No review of Lake Taupo consents at this time

Councillors, Community Board members and residents from Turangi and Taupo are disappointed at the decision by Environment Waikato today not to undertake a review of the management of Lake Taupo, at this time.

The desire for a review of current lake level management prompted Taupo District Council representatives and a group of local residents to travel to Hamilton yesterday to signal their wishes to the Regional Council.

Mayor Cooper said that the decision to attend the meeting in person was driven by genuine concern in the community about the current management practices of the Lake and Waikato River particularly with regards to the water level regime. “We simply believed that Environment Waikato should have taken this opportunity to take a fresh look at the consent conditions and consider if things could be done better,” he said.

Lake Taupo has been managed under the conditions of the resource consent since September 2003 with the conditions not due to come up for review again until 2013.

Clr Ormsby, Chairman of the Turangi/Tongariro Community Board travelled to Hamilton and was accompanied by a number of Board members and residents from the Southern end of the Lake. “Turangi is a small but important part of the Waikato Region - we have one of the best lakes in the world on our doorstep and we care very much about its management.”

“We would have preferred EW to take a closer look at the consent conditions sooner rather than later. Now that we have lost this small window of opportunity, we will not get another chance to have our say for another five years,” he said.

Mayor Cooper says “Council is very committed to working with all parties involved to address the wider environmental effects, through the Lake Taupo Erosion and Flood Strategy project, which is being undertaken jointly by TDC and EW