Taupo anglers and fishing guides have been asking –
(Just a reminder that anglers and taupo fishing guides already pay Iwi a contribution – it used to be half the licence fee – via their annual licence. First some historical stuff:)
“Where will it end?”
The tribe that owns Lake Taupō is taking court action to ensure they can charge all commercial operators that use it.
Central North Island iwi Tūwharetoa was confirmed as owner of the lake bed and the space occupied by the water and the airspace above the lake by the Government in 1992 and in modifications to the deed in 2007.
It does not own the water, but Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board chief executive Topia Rameka said they do have the right to charge commercial operators for a licence to operate on the water.
All companies that use the lake may have to pay for a licence.
About 40 businesses already pay for a licence to operate on the lake and have individual agreements with Tūwharetoa.
“However, there are approximately a further 50 businesses that are operating on Taupō Waters without an appropriate licence in place,” Rameka said.
Recreational users of Lake Taupō can use the lake for free but commercial operators are paying a fee to owners Tūwharetoa.
The trust is seeking a declaratory judgment from the High Court that would effectively force those not already paying for a licence, to do so.
The area of ownership is known as ‘Taupō Waters’ and refers to the beds and space occupied by the water of Lake Taupō, the tributaries flowing into Lake Taupō and the Waikato River from the outlet of Lake Taupō to the Rock of Tia (including Huka Falls).
In 2007, then Māori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia said changes to the deed gave Tūwharetoa the right to charge fees.
Trout fishing is a seasonal operation and a tax on income would make earning a crust difficult the off-season, one tourist operator says. (That is misleading? – Taupo fishing licences apply 12 months)
“Under the agreement the trust board’s rights on a number of fronts have been clarified, including in regard to commercial tourism operators where the board will have the ability to charge fees similar to those charged by DoC on Crown land.”
Recreational users of Lake Taupō will be able to use the lake for free.
Rameka said the amount they were charging commercial operators was confidential but they were effectively commercial leases.
Torben Landl, who owns 2 Mile Bay Sailing Centre in Taupō, says he looks forward to working with Tuwharetoa Maori Trust …
Stuff spoke to five tourism operators and none of them wished to talk on the record on the issue.
A group of operators called Taupō Waters Collective was formed in March this year to represent the interests of commercial businesses operating on or above the lake.
Chairman Marty Staines said it was inappropriate to comment while the matter was before the court.
Trips to the Māori Rock Carvings are very popular with overseas tourists.
“They’re clarifying the deed then we will go from that point there,” he said.
“We’re in delicate discussions with them.
“We don’t want anything out in the press that will upset them or us,” he said.
“It’s not there to be debated by the press – it’s there for ourselves, to be solved,” he said.
One operator, who did not want to be named before the court made its judgment, said they were not impressed by the charge, which he believed was about 7 per cent of revenue.
“To me, it’s greedy – always taking and taking.”
An ongoing tax on revenue – if that came to pass – would make running a business difficult because of the seasonal nature of tourism in Taupō, the operator said.
The operator wasn’t opposed to paying something.
“But it’s got to be reasonable and it’s got to be based on a sensible number – not of your whole income.”
Torben Landl owns 2 Mile Bay Sailing Centre, which serves drinks and pizza on stilts above the water.
He said Tūwharetoa had supported his family’s vision for the licensed cafe.
”As a family we have had tremendous support over the last 25 years from Tūwharetoa to get the business to where it is today,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing that relationship into the future and sharing in the goal of making Taupō a supreme tourist destination for local and international visitors.”
Iwi seeks to enforce Lake Taupō toll
Tourism businesses that operate on Lake Taupō may have to pay a toll to use the lake.
Central North Island iwi Tūwharetoa was confirmed as owner of the lake bed, the space occupied by the water and the airspace above the lake by the Government in 1992 and in modifications to the deed in 2007.
It does not own the water, but Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board chief executive Topia Rameka said the iwi does have the right to charge commercial operators for a licence to operate on the water.
