Farmers in the Lake Rerewhakaaitu catchment, south of Rotorua, are taking action to protect the lake's water quality by reducing their own nutrient flows.
The farmers made the decision after participating in the Sustainable Farming Fund projects held recently.

Lake Rerewhakaaitu dairy farmers are working together to protect the environment.

Farmers in the area were concerned about the future of the lake and the possible imposition of nutrient controls on their farming operations.
Environment BOP's monitoring had shown that nutrient levels in streams flowing into the lake were increasing.
Rerewhakaaitu farmers are currently in the third phase of the Sustainable Farming Fund project that aims to protect the environment there.
This includes measuring current nutrient loss from each property and developing a nutrient budget for each farm using tools to reduce the losses.
Land management group manager Warwick Murray says Lake Rerewhakaaitu is the only lake catchment in the Rotorua area where dairy farming is the main activity.
"Commitment to action on the ground and continual improvement will be key features of the next part of this valuable project," says Warwick.