” – comprehensive report being developed by Bill Vant & John Hadfield – available here: Water quality of Lake Taupō and its catchment to 2020 (waikatoregion.govt.nz)

The Lake Taupo Protection Trust (LTPT)

The Lake Taupō Protection Trust was set up in February 2007 to administer the $81.5 million fund to protect Lake Taupō's excellent water quality, which is under threat from the effects of past and current land use activities.

The trust is charged with developing a programme of work that will reduce the amount of manageable nitrogen leaching into the lake by 20 per cent.

It will use the funds to encourage and assist land use change, to purchase land/nitrogen in the Lake Taupō catchment and to fund any other initiatives that assist landowners to reduce the nitrogen impact of their activities on Lake Taupō.

The trust reports to the Government (Ministry for the Environment), Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Taupō District Council, and Waikato Regional Council.

The Lake Taupō Protection Project Joint Committee comprises 2 representatives from Government, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Taupō District Council and Waikato Regional Council.

The Lake Taupō Protection Trust comprises up to eight people appointed by the Joint Committee.

Lake Taupo Protection Project Joint Committee Agendas and Minutes

Lake Taupo Zone Plan

Located in the heart of the North Island, surrounding Lake Taupō, the Lake Taupō catchment covers an approximate area of 349,655ha (nearly 9 per cent of the Waikato region). Lake Taupō is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand at some 61,491ha and comprises 17.5 per cent of the Lake Taupō catchment area. The catchment contains significant geothermal resources, 11 other smaller lakes, part of New Zealand’s oldest national park and dual World Heritage area, and significant hydroelectric schemes.

The Lake Taupō Zone Plan sets the strategic direction for Waikato Regional Council’s integrated catchment management activities within the Taupō Zone over the next 10 years. The plan provides a summary of the key activities undertaken within the zone and the implementation actions required to achieve the vision.

While the work proposed builds on past achievements, it also signals a shift to a broader focus that, in addition to the traditional emphasis on water quality and soil conservation, will also increase the focus on water quality and contribute to:

• maintaining and protecting indigenous biodiversity

• reducing biosecurity risk within the catchment.

The purpose of this plan is to ensure the council’s activities within the zone contribute to improving the health of the Taupō catchment and work toward the vision established by the Lake Taupō Catchment Committee of:

TAUPŌ – HEALTHY CATCHMENT, HEALTHY PEOPLE 

As well as the vision, the plan identifies key principles (how the council will work), focus areas and implementation actions for the zone in the following areas:

• asset management

• biodiversity

• biosecurity

• catchment management

• lake foreshore

• natural hazards management