Iwi calls for help over polluted lake
The country’s largest iwi is calling for a joint effort to clean up Northland’s biggest lake, which has been plagued by pollution, foul smells and algae blooms for decades.
Lake Ō māpere, located north of Kaikohe, has used as an emergency backup water source for the township from the 2020 drought to June this year when a replacement will be up and running.
However, concerns over quality saw the emergency supply delayed for months as extensive extra water treatment was needed to ensure the water was safe to drink.
The lake can have toxic algal blooms, with one bloom in February 2018 turning the lake into a pungent, frothy mess.
Te Rū nanga-Ā -Iwi-Ō -Ngā puhi chairperson Wane Wharerau said pollution had been a problem for the lake for at least 30 years, however, it wasn’t the fault of one group.
‘‘It’s gradually been getting worse. There are several reasons why – it’s a collective of a lot of bits and pieces that have taken place for over a century and a half,’’ he said.
Tests carried out by the Northland Regional Council showed low concentrations of cyanotoxin at the lake in January.
Cyanobacteria produce toxins that are harmful to humans and animals if swallowed or through contact with skin. Exposure to cyanobacteria can cause symptoms such as skin rashes, nausea and tingling and numbness around the mouth or tips of fingers.
Despite the pollution, the water body has deep cultural significance to Ngāpuhi hapū, and was once a reliable source of kaimoana, Wharerau said.
‘‘All hapū of Ngāpuhi have a connection to that lake. It fostered a relationship between the Hokianga and Taumā rere on the east coast,’’ he said.
‘‘It used to be a place where eels lived, it was obviously a food basket for the area, and allowed hapū to keep in contact with each other,’’ he said.
Wharerau called upon the Government, council and community to help clean the lake for good.
‘‘I’m calling on everybody. A lot of central government [support] will, hopefully, be funding.
Council will no doubt be looking to provide on the ground support,’’ he said.
Far North mayor Moko Tepania said the Far North District Council would be willing to work together to clean the lake.
‘‘Me mihi ka tika ki tō tātou heamana o Ngā Puhi! It is hugely heartening to finally see this shared concern on the state of Lake Ō mā pere brought to attention,’’ Tepania said.
‘‘Far North District Council will be a willing participant on working together for solutions to restore the mauri and the mana of our lake.’’
This comes as the Ministry for the Environment released the Our Freshwater 2023 report on Wednesday last week, detailing the poor state of Aotearoa’s lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and aquifers.
The report shows 45% of monitored lakes worsened between 2011 and 2020 and 45% of rivers are unswimmable.
More than two-thirds (68%) of monitored groundwater sites failed drinking water standards at least once during the period measured, according to the most recent data.
Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis said the Government remains committed to ensuring all New Zealand waterways are clean.
‘‘There is more work that needs to be done to restore Lake Ō mā pere and working together to make progress remains a priority,’’ he said. ‘‘We want to get the money out to people as soon as possible,’’ McCarthy said.
Cyclone Gabrielle damage is expected to take years to repair to the point where the lives of those affected are returned as closely as possible to normal.
McCarthy said Kaipara’s Cyclone Gabrielle immediate response work has finished.
That work had included emergency stopbank repairs, making sure wastewater, stormwater and drinking water suppliers were working adequately and restoring transport links so supplies and essential services could reach affected communities.
The council had now moved into the recovery phase of dealing with the cyclone’s impact.
This focused on fixing identified damage.
She said recovery work had a much longer tail than the shortterm immediate nature of response.
Council recovery work would continue until 2025. After that, the work involved in getting back to normal after the cyclone would shift into business-asusual mahi.
Longer-term response included enhancing council infrastructure to better withstand future weather events then returning to business as usual.
‘‘It is hugely heartening to finally see this shared concern on the state of Lake O¯ ma¯ pere brought to attention.’’