Lake clean-up ‘community’ issue

Te Arawa is calling on the Rotorua community to come together as its focus turns to the state of the district's ailing lakes.

Following the historic signing of Te Arawa's Rotorua lakes claim settlement, giving it ownership of 13 lakebeds, the tribe is setting its sights on cleaning up the lakes.

Te Arawa Maori Trust Board chairman Anaru Rangiheuea is calling on the community to join forces to ensure the lakes remain a viable asset for the benefit of all.

Mr Rangiheuea said much of the uneasiness over the lakes issue had been the result of misinterpretation, ill-informed advice and scaremongering by a minority.

He hoped any ill feelings would remain in the past and that in the coming year the community would work together on improving the condition of the lakes.

"We need to stay well focused - it's very important we clean up the lakes and that we give each lake equal priority."

While lakes like Rotoiti had been named as being more affected than others, it was important not to lose touch with developments in other lakes such as Rotoma, Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and Tarawera to ensure they did not deteriorate.

Mr Rangiheuea said pressure needed to be put on the Government to come up with more funding to clean up the lakes.

"Locally we can do it but it means putting pressure on the ratepayers and it shouldn't happen that way. Ratepayers are already overloaded ... it's a community problem and the Government has to come to the party. The lakes are important to the whole country."

Mr Rangiheuea said the mood after the signing of the lakes claim settlement by Te Arawa and Government officials on December 18 was generally positive. In the New Year, Te Arawa would arrange a series of hui to consult its wider hapu about the establishment of a new entity which would receive and manage the settlement assets.

As well as giving title to 13 lakebeds, the deed of settlement agreed between Te Arawa and the Government included an apology for past breaches of the Crown's obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi, cultural redress in recognition of the tribe's traditional, cultural and spiritual connection with the lakes, financial redress of $2.7 million and annuity redress totalling $7.3 million.

- NZPA