Facelift And New Website For Rotorua Lakes Programme

For immediate release: 8 March 2012

The programme that protects and restores the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes has a fresh look, a revised name and a brand new website.

The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme, previously called the Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Action Programme, is a partnership of Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Rotorua District Council and Te Arawa Lakes Trust. Working together the three organisations have been tasked to meet the communities’ expectations for water quality in 12 Rotorua lakes.

The new website www.rotorualakes.co.nz provides a one-stop shop for all information about Rotorua’s iconic lakes. It includes everything from facts about each lake, to what actions are being taken for each lake for water quality and achievements made to date.

Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group chairman Kevin Winters said the website will help inform the community about steps taken to protect and restore the lakes and bridge knowledge gaps in the community.

“The Lakes are a treasured asset for Rotorua and all of New Zealand, and the Rotorua community are very passionate about them. But recent research showed that over 30 percent of residents believed water quality was poor in all of our lakes, which is simply not the case.” Mr Winters said.

“The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme has done a lot of work and made some fantastic achievements. We want the community to know about our actions and achievements and be involved. The website showcases our magnificent lakes and provides an easy way for the community to find out what is being done and to give us feedback on our actions,” Mr Winters said.

Te Arawa Lakes Trust Chairman Toby Curtis was pleased about the name change and the new website.

“The Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes are so important for our people. They are a part of us and the new look and programme name recognises this. We need to be able to tell the story of the history of our lakes and what we are doing to protect and restore our taonga, not only for our generation, but for many generations to come.” Mr Curtis said.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chairman John Cronin said the beauty of the website was that people could sign-up to receive regular updates from the programme.

“Protecting and restoring the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes is a priority for this region. So much work is being done within the lakes and on the land to protect these natural treasures; but research has told us that many residents don’t know what actions we are undertaking. Now there is an easy way to find out what is being done and what the impact is. We encourage everyone to go on to the website and sign-up to receive updates to stay informed.” Mr Cronin said.

To check out the new website go to www.rotorualakes.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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