Te Arawa Lakes Trust

03/09/2026

Kua tata te wā - last chance to apply!

Expressions of Interest for a 2026 subsidised fishing licence close on 11 September.

If you're not registered with Te Arawa Lakes Trust, you won’t be eligible.

Don’t miss your chance!

Register and apply today:

- online: www.tearawa.io or
- email us at [email protected]
- call us on 0508 832 7292 or
- nau mai haere mai ki te tari 1 Mokoia Drive, Tihiotonga

23/08/2026

Aquatic w**d control operations will be taking place intermittently at Pourākau Bay on Lake Rotorua from the 25th of August through to the 25th of September, depending on weather and w**d conditions. A rāhui will be in place for 24 hours following control operations prohibiting swimming, fishing and taking of water. Signage will be in place to make sure all lake users are aware of this rāhui.

These aquatic w**d control operations involve the use of the herbicide Diquat dibromide. Further details of these control operations, including maps of all spraying sites, can be found in the Aquatic W**d Control Operational Plan athttps://tearawa.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Spray-Plan-FINAL-R1-FY2526.pdf

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

Te Arawa whānui
Aurakihia ngā wai whakahoki mai.
Nau mai te kāhui kaihao, ko Waitī e karanga ana.

Have you applied yet?

Expressions of Interest for 2026 subsidised fishing licences are open, but not for long! Make sure you're registered with Te Arawa Lakes Trust to take part.

It only takes 5–10 minutes to complete both steps.

Visit our website https://tearawa.io/ and click on "Register now for Fishing Licence EOI".

If you need help with the process, call our registration team on 0508 832 7292, send an email to [email protected] or call into the tari at 1 Mokoia Drive, Tihiotonga.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust Mā Te Arawa | For Te Arawa Te Arawa Lakes Trust is our legacy iwi-entity, established to represent the interests of Te Arawa hapū and whānau in relation to the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement 2006 – interlocking our unique intergenerational relationship with our 14 freshwater lak...

17/08/2026

TE ARAWA LAKES TRUST

MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release — 18 August 2026

Te Arawa Lakes Trust acknowledges High Court decision on Rotokākahi

Te Arawa Lakes Trust (TALT) acknowledges the judgment of the High Court in Rotokākahi Board of Control v Rotorua District Council [2026] NZHC 2380, delivered by Justice Tahana on 13 August 2026. The Court granted the Rotokākahi Board of Control’s application for judicial review, declaring that the Rotorua Lakes Council’s decision to proceed with the Tarawera sewerage scheme, and its subsequent notice under section 87BB of the Resource Management Act 1991, were both unlawful.

We congratulate the Rotokākahi Board of Control for their continued pursuit of protecting their lake. Rotokākahi is tapu, and the Board is the body established to govern and control the lake on behalf of the whānau who whakapapa to the lake. The mana to speak on behalf of the whānau and the lake, is the responsibility of the Board and TALT want to reiterate that we support the Board in the position it has taken.

The Court recognised that TALT and the Rotokākahi Board carry separate statutory and settlement responsibilities. Following the 2006 Te Arawa Lakes settlement, the beds of the other Te Arawa lakes were vested in TALT, and TALT holds a formal role as a partner in the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group — the joint committee responsible for the sustainable management of the Rotorua lakes and their catchments, which expressly includes Rotokākahi. At the same time, the Court was clear that the whakapapa and historical relationship between the Board and TALT cannot be viewed separately. Our roles are distinct, but they are connected.

The judgment turned on a failure to consult. The Court found that the Council was required to engage directly with the Board before deciding to proceed and did not. In reaching that view, the Court recognised that consultation must reflect the diverse roles and authorities that exist among Te Arawa entities — that the right people must be engaged, at the right stage, with the right authority. That principle reaches well beyond Rotokākahi.

“This is an important judgment, and we welcome the clarity it brings,” said Wallace Haumaha, Chairman of Te Arawa Lakes Trust. “It affirms that those who hold mana over our lakes must be engaged directly and early on the decisions that affect them. For Rotokākahi, that authority sits with the Rotokākahi Board. For the wider Rotorua lakes, it reinforces the role of Te Arawa Lakes Trust and of mana whenua, and it sets a clear expectation for how the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group and councils must work with us going forward.”

