Lake Taupo catchment
On this page: Protecting Lake Taupo, Lake Taupo catchment map, resources for farming activities, resources for consent holders
Protecting Lake Taupo
Lake Taupo is under threat from increasing nitrogen leaching from land uses in the catchment. In order to maintain the lake's water quality, we need to reduce the amount of nitrogen reaching the lake from farmland and urban areas by 20 per cent.
Waikato Regional Council is responsible for the lake's water quality, and we have been working together with Taupo District Council and central government to identify appropriate solutions for both the lake and the community.
In 2003, Waikato Regional Council released Protecting Lake Taupo - the overall strategy guiding action to protect the lake. Subsequent to this, new Waikato Regional Plan rules were developed to cap the amount of nitrogen leaching from the land, with a public fund (administered by the Lake Taupo Protection trust) established to assist in achieving the required reduction of nitrogen.
These changes mean that all landowners in the catchment now need to consider whether they comply with the new permitted activity rules in the Waikato Regional Plan, or whether they need to apply for resource consent for their land use activities.
Read the rules
You can read our rules regarding activities in the Lake Taupo catchment online - refer chapter 3.10 of the Waikato Regional Plan.
Lake Taupo catchment map
The new rules apply to all properties in the Lake Taupo catchment, whether they be residential, pastoral and or forestry sites. The catchment is identified on the map below.
Resources for farming activities
The following resources have been developed to help landowners in the catchment with establishing whether they require consents in order to continue farming:
Resources for consent holders
Record keeping template for consent holders (33kb)
For further information you can contact our Taupo staff on (07) 378 6539.