Concerns about Lake Taupō pollution under proposed blanket national wastewater standards

RNZ News

21-05-2025

Skipper Tahlia Pook (R) and her crew for the Chris Jolly Outdoors lake cruise.
Photo:
RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
The fog has burnt off to a fine day as skipper Tahlia Pook brings her catamaran back to dock.
She had taken a boatload of visitors on a Chris Jolly Outdoors lake cruise, and she said the quality of the lake was a big draw.
"This is kind of why people come to Taupō, people love seeing our crystal-clear waters and just about every customer who comes on comments on how clear the water is," she said.
She worried this would be tarnished if there was a lowering of the standard of wastewater going into the lake.
"Maybe they don't quite understand what it will do for our businesses and stuff like that. Maybe if they wanted to come out and see how pristine it is, because I don't think you quite get how beautiful and how pristine it is until you are actually out here."
In a submission to the Water Services Authority - Taumata Arowai, Waikato Regional Council said the standards could result in water quality loss across the region.
"Many existing municipal wastewater discharges have contaminant standards in their existing consents or current applications which are of higher quality than what the Standards would require. The Standards would undo significant work and investment already undertaken by territorial authorities and encouraged by the Council, in upgrading wastewater treatment plant discharges," the council said in its submission.
Lake Taupō.
Photo:
RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Waikato Regional Council's Mike Scarsbrook said it was like setting one speed limit for every road in the country - some might end up safer, but others would be made more dangerous.
"The challenge with having national standards is that some waterways that might need a greater level of protection aren't necessarily protected by those national standards," he said.
One area which needed higher than average standards was Lake Taupō.
The council asked that the new standards not impact the work that had been done to restore the lake, or override the Lake Taupō provisions of the Regional Plan.
"When we've looked at the current standards across the region, versus the proposed standards, there is quite a marked softening of the standards compared to what's in place already, including around Lake Taupō," Scarsbrook said.
Another concern for the council was that the proposed standards would conflict with existing Treaty Settlement obligations.
In its submission, the regional council recommended the Water Services Authority clarified the relationship between the wastewater standards and Treaty Settlement obligations including Te Ture Whaimana.
Robert York and Jenny Noonan would be unhappy to see the quality of the lake water change.
Photo:
RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
"The proposed standards will conflict with the existing Treaty Settlement obligations to be met in the Waikato, Waipā and Taupō catchments, including meeting Te Ture Whaimana and Te Kaupapa Kaitiaki objectives."
The chief executive of Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, Rakeipoho Taiaroa, said it also had serious concerns.
"Of particular concern are proposals that fall short of maintaining the freshwater quality we've fought hard to protect and restore. These taonga cannot afford diluted standards or approaches that prioritise box-ticking compliance over holistic, on-the-ground solutions like Te Ture Whaimana. Most importantly, decades of collaboration between councils, hapū, and iwi to protect these waters cannot be sidelined - our partnerships are the foundation of progress," he said.
Taiaroa said Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato, the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato River, is a legally binding commitment under the settlements.
"National standards must align with this framework, not weaken it."
Chief executive of the Water Service Authority Allan Prangnell said that the national wastewater standards were not finalised yet but he believes the draft standards will lift performance of wastewater treatment in the Taupō catchment.
"Across the Waikato - Waipā catchment, five of the 22 wastewater treatment plants discharging to water are operating on expired consents. This is reflective of the national picture, with 20 percent of all wastewater treatment plants operating on expired consents. Within the next decade, 60 percent of all public wastewater treatment plants will require reconsenting," he said.
The wastewater standards are proposed as a way to address this bow wave of reconsenting.
"To ensure that a once-in-a-generation upgrade of New Zealand's wastewater treatment plants is done in a way that is efficient, cost-effective and ensures ratepayers are not funding unnecessary duplication in consenting and infrastructure costs."
Raymond Kahia and his family.
Photo:
RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Locals at the lake edge said they did not want more pollution going into Lake Taupō.
"No one in their right mind would be happy if they are going to change the lake," said Robert York.
"That they pour more waste into our awa? I think that no good," Raymond Kahia.
Consultation on the proposed changes has finished and the national wastewater standards are expected to be set later this year.
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