The funding will help the trust's continued efforts to restore the mauri of the region’s lakes. Photo / NZME
The funding will help the trust's continued efforts to restore the mauri of the region’s lakes. Photo / NZME
New lake-edge boardwalks are planned for Rotorua lakes after Te Arawa Lakes Trust secured multi-year funding from BayTrust.
The trust has granted $600,000 to Te Arawa Lakes Trust (TALT) for new boardwalks as well as continued efforts to restore the mauri of the region’s lakes.
The funding, to be allocated at $200,000 per annum for the next three years, will allow TALT’s environmental team to expand into areas they have not previously had resources for, a statement from BayTrust said.
TALT’s goal is to reduce sediment loads and improve the health of the lakes but also promote the role of Te Arawa as hunga tiaki [a team of guardians] in their rohe.
Sarah Wharekura, Te Hunga Tiaki Taiao – Environmental Officer for TALT, said it was “very exciting news”.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to start using these funds to make a difference to our lakes and for our people.”
The grant will allow TALT to buy vital equipment such as a digital microscope to analyse algae and water samples, plus water quality, nitrogen and phosphorus meters and other sampling equipment.
“We have had limited access to these tools through our partnerships with other agencies such as Department of Conservation and Bay of Plenty Regional Council,” Wharekura said.
“However, this funding will give us the opportunity to use these tools full-time, build up our internal capacity to use these tools, and allow us to capture consistent data over time.”
Celebrating at the presentation of the New Zealand Biosecurity Māori Award in Auckland are members of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust team. Photo / Supplied
Water quality and pest monitoring will be done by selecting sites of cultural or ecological significance to Te Arawa in and around each lake. Each site will be sampled regularly and data will be analysed and uploaded to a shared online database to keep track of progress.
Pest animals such as rats, possums, stoats and wallabies will be targeted, and aquatic and terrestrial pest plants will continue to be removed and wetlands restored, with the goal of creating 1000ha of wetlands over the next 10 years which will be maintained by mana whenua.
Wharekura said one measure of success would be seeing an increase in taonga species such as kākahi (freshwater mussels), kōura (freshwater crayfish), tuna (eels), morihana (goldfish), īnanga (whitebait) and kōaro. Woven harakeke flax mats (called uwhi), had been placed on the bottom of several lakes to suppress weeds, allowing kōura to forage for food more easily.
In terms of new boardwalks, TALT planned to build a variety of new tracks over time around several lake edges to provide safe walkways and bike paths for the public to enjoy.
BayTrust chief executive Alastair Rhodes said no one cared more deeply about restoring the mauri (life force) of Rotorua’s lakes than Te Arawa.
“A lot of great work has already been done and Te Arawa is providing employment, internships and training in biosecurity and conservation work for hapū members.
“BayTrust hopes this funding will allow TALT to gain further momentum on this journey and provide people with the necessary resourcing to increase capacity and look after these lakes within local hapū and whānau,” Rhodes said.
The ownership of 14 lake beds was vested to TALT in 2006 in recognition of the tribe’s physical and spiritual connection to the lakes.
