Water supply to Rotorua’s eastern and central area comes from several springs which are culturally significant to Māori, and which have differing ecological values. PDP are currently preparing the consent applications for Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC) to continue to utilise these springs. Working Groups have been established to reflect the different rohe, cultural identities, and those who whakapapa to the springs.
As knowledge systems develop over time, we have an increasing number of tools to quantify and define our state of the environment. The technical work undertaken by PDP includes a habitat survey and modelling approach, which was used to relate changes in streamflow to changes in physical habitat for various life stages of species of fish and other organisms. This provided the basis for developing catchment specific environmental flows based on ecological values.
The partnership approach between RLC and iwi and hapū throughout this process is vital for meeting the collective aspirations for the sustainable use of our water resources.
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