Ngāti Tūwharetoa locals are demanding immediate and lasting action after yet another wastewater spill into Lake Taupō, despite Taupō District Council confirming today that the ‘No Swimming’ advisory at Taupō Main Beach has been officially lifted following clear water test results.
The spill, which the Council stated was caused by a blockage of fats and rags, has been described by mana whenua as a symptom of a long-broken system.
Māori Ward Councillor Wahine Murch expressed profound anger and sadness over the recurring event.
“Angry. It makes me feel angry because whilst others in the community see no swimming, it is us, it is uri of our rohe, of Taupō, it’s uri of our moana, we are water people,” Murch said. “We’re the ones that feel the mamae, we are the ones who stand at the māuiui water and karakia and cry and tuku aroha ki tō mātou wai.”
Murch confirmed the frustration is widespread, noting that the community is not surprised by the situation, calling it “quite sad for us, especially mana whenua, our hapū, our iwi o Ngāti Tūwharetoa.” She pointed to a fundamental failure of infrastructure.
“I think to start off with we need to have the hard conversations on that tēpu around actually we can’t continue to palm the responsibility off to regional council. We can’t continue to palm the responsibility or the issue over to our infrastructure and the fact that it’s so old and can’t handle the capacity anymore.”
For the Taupō District Council’s part, they issued a statement confirming that the water quality tests now deem the lake safe for swimming. The Council is reinforcing its commitment to maintenance and preventative measures following the blockage.
Kua pakarū te pūnaha para hamuti na reira me whakatikaina e ai ki tētehi uri o Ngāti Rauhoto hapū
Hei tā Bronson Eruera Perich o Ngāti Rauhoto, ko te take o tēnei raruraru ka hoki ki te tīmatanga, kāore tēnei i te mahinga hou.
“Me pono aku kōrero, kua pakaru te hamuti, kua pakaru te pūnaha. Ehara tēnei i te mahinga hou, ehara tēnei i te tau hou. Mai rānō ēnei tū āhua i puta mai i Taupō-nui-a-Tia nei.”
I karanga kaha a Perich ki te Kaunihera kia aro ki ngā raru o te hanganga o te pūnaha, me te whakahua i te nui o ngā moni e riro ana i te Kaunihera mai i te iwi Māori.
“Tuatahi nā, me whakatikaina. Ūtaina te Māori ki te Kaunihera ngā rēti maha nā runga i ngā tarahiti e whakahaerengia e tātou. Ngā pāmu nui, ngā whenua nui. Miriona o ngā tāra e hoatu nei mātou ki te Kaunihera. Nō reira e te Kaunihera, whakatikaina te hamuti.”