As a long time spokesperson for the Te Arawa branch of the Federation of Mäori Authorities (FoMA), Pihopa has raised a number of concerns about the way local authorities have historically managed Lake Rotorua and other water bodies in the district. While millions of dollars have been allocated to the local authorities to clean up the Lakes, Te Arawa FoMA kaumatua, Pihopa Kingi, says the money has been lost.
Over the past decade, an overload of chemical nutrients being pumped into local waters from sewerage, agricultural and forestry sites have continued to cause Lake Rotorua to reach dangerous levels of eutrophication. Current research estimates that 70% of nitrogen and 40% of current phosphate loading is of farm origin.
“While the algae bloom as been controlled to some degree, it has not been eliminated. I have always been very disappointed in the way that the establishment has failed in the task of keeping all the lakes, rivers and streams in a reasonable state.”
“There is a level of runoff, and our local Mäori authorities are working hard to reduce the runoff from the farms, but it is unfair because most of the historic pollution that has made the lake vulnerable has not come from Mäori.”
“Te Arawa FoMA members are currently working towards a win-win solution with Environment Bay of Plenty and have developed a number of innovative approaches for cutting down nutrient loads from farms.”
References Author: Mere Takoto Published: November 24, 2009 Posted in: Feature, Issue 4, Issue Four, Koha Articles
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