Tarawera Collective Impact Roles

Te Arawa Lakes Trust are excited to be advertising for a number of positions to help ensure joined up action for the health and wellbeing of Lake Tarawera and its seven contributing lakes.

This team will connect, provide support and pursue opportunities to empower Tarawera Iwi, Māori Land Trusts, landowners and community care groups to implement projects to ensure that the long-term care of the eight lakes reflects Te Arawa values and incorporates cultural monitoring, practices and mātauranga. 

The positions are:

Pou Hononga Taiao (Community connector)

These roles are the interface between the Te Arawa Lakes Trust, iwi/hapū, Māori Land Trusts, local communities and organisations. They are focused on connecting with our people, at a grass roots level, to find out how to realise their aspirations for environmental wellbeing within the Tarawera Lakes System.

You will determine where to best focus efforts/actions to enhance the well-being of the Tarawera Lakes System and take steps to resolve gaps in capacity and/or capability to realise these aspirations. The roles will be busy, dynamic and varied.

Depending on the skill sets of candidates, the roles may range from 0.6-1 FTE (24-40 hours per week).

Kairaraunga Taiao (Data Manager)

We are looking for someone who can oversee the collation, analysis and visualisation of data for this project. This will be a busy and varied full-time role, which includes technical support in terms of GIS mapping and science communication.

Whakapā Taiao (Communications Support)

This role is the conduit of information, supporting effective communication with our Iwi, Māori Land Trusts, communities and organisations.

Being knowledgeable on varying methods of engagement is important, as well as the collecting and sharing of information through our many communication pathways.

This is a busy and varied part-time role (12 hours a week).

There is a lot of flexibility within the roles including hours (job sharing is welcome) and office location (e.g., home, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, other Iwi within the Tarawera Lakes System).

To read more about the overarching mahi please read Tarawera Lake System.

If you have any questions, please touch base with one of the team - we're here to help:

Elva Conroy
Tarawera Collective Impact Project Co-Ordinator
elva.conroy@gmail.com
022 070 4652

Catfish Biocontrol Research in Te Arawa Lakes

He pānui nā Te Arawa Lakes Trust,

“We would like to let you know that we are investigating the use of alternative methods to control catfish in Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotorua. This is so we can protect and care for our taonga species and the health of our lakes.

Catfish were first discovered in Lake Rotoiti in March 2016 then in Lake Rotorua two and a half years later. Despite massive netting efforts by our contractors and volunteers, the catfish population is now an estimated 186,000 in Lake Rotoiti (as of March 2020).

We know that catfish are devastating our kōura populations. We also know that catfish eradication is not feasible with the current tools available. For this reason, we are working with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and NIWA on a research project to assess whether biocontrol, using sterile male catfish, would be an effective tool for Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotorua.

These are catfish which are unable to successfully breed with other catfish. As a result, they disrupt the breeding success rate of wild catfish.

Over the next 12 months, we will be facilitating engagement hui to listen to your concerns and thoughts about this research project. We will also be:

• Identifying mātauranga māori-based research projects to both support the research requirements while also supporting post-graduate students of Te Arawa descent.

• Working with:

• Ministry for Primary Industries and Department of Conservation to understand their respective permitting processes.

• Fish and Game New Zealand regarding a potential site for a fish hatchery.

• NIWA regarding research requirements e.g. catfish population dynamics.

We will be discussing this kaupapa at an engagement hui in September 2020. In the meantime, if you require any further information or clarification, please contact William Anaru on william@tearawa.iwi.nz or visit our website www.tearawa.iwi.nz

We look forward to your feedback to ensure that we can engage in this programme together for the protection and care of our waters.

Ngā mihi mahana,

Karen Vercoe

CEO - Te Arawa Lakes Trust

Tarawera - Connecting People and Place

The Tarawera Lakes Collective Impact Project was developed to connect agencies and communities where groups, each with their own set of skills and experiences can work together for a common purpose.

The purpose being Lake Tarawera and its declining water quality. Lake Tarwera is one of the iconic Rotorua District Lakes with seven lakes contributing to the health of Lake Tarawera (Ōkataina, Ōkāreka, Tikitapu, Rotokakahi, Rotomahana, Ōkaro and Rerewhakaaitu).

Te Arawa Lakes Trust has been tasked with scoping out how collective impact might work – in practice – for the Tarawera Lakes System.

Working collectively is a way of bringing together and harnessing the collective potential and energy of passionate people which can build on existing work happening within the attachments and enable innovation and multiple benefits.

To view and read the information sheet – please click here.

Next steps:

To provide feedback on this important kaupapa – please click here. The online survey is a way to share your thoughts to guide the way forward.