Pukepuke Lagoon last week after the lakebed ran dry.
By RNZ
An investigation has been launched after thousands of eels and other aquatic life were found dead or dying at Pukepuke Lagoon in what iwi have described as a “devastating scene”.
Rangitāne o Manawatū Settlement Trust’s Debbie te Puni said the mass deaths were unprecedented despite the lagoon, nestled between the Manawatū townships of Himatangi and Tangimoana, being known to dry up during summer months or droughts.
On Thursday, Horizons Regional Council alerted the Department of Conservation (DoC) and local iwi and hapū to the dried-up lake bed, strewn with dead and dying wildlife.
Te Puni said the scenes were “quite a shock to the system”.
The cause of the dry lake bed could be a combination of things, likely long-term groundwater extraction, drainage issues and weather extremes, Te Puni said.
“We’re looking at a full iwi-led investigation so we can ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Te Puni said it was crucial for iwi and hapū to front this situation and for external groups to support with their technical expertise, but to “step aside and allow iwi and hapū to take the lead in this space”.
Future proofing the wellbeing of Pukepuke Lagoon was about putting politics and “friction” aside to acknowledge “the mana of the whenua”, Te Puni said.
“These are taonga species which have been part of our lives and our tūpuna lives for many years. There’s a very deep connection here as opposed to it just being a piece of land which has to be monitored.”
Pahia Turia, chairperson of Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, said: “Many farmers will tell us this is a natural phenomenon. Nowhere in our history though did any of our ancestors ever talk about that lake drying up”.
Turia said significant lakes had been “absolutely drained” over the past hundred years for farming, and he assumed drainage systems around Pukepuke were the cause of these scenes.
Horizons Regional Council, Manawatū District Council (MDC) and DoC were also at Pukepuke on Friday and would be involved in investigating the cause of mass deaths.
Horizons chief executive Michael McCartney said this situation was “confronting” and “harm to taonga species is something none of us want to see”.
McCartney said council field staff had noticed “several lakes” in the area, including Dudding Lake and Lake Herbert, reached low levels in recent months and years.
Horizons believed the main issue at Pukepuke was a “lack of water” rather than historically poor water quality with high levels of nitrogen, but the council was currently gathering all available information on “the historical regularity” of such events at Pukepuke.
A spokesperson from MDC said they acknowledged the significance the lagoon held for Rangitāne and respected any decisions made would be led by local iwi, hapū and DoC.
A Facebook post by the Rangitāne settlement trust last Friday announced the shocking scenes and called residents to a Saturday mobilisation in collaboration with Ngāti Apa, Ngā hapū o Himatangi and Ngāti Raukawa.
“The tuna need us immediately,” the post said.
A rāhui was placed, karakia was sung, and eels were removed on Saturday with whānau and a handful of Horizons and DoC representatives.
Previously, Pukepuke Lagoon was only accessible to members of the public who obtained a DoC permit. Permits would now only be given to those conducting investigations or helping to “undertake fish salvage”.
Prior to European settler farming and draining of the Pukepuke Lagoon, it was roughly 162ha. From 1910 to the 1930s it was down to roughly 49ha, and since 1940 it had sat at around 15ha.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.