Issues affecting Rotokākahi have wider implications for all of the Rotorua lakes and for the Strategy Group. TALT will use this judgment constructively — not to assume any role that belongs to the Board, but to reinforce a collective and collaborative approach to the governance of the Te Arawa lakes. We will be seeking clearer processes within the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group so that, on significant activities affecting the lakes and their catchments, there is early and effective engagement with the entities that hold authority.

“Our commitment to the health of Lake Tarawera and all of our lakes is unchanged,” said Mr Haumaha. “The degradation of these waters is real and it must be addressed. What this judgment tells us is that lasting solutions come from getting the process right — from working together, with respect for each other’s roles, rather than around one another.”

Te Arawa Lakes Trust will continue to work alongside the Rotokākahi Board, mana whenua, and our Strategy Group partners to protect the mauri of the Te Arawa lakes for present and future generations.

Ends

Media enquiries
Tame Malcolm, GM.
[email protected]

13/08/2026

Te Arawa Fishing Licence 2026 – Important Pānui

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
Ko Waitī e karanga ana!

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for the 2026 Te Arawa subsidised fishing licence.

Key Dates:

• 12 August – EOI opened
• 11 September – EOI closes
• 14 September – Free licences processed for eligible Te Arawa Kōeke
• 15 September – Successful applicants emailed with payment instructions
• 1 October – Trout fishing season opens

The registration link to the EOI is also available on https://tearawa.io/.

Kaua e wareware e te whānau — you must be registered with Te Arawa Lakes Trust to receive a subsidised fishing licence.

If you need help with the process, call our registration team on 0508 832 7292 or call into the tari at 1 Mokoia Drive, Tihotonga.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust Mā Te Arawa | For Te Arawa Te Arawa Lakes Trust is our legacy iwi-entity, established to represent the interests of Te Arawa hapū and whānau in relation to the Te Arawa Lakes Settlement 2006 – interlocking our unique intergenerational relationship with our 14 freshwater lak...

15/06/2026

Update: The Workshop has been postponed

Tēnā tatou,

E kainamu mai nei te wananga nei. E tuku ana au i te whakatapunga ki ngā wataka e pai ai te whakariterite i a tatou anō.

Climate Adaptation for Hapori Māori - 2-Day Workshop

The Climate Adaptation and Planning wānanga presented by Hon Kiritapu Allan is taking place on 25 and 26 June 2026.

Venue: Te Rangihouhiri Marae II, 30B Thornton Road, Awakeri

Day One, we envisage the powhiri to take place at 9:30am. Day one, provides an overview of climate adaptation in a Māori context, exploring how climate change affects iwi hapū and hapori Māori, the unique challenges and strengths of hapori Māori, and real-life examples of hapori-led adaptation.

Day Two gets practical, walking participants through the adaptation planning process.

Please RSVP to [email protected] to indicate your ability to attend.

08/05/2026

Ka raranga ngā hau i te muri
Ka raranga ngā hau i te tonga.
Whakapupuke ai ngā ngaru i Te Ngarue, ko ngā pōtiki a Hinehopu e heru mai rā, i Te Matarae I Orehu…

Tangi piē ana ngā manu kāuru tapu i runga o Matawhau, i a Ngongotahā.

Ko te kākā tarahae o te pōkaitara nui, kua riro.
Te kākā wahanui a te nuipuku, kua ngū.
Te kākā kura o te Ati Nui, kua hinga.

Takahia te ara tukutuku, ki te ara taiahoaho i te rangi. Whakamau atu ki te Pūtahitanga nui o Rēhuaariki i te pō.

E Koro, e moe i te reka o te pō matirerehau, taihoa koe whakaoti atu e!

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Dad, Husband, Koro, Brother, Uncle.

Dr Ken Cameron Kennedy Snr

Loving Partner to Rangimahuta.
Dad to Ken Jnr & Toni, Virginia & Tony, Marcus & Steph, Delveena, Daneka, Nadia, Caine, Christian (Dec).

Koro to Chase, Chantel, Jaquille (Dec), Cheyenne, Levi, Byron, Jaylin, Marcus, Novalee, Cian, Oscar, Jackson, Chloe, Joy, Kemara and Korokoro too many

Tangihanga details are as follows:

Koro will arrive at Ihenga, Tangata rua at 5pm. (Friday)

He will spend the night there and will then travel to Pounamunui, Houmaitawhiti at 3pm apopo (9th May) where he will lay until his rā nehu.

Koha Details:
Dawn Whare
02-1242-0867832-001