Help may be on way for ailing lakes

Central North Island authorities which travelled to the Beehive to lobby for help in cleaning up Rotorua's lakes say they received a positive response from the Government.

The seven-member delegation met with Finance Minister Michael Cullen, Environment Minister David Benson-Pope and Land and Information Minister David Parker to try and persuade the Government to become an official partner in the lakes' restoration.

Rotorua mayor Kevin Winters said the delegation members presented their views to the ministers in a "very forthright" manner.

"At the end of the meeting, to confirm they were reading off the same page, everyone present signed a memorandum of understanding."

He said the delegation was not asking for a black cheque, rather a partnership based on adaptive management".

Lakes Okaro, Rotorua, Rotoehu, Rotoiti and Okareka have all been plagued by algal blooms, which degrade the water quality, harm aquatic life and fill the once-pristine lakes with green slime.

A report issued by the Environment Ministry in September 2003 said the blooms were caused by fertiliser runoff from farms and septic tanks.

Ideas suggested to clean up the lakes include diverting and screening the lake water, reducing the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water and using oxygen in to prevent the algae from blooming.

Te Arawa Maori Trust Board chairman Anaru Rangiheuea said the ministers seemed "genuinely interested" in what they had to say.

"We wanted to reinforce to them the historical and cultural significance of the lakes to Te Arawa.

- NZPA