Site Evaluation Reports
A detailed evaluation of the activities, outcomes and lessons from each of the Living Water sites
Lakes Areare, Ruatuna, Rotomānuka/Ngā roto o Areare, o Ruatuna, o Rotomānuka
About the area/Mō te wāhi
Globally peat lakes are rare ecosystems – the Waikato Region is home to 31 of them. These lakes formed over thousands of years and are home to species that have adapted to their unique conditions.
Classified as ‘acutely threatened’, the Waikato peat lakes are important historically, culturally and environmentally.
Living Water is focused on three specific lakes – Areare, Rotomānuka and Ruatuna. Improving the water quality of these lakes would help black mudfish, Matuku-hūrepo/ Australasian bittern, pūweto/spotless crake, mātātā/fernbird, weweia/ dabchick and long-finned tuna (eel) return and enhance recreational and cultural use.
The challenge/Te wero
Lakes Areare, Ruatuna and Rotomānuka have elevated levels of nutrients, sediment and pathogens, and considerable nutrient stores within lake sediments. This has been caused by the various productive land uses in the area and the highly modified hydrology and drainage systems. Enhancement of water quality in these lakes is extremely difficult and will require a range of remediation measures.
Living Water’s key focus was restoring unique peat ecosystems, enhancing habitat around the lake margins, and transforming agricultural drains into healthy waterways.
- 268ha Areare sub-catchment area
- 479ha Rotomānuka sub-catchment area
- 190ha Ruatuna sub-catchment area
- 10 Fonterra dairy farms
Lakes Ruatuna and Rotomānuka catchment
Lake Areare catchment
Projects in Progress
Restoring the little lakes of Waikato
A round-up of all the mahi from the Waikato Peat Lakes catchment as at July 2022
Waikato Peat Lakes progress map
Download our catchment map in high or low resolution
Real time water quality monitoring
Can continuous, accurate data that’s accessible to all parties involved in catchment management empower and inspire change?
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Wildlife habitat restoration
Living Water has partnered with landowners, community and iwi to carry out lake restoration activities
Pā Harakeke
Working with Ngāti Apakura to restore the mauri of the lake
Macrophyte Reintroduction Trial
Reducing pest fish in Lake Ruatuna in order to re-establish native macrophytes to improve water quality over time.
Sediment Traps
Sediment traps are simple, low-cost excavations in a watercourse or near a waterbody that capture and reduce the downstream movement of gravel, sand, and silt.
Pinpointing catchment contaminant loads - Lake Ruatuna
Investigating what contaminants are entering Lake Ruatuna, when they enter the lake and where they are coming from?
Floating Wetlands
Reducing contaminants and improving wetland habitat
Hydroseeding Trial
Spraying a mixture of water, seed, mulch and sometimes fertilisers onto the ground in difficult to reach places
Water Primrose (Ludwigia) Control
Reducing the biomass of invasive macrophyte Ludwigia by aerial spraying with drones, rather than hand weeding or excavation
Use of eDNA to detect species
Using a sample of water, soil or sediment can detect species much more easily than electrofishing or intensive trapping
Koi Carp Barrier at Lake Ruatuna
Preventing the spread of invasive pest fish
Engaging with schools
If children are engaged, they can develop a sense of ownership of an area, see the positive changes in the area over the years, and influence their parents to become involved.
Engaging with the community
Community engagement is key to any project. Once the project is over, it’s the community that keeps it alive