Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

Isn't it great when you get more than you bargain for? I went to a Lakes Water Quality conference last week expecting to hear a lot about the water quality problems in the Rotorua Lakes and the challenges we face in trying to improve the water quality in our degraded lakes – particularly in the biggie – Lake Rotorua. And I did hear a lot about this – but the messages were pretty encouraging.

There has been a lot of science input and we now have a good understanding of what we are dealing with and how to go about addressing the problems. Some of the interventions underway have made a real difference and water quality improvements are being seen – for example, in Lake Okaro where sediment capping has been used, and in Lake Rotoiti where a diversion wall channels degraded water away from the lake. There are other solutions, like aeration of the lakes which look promising, but for Lake Rotorua there will be no magic bullet and land use change and improved land management will be necessary. Far from being regarded totally as a negative, the prospect of land use change was looked at as an opportunity to change the future of Rotorua.

An exciting vision was painted of a city rich in natural promise – its natural beauty, its geothermal resources, its tourism potential, its extensive forestry plantations, the innovative science and technology being produced by Scion and other research agencies, the assets now held by iwi, and a drive for rural land use alternatives which could deliver a thriving economy in the future if the right building blocks are put in place.

We heard of a city in Sweden which has gone down the path of green growth and is now recognised as the greenest city in Sweden. It has a lot in common with Rotorua – its degraded lakes were cleaned up and this was used as a platform to develop a very attractive sustainable city – based on clean technology, fuelled by bio-energy and full of innovative SMEs building a vibrant economy.

The conference and its vision for Rotorua comes at just the right time. Rotorua is revisiting its economic development strategy and it is in the process of amending its district plan. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is soon to hear submissions on its draft regional policy statement which sets the framework for the clean-up of water quality and land use change in the lakes catchments. If we can line up all these things and link them to a shared green growth vision and prioritised actions, the future of Rotorua looks bright. It would be great if it could live up to its by-line: Rotorua – Living the Dream – World Class in Every Way!

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please contact me on [email protected] or ring me on 07 579-5150. Or you can visit www.janenees.co.nz