The people need the water, but now the water needs the people
In the late 1990s, based on scientific evidence, it became clear that increasing nutrient discharges, primarily from livestock farming, were threatening Lake Taupō’s near pristine water quality. In response, ‘the Protecting Lake Taupō Project’ was launched – a ground breaking partnership between Waikato Regional Council, Taupō District Council, Tūwharetoa Maori Trust Board, central government and local landowners.
In 2011, Waikato Regional Council introduced a water quality policy package with three components.
- A cap on nitrogen emission levels within the Lake Taupō catchment.
- The establishment of the Taupō nitrogen market.
- The development of a public fund to share the burden of change on farm and to recognise the public benefit of a clean lake.
Not only did this project highlight the relationship between land use and water quality, it also motivated innovation in national farming systems. It set out to protect a national taonga (treasure) while developing opportunities for land change for farmers and other stakeholders. And ultimately the project set national and international precedents. This bold policy initiative was and is globally unique: it is the only trading programme or market where diffuse sources of pollution operate under a cap.
Along the way, the project cemented Ngāti Tūwharetoa’s role as kaitiaki of Lake Taupō.
Watch the video below to find out more about the project.
(Most images on this site are courtesy of Destination Lake Taupō)