READ MORE:
* Joint agreement on Lake Taupō waterways
* Lake Taupō iwi: Winston Peters ‘misinformed, unreasonably politicising’ water interests
“However, there are approximately a further 50 businesses that are operating on Taupō waters without an appropriate licence in place,” Rameka said.
The area of ownership is known as ‘Taupō Waters’ and refers to the beds and space occupied by the water of Lake Taupō, the tributaries flowing into Lake Taupō and the Waikato River from the outlet of Lake Taupō to the Rock of Tia (including Huka Falls).
In 2007, then Māori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia said changes to the deed gave Tūwharetoa the right to charge fees.
Recreational users of Lake Taupō can use the lake for free.
Rameka said the amount the iwi was charging commercial operators was confidential, but they were effectively commercial leases.
A group of operators called Taupō Waters Collective was formed in March this year to represent the interests of commercial businesses operating on or above the lake.
Collective chairman Marty Staines said it was inappropriate to comment while the matter was before the court.
“They’re clarifying the deed, then we will go from that point there,” he said.
“We’re in delicate discussions with them.
“We don’t want anything out in the press that will upset them or us,” he said.
“It’s not there to be debated by the press – it’s there for ourselves to be solved,” he said.
One operator, who did not want to be named before the court made its judgment, said he was not impressed by the charge, which he believed was about 7 per cent of revenue.
“To me, it’s greedy – always taking and taking.”
An ongoing tax on revenue – if that came to pass – would make running a business difficult because of the seasonal nature of tourism in Taupō, the operator said.
The operator wasn’t opposed to paying something.
“But it’s got to be reasonable and it’s got to be based on a sensible number – not of your whole income.”
Torben Landl owns 2 Mile Bay Sailing Centre, which serves drinks and pizza on stilts above the water.
He said Tūwharetoa had supported his family’s vision for the licensed cafe.
”As a family, we have had tremendous support over the last 25 years from Tūwharetoa to get the business to where it is today,” he said.
“We look forward to continuing that relationship into the future and sharing in the goal of making Taupō a supreme tourist destination for local and international visitors.”
Joint agreement on Lake Taupo waterways
Lake Taupo iwi are looking deep into their water holdings to keep clean water flowing downstream to big population centres.
Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board chief executive Topia Rameka made a presentation to the Waikato Regional Council in Hamilton, where a draft joint management agreement (JMA) between the organisations was approved.
He said the Waikato catchment had to be looked at as a single entity and had to include Watercare’s take for Auckland.
Ngati Tuwharetoa and Waikato Reigonal Council are developing a joint management agreement for Lake Taupo waterways.
“You’ve got a bathtub at the top called Lake Taupo, you’ve got this pipe that is the Waikato River and then you have Watercare at the other end,” Rameka told regional councillors.
“What we are looking at is how can the bathtub and the pipe work better to solve some of the future problems that might be [downstream].”
The central North Island tribe said it has passed up opportunities to develop areas around the lake due to the risk of declining water quality, but Rameka said demand downstream would place huge pressure on the district’s ability to hold enough water for all.
Three major rivers – Whanganui, Rangitaiki and Waikato – are all sourced from within the Tuwharetoa tribal boundary.
“Lake Taupo is a taonga to us, but it is very much a storage vessel for the North Island,” he said.
A joint governance committee has been working since February to put together the JMA, which includes Lake Taupo and its tributaries and the Waikato River to an area just downstream from Huka Falls.
Tuwharetoa already has co-management rights, with Raukawa and Te Arawa, over the upper reaches of the Waikato River.
The agreement will be developed over the next 18 months.
Waikato Regional Council chief executive Vaughan Payne said Tuwharetoa’s ownership of the lake bed and water column gave it exclusivity and that made this JMA unique.
“The principles that were laid down by the old people of looking after your neighbours and that concept of what we do impacts others is certainly flowing through to the current generation, which is pleasing to see,” Payne said.
