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Councils collude on gate plan for lakes u by Andy Bryenton
It’s a compromise between those who wish to see an end to powered watercraft on Lake Taharoa and those who see boating at Kai Iwi Lakes as a central pillar of local tourism, but the decision to build a gate to protect the lakes from the gold clam comes as the aquatic pest spreads.
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p Busy summer days on Lake Taharoa; a new gate agreed to by the KDC will prompt boaties to wash down their vessels before gaining access
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Recommendations to close the popular lake to powered craft came from the Taharoa Domain committee in 2025, as the gold clam took hold in Waikato waterways. The Kaipara District Council opted at the time to educate boaties and promote good washdown procedures. Legal advice was sought, and this indicated that it was the Northland Regional Council that could enact a powerboat ban, not the KDC. Now, the gold clam, a fast-breeding pest which destroys ecosystems, has been found in Lake Rotomanu near New Plymouth. The only solution is a drastic one; the council there is draining the entire lake dry to try to kill the clam. If this works, which is no guarantee, it will be the first time the gold clam has ever been eradicated
from a body of water, anywhere in the world. At a meeting of the KDC on December 10, elected members agreed to invoke its powers under the Reserves Act in support of the installation of a monitored gate at Taharoa Domain, which will be emplaced by the Northland Regional Council and designed to lock out watercraft not washed down to prevent the spread of the invasive clam. Any costs associated with the installation, operation and maintenance of the gate are to be the responsibility of the Northland Regional Council,” said mayor Larsen. “I think a monitored gate linked to the washdown and hygiene processes that are currently being undertaken is a good step in the management programme
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of restricting the risk,” said councillor Snow Tane. A team made up of the NRC, Te Roroa and Te Kuihi swung into action to monitor the boat ramp during the busy summer period, and now the installation of the gate is imminent. It will be a self-policing system, however. It will rely on boat owners to complete an online checklist to declare their boat is clean. This relies on honesty and could be subverted. A hot washdown station has also been proposed by former council candidate Rodney Field, who was even prepared to have such a facility built on his own land to help stop the gold clam. Mr Field noted in his campaign that high temperatures are needed to kill the tenacious gold clam larvae, but for now, the KDC is proceeding with the gate option. ¢