Regional Plan for the Tarawera River Catchment

The Regional Plan for the Tarawera River Catchment (Tarawera River Plan) covers the area of the Tarawera River catchment including all its sub-catchments, and the Rotorua lakes in the upper catchment, but excludes Lake Rerewhakaaitu and its catchment. The Tarawera River Plan was formed primarily to manage the effects of the discharges of the large pulp and paper mills sited near Kawerau township by managing water quantity and water quality in the river catchment.

When considering the need for a plan, Environment Bay of Plenty identified:

• Significant conflicts in terms of differences in attitude between industry and community groups as to the level of protection required for Tarawera River water quality.
• Significant community demand for the protection of the Tarawera River by a reduction in the discharge of contaminants into the river.
• Significant concerns expressed by tangata whenua on the effects of contaminant discharge to the river.
• The need expressed by community survey to actively restore the deteriorated state of water quality in the lower Tarawera River.

The Tarawera River Plan is comprehensive and covers the following issue topics:

The Social and Economic Context:	Details issues relating social and economic wellbeing, and local attitudes and perceptions towards the environment in the Tarawera River Catchment.
Resource Management Issues of Significance to Iwi:	Outlines the primary resource management issues of concern or interest to tangata whenua iwi whose rohe is within the regional plan area.
Public Access:	Outlines issues relating to public access to and along water bodies in the catchment.
Landuse:	Details geology, soils, and vegetative cover of the Tarawera River catchment and provides an account of inappropriate land uses and land practices.
River and Lake Beds:	Deals with issues relating to management of the beds of the catchment’s river, lakes, and wetlands, including issues relating to the location of structures, sedimentation, and the reclaiming and draining of beds of river, lakes, and wetlands.
Freshwater Ecology:	Details freshwater ecology of the catchments water bodies, focusing especially on the main stem of the Tarawera River.
Surface Water Quantity:	Outlines the primary causes and effects of changing river flows and lake and wetland levels in the catchment.
Surface Water Quality:	Details the management of water quality in the Tarawera River catchment.
Groundwater Quality, Quantity and Land Disposal:	Deals with both groundwater quality and quantity, especially with regard to the Rangitaiki Plains, and the disposal of contaminants to land.
Geothermal Resources:	Manages the geothermal fields in the Tarawera River catchment.

The aims of the Tarawera River Plan are to ensure that:

• There is integrated management of the natural and physical resources of the Tarawera River catchment, 
• The high quality water in the Upper Tarawera River catchment is maintained, and improved where appropriate, 
• The water in the Lower Tarawera River achieves an enhanced water quality, consistent with a river substantially unaffected by industrial discharges, 
• The community remains involved in the management process, 
• There is a reduction in the discharge of contaminants into the Tarawera River, 
• The mauri of the Tarawera River is restored and the balance maintained.