A tino rangatiratanga flag flies at tapū Lake Rotokākahi near Rotorua. Photo: LDR / Laura Smith
The construction of a controversial sewerage pipeline near a Rotorua lake considered tapū by mana whenua is set to continue despite protests.
Work on stage one of the Tarawera Sewerage Scheme, near Lake Rotokākahi, will continue on 24 February.
This is in spite of a long-term occupation of the area by mana whenua which shut down work on the new sewerage pipeline last September and a kāranga, or request, for more occupiers to gather at the site over the weekend.
The new pipeline would connect homes in Tarawera to the main Rotorua wastewater treatment plant in an effort to improve the water quality of Lake Tarawera.
However, the pipeline's proximity to Lake Rotokākahi saw some mana whenua from Tūhourangi and Ngāti Tūmatawera occupy a portion of the lake, claiming it is a wāhi tapū (sacred site) where many of their tīpuna (ancestors) were killed and buried following the eruption of Mount Tarawera in 1886.
In a media release, Infrastructure and Environment Group Manager Stavros Michael said the council had been engaging with partners and stakeholders including iwi, mana whenua, Tarawera residents and protesters.
They said mitigation measures have been introduced including:
- Double sleeving of the section of pipeline being laid 2m underneath the concrete culverts of the Wairoa stream.
- A pou tikanga (cultural monitor) appointed by mana whenua will observe the final stage of the reticulation pipeline and give contractors guidance.
- Establishing procedures whereby any early warning signals for pipeline faults will trigger a pump station pause and alert nominated mana whenua representatives.
- Participation of mana whenua representatives in any remedial actions if required.
- The council will include financial resources in its budget to undertake remedial work if required.
- The council will work with mana whenua nominated representatives to establish a long-term mana whenua response group, with a wider long-term scope to monitor the performance of the reticulation network and future plans for the Tarawera catchment.
Speaking to RNZ, Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Andrew Moraes said the scheme would remove the need for properties in the vicinity of Lake Tarawera to have septic tanks which often leak into the lake.
"[The pipe] at its closest point is over 15m away from the water's edge and installed within the public road.
"We have almost 20km of pipe throughout the district of similar type and construction that is installed a similar distance from our other lakes and we've had no incidences of those pipes leaking in the history of this district."
Signs opposing the construction of a sewerage pipeline near Lake Rotokākahi (file photo). Photo: LDR / Laura Smith
There are concerns the remains of tīpuna could be uncovered during the excavation of the site.
Moraes said two cultural impact assessments and an archaeological report concluded that the work done on the road over the last number of years meant that the likelihood of any accidental discoveries was minimal.
The council also have a cultural monitoring and archaeological protocol in place so that if discoveries were made, he said, the "right experts" would get involved.
In a statement sent out over the weekend, Rotokākahi Board of Control and Protect Rotokākahi spokesperson Te Whatanui Leka Taumalolo Skipwith called on more people to come to the lake to protect its tāpu.
"We have been living on the whenua continuously since August. We know the police are going to mobilise, and in order to ensure the continued protection of this tupuna roto, we need to mobilise too. We need people to join us."
It was impossible to overstate the importance of Rotokākahi to mana i te whenua, he said.
"This sewer pipe is not just a threat to the pristine environment of Rotokākahi, it's a threat to the tapu of this space.
"A tapu that extends well beyond the water's edge. These are the types of decisions that will affect Iwi-council relationships for generations."
Skipwith said he is expecting hundreds to attend.
"Rotorua Lakes Council just needs to take this pipe on a different route now. We know people will join us.
"History has proven that when mana i te whenua put out the call for assistance, Aotearoa answers."
The group are also demanding the Rotorua Lakes City Council divert the sewer pipe from its intended route and away from their ancestral lake.
Moraes said the pipe's route was decided by the Lake Tarawera Sewage Steering Committee, which includes representatives from the Tūhourangi Tribal Authority, Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi, Māori landowners, Lake Tarawera Ratepayers Association, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council.
"[We] came together to form the Lake Tarawera Sewage Steering Committee, and that committee recommended to [the] council, having considered all the options, this scheme.
"There were a number of alternatives commissioned at the time and there were a range of cultural concerns, but the biggest cultural concern universally acknowledged was the need to protect Lake Tarawera.
"It's very clear that there was universal acceptance that there was a need to protect Lake Tarawera."
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