Kāhu ki Rotorua: Lakes sprayed for weeds

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

See below for English translation

Ko Te Waikai Otaota

He ahakoa he marangai kai whare, he ahakoa te whatitiri me aro kē e tātau ki te raumati e whakatata nei, hoake tātau ki ngā roto moana anei tētehi o ngā mana nui o tēnei whaitua. E mana ai tā tātau kauhoetanga e mana ai tā tātau noho hāneanea ki ngā roto moana kai puta atu a Te Arawa Lakes Trust ki te kawe i āna mahi patu otaota.

Nō te wiki nei ka kotahi atu te ohu mahi ki Ikataina me Tarawera ki te pēhi ngā tarutaru ki te wai patu tarutaru.

Ko tētehi wāhanga noa tēnei o te kaupapa Te Waikai Otaota e kaupapa tiaki i ngā awaawa me ngā wai Māori me ngā roto moana o Te Arawa. E ai ki te pou whakahaere mō te kaupapa Waikai Otaota a Anaru ko tētehi noa whakaaro tēnei e kawea nei e te ohu Taiao, “Ki te papatu otaota otīā ki te whakarauora i te māuri o ngā wai moana kia kaha anō ai ngā koura, ngā tuna, ngā kākahi, ngā īnanga, ngā kōaro me te morihana. Ko te wai pēhi otaota e whakamāhia ana ko te Diquat. Ka riringihia tēnei wai patu otaota ki ngā roto moana e ono.

Ka tīmatangia tēnei mahi ā te kotahi tekau mā wha o Noema tae ki te tuarua o Tīhema. Ko Rotorua-nui-a-Kahu, ko Te Rotoiti, ko Tarawera, ko Ōkataina, ko Rotomā me Ōkāreka ngā roto-moana. ' Ka tuku pānuitanga ā kanohi, ā reta hoki, ā waea pūkoro, ā īmērā kia mātau ai te iwi ki tā tātau mahi.

Ka rāhuingia ēnei roto moana mo te kotahi rangi mō ngā hāora e rua tekau mā wha te roa. ' Ka whakatūngia he pou whakamōhio ki ēnei wāhi kia kāua te hāpori e kuhu moho noa atu ki te wai, ki te kohi kai, ki te mātira ika ki te kaukau rānei’.

Kua whakaaengia tēnei āhuatanga hoki e te kaunihera nui o te moana nui a Toitehuatahi. He wai ngāwari a Diquat, kāore ōna mate āpiti, wheoi anō rā, kia mataara, whāia ngā tohutohu a te rāhui. Ka warea tēnei wai, motuhake anake ki ngā ngārara pēnei me te lagarosiphon, elodea, egeria me te hornwort. Mā te kamupene rangatira a AquaAg te tuku wai pēhi otaota. Mā Growsafe te mahi e whakahaere e mana hoki ai ngā tikanga kua whakatakotohia e te Pou whakahaere ahuwhenua matū NZS8409:2004. — Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori

- Me he pātai āu whakapā ki Te Arawa Lakes Trust; aquaticweed@tearawa.iwi.nz tirohia te whārangi www.tearawa.iwi.nz me te pae tukutuku www.linz.govt.nz mō ngā kōrero hou.

English Translation

Ignore the torrential rain, lightning and thunder, summer is just around the corner and it’s time to take advantage of living in such a beautiful rohe.

And to make sure the rotomoana all over our district are safe for us to gather kai and play in, Te Arawa Lakes Trust has been spraying the lakes to kill the weeds.

This week teams were at Lake Okataina and Lake Tarawera spraying the herbicide Diquat dibromide.

The spraying is part of the Te Arawa Lakes Trust programme Te Waikai Otaota – Te Arawa lakes aquatic weed treatment plan as part of a multi-faceted approach to restoring the lakes and waterways across Rotorua.

Operations Manager William Anaru said Te Waikai Otaota was one of the many biosecurity methods being used by the trus’s taiao team to, “aid in the lengthy battle of restoring the quality of our wai along with the protection of our taonga species like koura, tuna, kākahi, kōaro, inanga and morihana”.

Diquat will be used to control aquatic pest weeds on six lakes — Rotorua, Rotoiti,Tarawera, Ōkataina, Rotomā and Ōkāreka — between November 14 and December 2.

“We are notifying whānau and communities kanohi ki te kanohi, letter drops, text messaging, emails and social media – to help inform those who are living nearby and are regular lake users.

“To keep our whānau and communities safe we will place a Rāhui on treatment areas which will prohibit swimming, food gathering, and collecting drinking water for 24 hours following control operations.”

Pou Whakamōhio (signage) will be erected during this time to ensure all lake users are aware of the rāhui.

To keep our whānau and communities safe we will place a Rāhui on treatment areas which will prohibit swimming, food gathering, and collecting drinking water for 24 hours following control operations.

Consent for these activities under the Resource Management Act was granted by Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

A stand down period or rāhui on the area of control which prohibits swimming, taking food, and collecting drinking water, will be in place for 24 hours following control operations. Diquat dibromide is a safe and effective method of suppressing aquatic pest plants.

The herbicide will be applied to target and suppress aquatic pest plants such as lagarosiphon, elodea, egeria and hornwort. Diquat is a selective herbicide and can target pest aquatic plants while having no adverse effects on native aquatic species.

Herbicide application will be carried out by registered contractor AquaAg. All herbicide applications will be supervised by a Growsafe Registered Applicator working within the guidelines documented in NZS8409:2004 The Management of Agrichemicals.

- Any queries should be directed to Te Arawa Lakes Trust via aquaticweed@tearawa.iwi.nz. Further updates in relation to the work and treatment progress can be found on www.tearawa.iwi.nz and www.linz.govt.nz.