Lake Waiporohita project is a winner

Many of those who could have been in Wellington last week to accept the Green Ribbon Award were at Lake Waiporohita, planting 3000 native trees around the margins. All the Ngati Kahu hapu were represented, with support from Te Whanau Moana Te Rorohuri kuia and DoC.

The project aimed at restoring Lake Waiporohita, on the Karikari Peninsula, was recognised last week with a Ministry for the Environment Green Ribbon Award.

Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu, the Northland Regional Council, the Department of Conservation (as current manager of the lake-bed and marginal strip) and Landcorp (which farms the Rangiputa Station surrounding it) have joined forces to protect and restore the 6.9ha dune lake, via fencing, removing exotic trees and riparian replanting, which will allow the lake to recover the ability to filter nutrients from the surrounding land.

Northland Regional Council lakes catchment adviser Will Trusewich with the Green Ribbon Award, recognising work by Ngati Kahu and its partners to restore Lake Waiporohita. Photo / NRC

A management plan is also being written to protect and restore it.

The project won the Kaitiaki Leadership category at the Green Ribbon Awards in Wellington on Thursday night, but Ngati Kahu could not be there, the function clashing with riparian planting around the lake, that saw volunteers plant an estimated 3000-plus natives at the lake over the past two days, but runanga chief executive Anahera Herbert-Graves said the iwi was pleased and humbled.

The project was one of two finalists in its category, the other being Para Kore Marae Incorporated's Zero waste in Maori communities.

Ms Herbert-Graves said Lake Waiporohita was a taonga, not just to local tangata whenua but to all Northlanders, and the Green Ribbon Award nomination recognised that.

Currently one of just 12 dune lakes in Northland officially classed as being in an outstanding ecological state, Waiporohita had nonetheless been at increasing risk from people unaware of its special status, including those driving into it to use it as a car wash.

"Our dune lakes are under already multiple stresses, including nutrient run-off, invasive pest fish and water weeds, and cumulative effects from use by the wider public," she said.

"But Waiporohita has an added threat in that it is one of only a few dune lakes in Northland that are easily accessible to the public, putting it at even greater risk of transfer of water weeds and pest fish."

The Northland Regional Council's Kaitaia manager, Peter Wiessing, said the lake area was being landscaped using locally-sourced materials, native plantings and signage to let the public know vehicle and boat access would no longer be tolerated.

The partners were also keen to work with officials to try to better manage large numbers of Canada geese that gathered at the lake, and fouled it with their waste. A cull will take place later in the year.