A new automated gate has been installed at Lake Ōkataina near Rotorua. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
A new automated gate has been installed at Lake Ōkataina near Rotorua. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
A $32,669 automated gate has been installed at a popular Lake Ōkataina boat ramp, near Rotorua, to better protect it from an invasive gold clam.
It comes as Biosecurity New Zealand last week announced the response to gold clam had transitioned to a long-term plan to contain the clam to the known areas in Waikato.
Freshwater gold clam, or corbicula fluminea, was found in the Waikato River in May 2023 and multiplied to cover a 200km stretch, from Lake Maraetai Landing to Tuakau.
Concern hinged on its ability for rapid growth, high reproductive rate and adaptability.
A controlled area notice continues to apply at all 14 Te Arawa lakes.
Only boats that have been in the Waikato River in the last 30 days need to be cleaned at a designated wash station before entering the 14 lakes, in addition to the normal “Check Clean Dry” requirements.
All boats entering Lake Ōkataina need to be cleaned.
An automated gate arm was installed at its boat ramp a week ago, restricting access to only those boaties who have followed the procedure and completed steps to prove it.
That involves scanning a QR code at the wash and entering a pin code to enter and exit the gate.
Iwi manually managed user access to the boat ramp since 2023.
The gate and its security mechanisms cost $32,669, funded equally by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua Lakes Council and Biosecurity New Zealand.
New signs at The Wash Place, 338 Te Ngae Rd, explain the process for lake users to access the Lake Ōkataina boat ramp.
Lake Ōkataina is a popular summer spot close to Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
Local jig fisherman Pat Swift viewed the gate as a better system than the previous one.
He saw downsides, however, in that there may be a “slight disadvantage” to older boaties as the system used QR codes and mobile phones.
Swift also said boaties travelling from Whakatāne would need to drive about an extra hour in total to be able to access Lake Ōkataina.
“Generally I think it’s going to be a good system.”
The gold clam issue provided an education to fishermen, he said, as to “how vulnerable our lakes are and how they need to be protected”.
Swift said other Te Arawa lakes used more of an “honesty system” and anglers needed to be knowledgeable on the basics such as checking for any “unwanted hitchhikers” and “not taking things for granted”.
Ngāti Tarāwhai Iwi Trust chairman Cyrus Hingston said a karakia was held at the new gate last Wednesday, and the first boatie to use it arrived towards the end.
Ngāti Tarāwhai Iwi Trust chairman Cyrus Hingston in 2023. Photo / Andrew Warner
The gate was an important tool in protecting the native biodiversity of the lake, he said.
Recent research at the lake found there were nine species of abundant native lakeweed, and the gate gave greater control from a biosecurity point of view.
Hingston said 95% of summer boat ramp usage had been good, but one person had complained about the 10 minutes it took for someone to arrive and help with the gate lock.
He said there had been three to five issues with the gate since it was installed, but he had been told by the manufacturer who investigated that it was user error. The entry pin was used instead of the exit.
Invasive freshwater gold clams that have established themselves in a lengthy stretch of the Waikato River.
“People will learn.”
The next step was to get a wash station set up at Rotoiti.
Hingston said if people had an issue with the Ōkataina measures there were 13 other lakes to use.
He previously said the iwi trust was exercising kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and believed its early response, which included closing the lake temporarily, had helped make others take notice of the threat.
Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity manager Greg Corbett said the council would take responsibility for ongoing gate maintenance costs.
He said iwi manually managing ramp access was unfeasible long-term.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust biosecurity officers, on behalf of the regional council, manually checked 1700 boats for compliance against the Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) over summer.
They spoke to more than 200 boaties and physical inspection of boats and trailers indicated more than 98% compliance.
Corbett said self-certification at boat ramps was completed 1500 times over the summer, which indicated more users were getting familiar with the rules.
The Biosecurity New Zealand update last week said the gold clam response would transition to a long-term plan to contain the clam to the known areas in Waikato, reduce its impact and develop tools to achieve that.
Instructions for Lake Ōkataina boat ramp access
Wash your craft at The Wash Place according to the instructions at the site.
Scan the QR code in the wash bay using a phone camera.
Fill out and submit the online form while at The Wash Place to receive two PIN access codes (the area is geo-fenced).
Use the first four-digit PIN received by email and text to open the gate at the boat ramp. You must use this PIN within two hours of receiving it.
Use the second PIN when exiting the lake.
Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019.
