Lake Ōkaro which is about 25km south of Rotorua has been vested to Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Photo / File
Lake Ōkaro which is about 25km south of Rotorua has been vested to Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Photo / File
The bed of Lake Ōkaro has today been vested to Te Arawa Lakes Trust - a role they have not held for more than 100 years.
The long-awaited occasion was commemorated at Te Papaiōuru Marae this morning.
Minister for Māori Crown Relations Kelvin Davis is welcomed on to Te Papaiōuru Marae this morning. Photo / Ben Fraser
The decision was made in December 2014, eight years after ownership of 13 of the district's lakebeds was signed over to Te Arawa.
The Crown and Te Arawa settled claims over the Te Arawa/Rotorua lakes on December 18, 2006 with a deed of settlement transferring ownership of 13 lakebeds to the Te Arawa Lakes Trust.
Lake Ōkaro, at Waimangu, was excluded from the deed because it was vested in and administered by the council as a reserve at the time of settlement.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust is now the key decision-makers for the bed of Lake Ōkaro, a role not held for over 100 years. Photo / File
However, the Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations wrote to the council at the time, asking that negotiations be entered into with Te Arawa over the future ownership of Lake Ōkaro.
Council resolved in 2012 to support the transfer of the lakebed to Te Arawa, bringing all 14 Lakes under Te Arawa ownership again.
Lake Ōkaro has officially been vested to Te Arawa Lakes Trust through an unveiling of the Lake Ōkaro Certificate of Title. Read more here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=12311724
Te Arawa Lakes Trust chairman, Dr Sir Toby Curtis said today's proceedings wouldn't have happened without the tireless work of many involved with Te Arawa Lakes Trust, and its predecessor, Te Arawa Māori Trust Board.
"Now we have our 14 lakes back, what also has come back to us is our tipuna, the mana of land, the mana of water and the mana of Te Arawa.
"The return acknowledges our ancestral connections and provides the Te Arawa Lakes trust a role in the restoration, protection and preservation of our lakes for future generations."
Minister for Māori Crown Relations Kelvin Davis joined Te Arawa to celebrate the reinstatement of Te Arawa Lakes Trust as a key decision-maker over the bed of Lake Ōkaro.
"Through the hard work of many, we have been able to achieve something which was not possible when Te Arawa Lakes Settlement Act was passed in 2006."
Pohiri at Te Papaiōuru Marae this morning. Photo / Ben Fraser
The transfer of the last of the Rotorua Te Arawa lakebeds has enabled the final piece of the Settlement Act to be put in place, Davis said.
"Some things will stay the same. Lake Ōkaro will remain open to the public and Te Arawa will continue to welcome New Zealanders and visitors alike.
Powhiri to commemorate the vesting of Lake Ōkaro to Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Read more here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=12311724
"Some things will change. Individuals and businesses that wish to build or change structures on Ōkaro and apply for commercial activities that involve the bed and the water will now need the consent of both Te Arawa and the Crown."
Rotorua Lakes Council mayor Steve Chadwick said today's milestone resolves another long-standing local ownership issue.
"It's been a long time coming. It was wrong to strand one of our lakes but it was because of the peculiarity at the time of the Settlement Act and its reserve status.
"And so, Ōkaro was a little bit isolated outside of the settlement. But today we bring this matter to a close."
The co-management of Lake Ōkaro will continue to sit within the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group Partnership, as it has been since the settlement and in line with other lakes.
"Te Arawa will continue to welcome manuhiri and demonstrate manaakitanga by continuing to provide public access to Lake Ōkaro for all to enjoy.
