Kai Iwi Lakes watercraft take all shapes and forms. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
Kaipara leader Ric Parore is calling for Kai Iwi Lakes to be closed to boating before Christmas as the threat of invasive freshwater gold clams grows.
Parore's comments come on the eve of Kai iwi Lakes' busiest camping season of the year.
The pest has spread from its Waikato River stronghold to Taranaki, more than 200 kilometres away.
Authorities say the Taranaki clams, found on 2 November by a member of the public near a Lake Rotomanu boat ramp, likely arrived via a boat from infected areas. The lake was closed to boating on 12 November.
The invasive clam has the potential to clog up boats' engines and working parts - as well as dams and pumps and hydro-electric power station intakes.
Kaipara's Kai Iwi Lakes are Northland's busiest tourist lake with 19,000 people visiting this year. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
Around 7500 people will be camping at Kai Iwi Lakes over summer.
Almost 19,000 visitors are expected to visit Kai Iwi Lakes this year, many bringing runabouts, jetskis, kayaks, yachts and other water craft.
Parore (Te Kuihi) said the Taranaki find increased the risk of the pest arriving in Kai Iwi Lakes, which have already been identified by authorities as being at risk.
He planned to discuss closure at a Northland Regional Council (NRC) Kai Iwi Lakes working party meeting in Dargaville today (SUBS: Thursday).
Dargaville's Alan "Sonny" Nesbit (Te Roroa) said gold clams were the worst pest the dune lakes had faced.
Their spread from Waikato to Taranaki showed New Zealand's biosecurity controls for the pest in that area were not working.
A busy summer's day at Kai Iwi Lakes' Lake Taharoa. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
NRC deputy-chair Jack Craw said the regional council strongly advocated for a temporary ban on powered watercraft.
"Powered watercraft pose the greatest risk because they are difficult to clean thoroughly. This ban would provide an immediate safeguard to the lakes, local businesses and surrounding communities," Craw said.
But he said Kaipara District Council (KDC) had voted not to support the ban.
That came in spite of strong mana whenua support, a recommendation from the council's own Taharoa Domain governance committee (which sought closure from Labour Weekend until a government controlled area notice was in place or alternative solution found) and NRC advocacy.
NRC deputy-chair Jack Craw. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
KDC owns the two campgrounds at Kai Iwi Lakes which generate significant income for the council.
Nesbit claimed KDC was only interested in the lakes as a golden egg for raising money from its campgrounds at the expense of the lakes' health.
It was just a matter of time till freshwater gold clams reached Kai Iwi Lakes, which would "fall over" as the pest consumed nutrients and altered ecosystems, Nesbit said.
Craw said NRC as an alternative, had asked Biosecurity New Zealand in May to implement a controlled area notice (CAN) legal pest control tool for the lakes but had not heard back.
Biosecurity New Zealand Manager pest management programmes Dr Cath Duthie said on Thursday more information had been sought from NRC and would be considered when it was received.
KDC manager community services Glynis McCarthy said the council had sought legal advice which indicated it did not have authority to close Lake Taharoa boat ramp under the Reserves Act, and any decision to close the facility could be legally challenged.
She said KDC had proactively sought to help NRC through updating councillors, ensuring there was space for clams' education at the boat ramp and ensuring NRC, Te Roroa and Te Kuihi educators had formal warranted authorisation.
Duthie did not specifically respond on whether current national controls were adequate.
"The risk that the invasive clam may spread from the Waikato River remains because the clam is a prolific breeder and can be easily spread by juveniles attaching to the surfaces of boats and water gear," Duthie said.
However, frequent Kai Iwi Lakes visitor Gordon Gilmour, from Auckland, was in favour of KDC's decision not to close the lakes.
He and Omamari's Rodney and Julie Field spoke against closure at the KDC meeting where councillors decided not to close the lakes.
Kai Iwi Lakes signage December 2023. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
Gilmour said his family visited Kai Iwi Lakes year-round from the Baylys Beach bach they bought four years ago.
The family had two jetskis that were only used at Kai Iwi Lakes, so posed no clam spread threat, but Gilmour said more needed to be done to prevent the pest's Kai Iwi Lakes arrival.
Rodney (Te Ātiawa) said doesn't want the lakes closed.
He said the matter could be dealt with by making prevention measures more effective.
Field is pushing for a hot water boat wash station with air drying, for boats going to Kai Iwi Lakes.
He said the lakes' current boat checks - education, signage and peak season cold water blasting for boats - were not enough.
Rodney has offered to pay towards a joint venture setting up a hot water boat wash station and hot air dryer on land he has also offered for this purpose on his property near the lakes.
"We need hot wash stations and hot air drying for boats. Cold water boat washing doesn't kill the clams," Rodney said.
Rodney recently visited Lake Powell, a major holiday destination reservoir on the Colorado River in the United Sates, to see boats' clam prevention control technology in action.
Lake Taharoa boat ramp. Photo: Local Democracy/Susan Botting
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
