'Protect these taonga' - Te Arawa Lakes Trust to host experts to discuss lake health and protection at hui this week

Te Arawa Lakes Trust is hosting two hui this week. Photo / File

After the success of last month's hui on lake health, Te Arawa Lakes Trust has organised two more public information evenings in Rotorua.

The hui will be in the Rotorua Lakes Council chambers tomorrow and on Thursday and the all members of the public are welcome.

Environment manager Nicki Douglas said it was essential the work of the trust and its programme partners was for the communities it represented and it was essential that hapū, iwi and the wider community had the opportunity to see inside the programme.

"So much work is being done to understand and protect these taonga," she said.

"This is one way we can share this - by providing the chance for people to hear about it in person from the experts on the front line."

The two hui would focus on different aspects of lake research and protection.

The first was tomorrow and would look at pest fish and kōura (freshwater crayfish).

It would include a talk about a project to establish information on the existing kōura population in Lake Okataina, the use of trained sniffer dogs to find pest fish, and Te Arawa's own volunteer programmes for catfish eradication.

Freshwater crayfish, or koura, will be discussed at the hui this week.

The second hui was on Thursday and would cover research on limiting algal growth in lakes and nutrient movement in waterways as well as research on kakahi (fresh water mussels).

Douglas said it was an opportunity to hear from the trust's people as well as research scientists.

"It's quite rare for the general public to have this level of access, but we want to do more of it because we all need to look after our lakes," she said.

Scientists from Niwa, Lincoln Agritech and Waikato University would be speaking, along with research consultant Dr Ian Kusabs and Te Arawa Lakes Trust experts Deliah Balle and William Anaru.

Douglas said there was great feedback from those who attended the last hui.

The short evening sessions meant even busy people could head along, listen, learn and have a cup of tea with the experts afterwards.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust Hui
When: Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18
Time: 6pm to 8.30pm
Where: Rotorua Lakes Council Chambers