– Stuff
Lake Taupo iwi: Peters ‘misinformed, unreasonably politicising’ water interests
ELTON RIKIHANA SMALLMAN
A central North Island iwi is hitting back at Winston Peters, saying the political veteran is “misinformed and unreasonably politicising” its interests in water.
But the New Zealand First leader is unrelenting, saying the Waikato Regional Council is giving water trading rights to iwi in its Waikato Plan, which has yet to be passed.
However, both the iwi and the regional council deny that is the case.
Lake Taupo iwi Ngati Tuwharetoa owns the bed of the lake and its tributaries and Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board chief executive Topia Rameka said its freshwater interests are set on solid ground.
READ MORE:
* Winston Peters takes aim at Waikato Regional Council’s Healthy Rivers plan
* Lake Taupo iwi wants $56k ironman race fee
* Time to find solutions to improve the Healthy Rivers plan change
* Ngati Tuwharetoa vote to send Treaty of Waitangi settlement offer to Parliament
“Tuwharetoa rights and interests in freshwater stand no matter what political party is in power,” Rameka said.
In 1926, Tuwharetoa and the Crown negotiated public access to the lake fishery and those rights were clarified in 2007 when a deed was signed between the Crown and the tribe.
The water is managed as a reserve and everyone has free access for recreational use.
But Peters said the historic interests Tuwharetoa hold do not translate to “rights to charge for the supply of water”.
“We’ve all got interests in water as New Zealanders,” Peters said. “But now you’ve got people who are claiming interests of ownership.”
Waikato Regional Council chief executive Vaughan Payne denied council was giving the iwi – or anyone else – the right to trade water. He said councils don’t have the power to charge for water or allow anyone else to do the same.
“The right of ownership and iwi rights and interests to water can only be resolved by the Crown,” Payne said. “All we are saying in the Waikato Plan, as local government, is we need to keep abreast of those conversations because water is so important to the Waikato.”
Peters was in Hamilton on Monday and told a crowd of more than 150 people at a Grey Power event the Waikato Regional Council is allowing water allocation and trading rights to Waikato iwi.
Resource consent holders have the right to transfer water rights already, Payne said.
“That can occur under the law now. It’s got nothing to do with iwi rights and interests.”
Council is responsible for managing water but only has “very blunt tools”. The river will soon be overallocated and the pricing debate will come up again.
“It is inevitable that people will need to share water if they’ve got some sort of right. The other tool we will need in future is pricing.
“Before pricing can be introduced, ownership needs to be sorted.”
However, that’s a legal matter for the government, and not for regional councils.
– Stuff
Background
Lake Taupō is a taonga (treasure) of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and is central to our identity. Ngāti Tūwharetoa are the kaitiaki (guardians) of Lake Taupō.
In 1992, the Crown signed a deed with the Trust Board that conferred ownership of the Taupō Waters on behalf of the people of Ngati Tuwharetoa. This includes the beds and space occupied by the water of Lake Taupō, tributaries flowing into Lake Taupō and the Waikato River from the outlet of Lake Taupō to the Rock of Tia (inclusive of Huka Falls).
In 2007 a new deed was signed that replaced the 1992 deed. This reaffirmed that the Trust Board has full ownership rights of Taupō Waters, including the ability to impose licence fees for commercial activities within and operating upon Taupō Waters.
The Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board has been seeking to license commercial businesses operating on Lake Taupō and the rivers flowing into Lake Taupo for a number of years, and several agreements have been achieved. However, we have been unable to reach agreement with all businesses. This is primarily due to these businesses being unclear and confused about the extent of our property rights.
To help move this matter forward, the Trust Board is seeking a Declaratory Judgment in the High Court. The aim is to have the Court clarify and confirm our property rights as outlined in the 2007 Deed we have with the Crown.
It is our duty to ensure our rights can be upheld, and these proceedings will be an important step towards clarifying this for all parties.
