Conservation Minister Tama Potaka has announced a $1 million investment from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) to upgrade more than 22 kilometres of tracks and three campgrounds around Ōkataina and Tarawera.
“Tarawera and Ōkataina are some of Rotorua’s most iconic visitor destinations, attracting thousands of people every year and supporting local tourism and jobs,” Potaka said.
“This announcement also shows why the Government is reforming conservation legislation,” he said.
He explained that the Conservation Amendment Bill currently before Parliament is aimed at making it easier to deliver practical upgrades in the future, citing that, “outdated processes have slowed investment into tracks, huts, campgrounds, and visitor infrastructure on conservation land.”
Minister Tama Potaka making the announcement this morning at Lake Ōkataina with Rangitihi Pene (Tūhourangi), Leith Comer (Ngāti Rangitihi), Minister Todd McLay and Cyrus Hingston (Ngāti Tarāwhai).
The funding is designated to help reopen the Eastern Ōkataina Walkway, which has been closed since a major rockfall event in 2021. The upgrades will also include work on the Northern Tarawera Track, Tarawera Falls Track, Humphries Bay Campsite, and Te Tapahoro Campground.
“We welcome the government’s $1 million investment in the tracks and facilities around Tarawera and Ōkataina. Ngāti Tarāwhai, along with our whanaunga, have always played an important role in this rohe,” chair of Ngāti Tarāwhai Iwi Trust Cyrus Hingston.
“However, funding for infrastructure is only a short-term fix. We believe the fundamental issue is guardianship; the land needs to be returned to us so we can properly care for and manage our whenua for the benefit of all, as was first proposed by our tupuna, and we are capable and ready to do,” he said.
Minister Potaka acknowledged that Ngāti Tarāwhai, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Rangitihi, Ruawahia 2B Trust, and the Lake Ōkataina Scenic Reserve Board all play an important role in the future of the area. The project will also support wallaby control and wider biodiversity work across the area.