Lake Taupo Protection Trust
New Zealand's largest ever environmental project was launched in February 2007 with the establishment of the Lake Taupo Protection Trust. The Trust will administer a $81.5 million fund to protect Lake Taupo's water quality.
New Zealand's largest lake, Taupo-nui-a-tia, is a national treasure. Renowned worldwide for its deep blue waters, Lake Taupo lies at the heart of a booming economy. But more than its economic value, is the special significance it holds for many, particularly Ngati Tuwharetoa, the iwi with mana whenua in the Lake Taupo catchment.
Evidence shows, however, that Lake Taupo's excellent water quality is under threat from the effects of past and current land use activities. Development and intensification of rural and urban land has increased the amount of nitrogen entering the lake through groundwater and rivers, promoting the growth of algae and phytoplankton in the lake.
Part of the solution to protecting the quality of Lake Taupo's water quality lies in reducing the amount of nitrogen leaching into the lake by 20 per cent. This is the aim of the Trust.
Over the next 15 years, the Lake Taupo Protection Trust will encourage and assist land use change, purchase land or nitrogen in the Lake Taupo catchment and fund research and other initiatives that assist land owners to reduce the nitrogen impact of their activities on Lake Taupo.