Doug Leeder BOP Regional Council Chairman

In the Bay of Plenty we are fortunate to have copious amounts of water, but increasingly the what, how, why and quality aspects of its use are being directed by central government through national policy statements (in this case on water).

These statements are effectively giving direction to engage with communities to give effect to their expectations regarding water and its quality. They then go on to say economic growth, through use of this resource, is an expectation – and the role to administer these somewhat conflicting objectives rests with your regional council.

So in this space you can expect to see a lot more activity in months to come as the council puts more resources (people and money), into this part of our overall activities.

But on a positive note, for the close of the year, we can celebrate two really important achievements for water quality in our region. Both show what good farming practice and strong community effort can achieve.

At this year's Inaugural Morgan Foundation River Awards, Rotorua's Ngongotaha Stream won a regional award for most improved waterway, measured by a reduction in the level of e coli and sediment. This reduction couldn't just be an ‘accident' – judges needed to also see proof the community has taken action to improve (that is, reduce) these levels.

The Ngongotaha stream care group, comprised of Ngongotaha station, other dedicated landowners and community groups, has worked incredibly hard during many years to clean up and protect the stream through using good farming practice, keeping their stock out of the stream, planting large areas of stream bank and regular working bees to remove rubbish.

E coli is not the only threat to our rivers, lakes and streams. Big reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus are crucial to restoring the quality of the Rotorua Lakes. This year, it's been great to see the improvements in water quality in Lakes Rotoiti, Rotorua and Rerekawhaaitu (a farmer-led and driven initiative with regional council as a partner).

Improvements to the Trophic Level Index in each of these lakes are a real credit to the farmers in the lake catchments, and their initiative and preparedness to tackle the problem. In Lake Rotorua, the council's programme of alum dosing is also showing real results.

We know there's still a lot of work ahead. Lowering the nutrient loads is a big challenge, and the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group will continue to work with farmers, community groups, iwi, scientists and councils to achieve lasting improvements.

I encourage you to visit: www.rotorualakes.co.nz to learn more about these treasured lakes and the many initiatives underway to restore and protect their water quality.

All of us across the region have waterways we treasure, and the Ngongotaha Stream and Rotorua Lakes initiatives show how much we can do.

Wishing you and your family a happy, safe and relaxing Christmas and New Year.