A UNIQUE SITUATION
For at least the past four decades, differences have arisen from time-to-time over land drainage or 'development' in the Te Rotokare Catchment area. This still causes concern, and in 2013 the situation has been stirred up again.
The Hawkes Bay Regional Council (the local water Authority) have been involved during this period, because three (maybe four) of the original lake-bed owners, Wildlife people and others (see list below) have sought them for assistance to restore water levels to a pre-1973 condition. It was the Council.1. that had initially assisted another landowner in 1973 to divert water away from the lake catchment area; an action that was without consideration for the future of the lake or the consideration of other down-stream lake-bed owners.
This has caused several connected chains of event to occur. As the seasonal water 'high' does not attain the usual level, then the water levels during summer are lower, even to the point of the lake completely drying up for a season a few years after the initial diversion. Coinciding with this, there have been a few recent landowners who seem more intent upon taking advantage of the seasonally dry land to further develop it, rather than to preserve its original condition.
The Regional Council are trapped, with pressure from both sides; from the landowners who have had the lake unjustly stolen from them and are scared for the survival of the surrounding environment, and from those with financial gain as their intent. This year (2013), the battle has come to a very intense level, with the Regional Council, who appear void of any authority, are implicated again in drastically removing a vast amount of water from the catchment (is it now 90%!), and so ignorantly / blatantly (whatever the words are) not attempting to reverse the action (which could be initially done with a spade in a few minutes).
'Compromise', the means of making two neighbours happy (as an example), is what the Council have been trying to do for the 40 years, but the long-term result of compromise, is no water and no lake. They have suggested dam walls and pumping or siphoning water into a valley (which is only a temporary measure) - a valley they drain at one end and suggest filling from another!! Is this a legacy of the 1800's when 90% of all the flat land in the whole surrounding area was water? And they are still intent to work their skills on the remaining 2%!
Those who are involved in the short term, for example some Land Agents or Developers, and even Councils or maybe some landowners, seem not to have had one clue as to the history of the area, and then maybe the first two would not tell it, or just overlook it if they had known. And I would not expect (on hindsight, for I had assumed they had known) the Regional Council to have been at all aware of the number of entities listed below whom have been involved with the area, for if they were aware I am sure things may be quite different today.
The lake Te Rotokare situation is quite unique and has some redeeming features. Any compromise with lake levels and catchment affect the balance and relationship of these:
Lake Te Rotokare, is a PONDING (natural water retention) area. The natural flow of the water (rain run-off) and catchment is towards the head of the valley, and not away towards the sea. There is no other continual source of inflowing water such as a creek or spring.
Oueroa pa is one of the 'cradles of civilisation of the Ahuriri / Heretaunga region', and the connected earthworks of the Te Rotokare valley are of archaeological interest and quite pertinent to the whole story. The list of interested entities below should help give some idea that there is more involved than what may initially meet the eye. Oueroa
Now this is absolutely not about 'Maori' in the sense of being racial. There is a far higher order involved here, and if this website can help bring some respect towards the Oueroa / Lake Te Rotokare connection, because they are virtually inseparable, then that will save a lot of future turmoil and ill feeling amongst those connected to the area.2.
The following are some of the interested parties that have been involved during this past period, and some still regularly involved with both lake and Oueroa. Those interested in the lake as a Wildlife habitat (which I have not touched upon yet) are included.
Archaeologists (regularly, local and top World authorities)
Fish & Game N.Z., and Hawkes Bay (and prev. H. B. Acclimatisation Society)
Waiohiki Marae Komiti
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
Dept. Anthropology UCLA California
Ngati Kahungunu descendant film makers, authors.
N.Z. Internal Affairs - Wildlife
Ornithological Society of New Zealand
Dept. of Conservation
Waitangi Tribunal
Maori Land Court (Whole of the local contingent visited in 2011)
Genealogists on Ngati Kahungunu
Massey University
E.I.T. and other groups.
The above list does not include the many and numerous people, expert in their fields, involved with various reports and surveys, and there are some I may have left out.
There are two dates above; 1973 and 2013, which will be the next two page names, and will cover more detail of events of 1973 to 2012, and 2013 onwards.
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