This matter relates only to commercial activities on Lake Taupō, and we can assure recreational users and members of the public that they are still guaranteed free and continued access, and this will not change.
As the matter is now before the Court, we will need to let that process run its course.
For further information, please find some FAQs below.
Topia Rameka
CEO
Frequently Asked Questions
Taupo Economic Report – to June 2017
Highlights for Taupo District
- GDP in Taupo District was up 2.9% for the year to June 2017 compared to a year earlier. Growth was higher than in New Zealand (2.8%) and higher than in Waikato Region (2.7%).
- GDP was $1,849 million in Taupo District for the year to June 2017 (2010 prices).
- Annual GDP growth in Taupo District peaked at 4.0% in the year to March 2012.
- The annual average unemployment rate in Taupo District was 3.9% in June 2017, down from 4.2% a year earlier.
- The unemployment rate in Taupo District was lower than in New Zealand, where the unemployment rate averaged 5.0% over the year to June 2017.
- The average current house value in Taupo District was up 15% in June 2017 compared with a year earlier. Growth outperformed relative to New Zealand, where prices increased by 6.7%.
- Total guest nights in Taupo District increased by 8.4% in the year to June 2017. This compares with an increase of 3.7% in New Zealand
Infometrics’ provisional estimate of GDP shows that Taupō’s economy grew by 2.9% in the June 2017 year, just above national growth of 2.8%. A key factor behind Taupō‘s slightly better performance is that the district has higher exposures to industries that are outperforming the rest of the New Zealand economy, namely tourism and most parts of the primary sector. Even dairy after years of poor performance looks set to be one of the better performing industries over coming quarters. Against this backdrop, job prospects are improving, while traffic flows climbed 6.3% over the past year.
Although house price growth in Auckland and Hamilton continues to slow, prices in provincial settings and lifestyle destinations that were slower to get going in the first place, such as Taupō, continue to climb rapidly. House prices in Taupō grew 15% over the June 2017 year. Demand is flowing into Taupō where housing is much more affordable than other lifestyle destinations, such as those in the Coromandel or the Southern Lakes Region. Against this backdrop, there continues to be an increase in the number of new dwelling consents.
Retail spending growth is particularly high, driven in part by the tourism sector which is also growing above the New Zealand average. A reason for faster tourism growth in Taupō is that the district has higher exposures than the national average to European and North American visitors, who stay for longer than average and have been showing strong growth in their numbers recently.
Infometrics’ estimates show Taupō’s total dairy payout in the 2016/17 season was $284m, up $104m from the previous year. Although some of this additional money will go into debt repayment, there will be some scope for modest spending increases by dairy farmers. Activity in the forestry sector gained some traction in the first half of 2017, with production levels improving and export earnings up. Timber processors are also enjoying strengthening demand from high levels of homebuilding activity across New Zealand.
The strength of the economy in Taupō is starting to manifest itself in capacity issues. Recent news has focused on overcrowding at local schools. Not surprising when one considers Statistics NZ population estimates showed growth of 1.7% over the June 2016 year, compared to average growth of 0.7%pa since 2000. More recent partial indicators of population growth, such as international net migration statistics, show that growth is likely to have remained strong in 2017.
Restructure for Central North Island Tourism?
A new tourism entity to take over Visit Ruapehu and other central North Island regional tourism bodies has been proposed by Ruapehu District Council.
The exact form of the new organisation is yet to be determined but the council is seeking MBIE support to be able to complete research into its feasibility. Work on the proposed entity has been prompted by the NZ’s tourism boom and the costs associated with taking advantage of it, according to the council.
There is a national conversation underway about the financial support required for small ratepayer bases (like Turangi?) sitting on large recreational assets.
Rural districts like Ruapehu cannot afford to self-fund the degree of investment required to promote their tourism sector, and pay for the infrastructure required to protect their environment, and enhance the visitor experience.
Watch this space…