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After nearly 10 years of dedicated work behind the scenes, we’re proud to have supported Rotorua Lakes Council to reach a major milestone – the lodgement of resource consent applications for four of Rotorua’s drinking water supplies.

Working in partnership with Ngāti Rangiwewehi (through Te Tāhuhu o Tawakeheimoa Trust) and Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara (through Karamu Tākina Trust), alongside Council, we’ve supported joint applications for key puna (springs) each with its own deep cultural, historical and environmental significance. We’ve also lodged applications for two of Rotorua’s community supplies.

This achievement reflects a journey defined by collaboration, learning, and a shared commitment to doing things differently, bringing together technical expertise and cultural values to recognise water not just as a resource, but as a taonga. The approach reflects mana whenua leadership in the guardianship of these taonga.

The applications themselves are for two key supplies from the Karamu Tākina puna and the Rewarewa puna, as well as smaller sources at Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotomā.

Te Tāhuhu o Tawakeheimoa Trust (on behalf of Ngāti Rangiwewehi) and Karamu Tākina Trust (on behalf of Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara) will be joint consent holders with Council for the two city supplies – Rewarewa and Karamu Tākina respectively. This approach represents a significant step forward in co-governance, reflecting a genuine commitment to long-term co-management and kaitiakitanga.

When granted, the replacement consents will enable the continued provision of a safe, reliable drinking water supply to Rotorua, while enabling mana whenua to exercise their kaitiaki obligations, with mātauranga and tikanga embedded into decision-making and monitoring frameworks.

PDP project lead Clare Maginness reflects on what has made this work so meaningful:

“It’s been an amazing learning journey and a privilege to work on this project with the talented PDP team. The approach to the joint applications will help ensure mana whenua can take a leading role in managing and protecting these precious taonga for generations to come.”

Throughout the project, our multidisciplinary team of planners, hydrologists, ecologists, and engineers have worked in partnership with mana whenua and stakeholders to develop a clear consenting strategy, prepare the reports to support the applications, and draft conditions that integrate both cultural and technical monitoring. 

Along the way, our team has carried out detailed ecological and hydrological assessments, flow monitoring, and field investigations – using innovative tools to capture and understand the unique characteristics of each puna.

Members of the PDP team being trained in flow gauging during the project.

Just as important has been the strategic thinking underpinning the work. We’ve helped explore future water needs in the face of population growth and climate change, including assessing the resilience of supply and supporting the development of approaches to manage water use during dry periods.

Having supported this work since 2017, this milestone highlights the strength of long-term partnerships and what can be achieved through trust, collaboration, and a willingness to evolve how we work together.

For recent media on the project, see this Rotorua Lakes Council release ‘Partnership Milestone: Application Lodged for City’s Main Water Supply’, and this Rotorua Daily Post article – ‘Rotorua water supply: Joint consent with iwi lodged to secure future’.