Lakes Water Quality Symposium 2008

The government has recently injected a welcome $72 million dollars into the Rotorua Lakes Restoration Programme but the problem of nutrient pollution is ongoing. The catchment areas around the Rotorua Lakes and Lake Taupo are typical of other lakes and waterways throughout New Zealand. They are nutrient sensitive zones, affected by nitrogen and phosphorus run off from farms. This damage has shown itself in recent years with the appearance of algal blooms, water discolouration and putrid odours.

The Lakes Water Quality Society's 2008 Symposium will contribute to a national policy on nutrient sensitive zones and can be expected to provide scholarly and lively debate on lakes issues. The challenge of preserving our lakes and waterways, while managing the nutrient flow from intensive farming, will be examined from a wide variety of perspectives.

Pre-conference field trip: Monday 11 August, 1pm-4.30pm

Registration: Tuesday 12th August at 8am

Symposium: 12th-13th August 2008 from 8.30am

Dinner: Tuesday 12th August at 7pm

LWQS members, students: $75.00

Lakes Water Quality Society Inc. (LWQS)

The full progamme is available at the Lakes Water Quality Society website.

Ann Green

Symposium Secretary

Lakes Water Quality Society

PO Box 2008

Rotorua

Phone: +64 7 362 4204

Email: symposium@lakeswaterquality.co.nz

Web: www.lakeswaterquality.co.nz

- Environment Bay of Plenty

- The Royal Society of New Zealand (Rotorua Branch)

- Environment Waikato

- The University of Waikato

The symposium draws together European, Australian and New Zealand scientists, farmers, environmentalists, politicians and lake users for presentations and discussions on one of the major environmental challenges facing New Zealand.

Speakers include international and national academics and experts, industry representatives, The Minister for the Environment and the immediate past Commissioner for the Environment. See below for more details of the speakers.

A pre-conference field trip on Monday 11 August (1pm–4.30pm) will look at lake restoration projects on two Rotorua Lakes.

An ambitious $200M lake protection and restoration programme for 12 Rotorua lakese will take place over the next 10 to 20 years and has commenced with a number of innovative and successful projects that will be visited and discussed during the field trip session of the symposium.

Programme

Heritage Hotel Rotorua

Lakes Water Quality Society has secured a number of rooms at the conference venue, the Accommodation rates are based on single, double or twin occupancy. The conference rate is:

• Standard room: $115 + GST per room per night
• Superior room: $135.00 + GST per room, per night

Early booking is recommended

The rooms are secured though a block booking and will be allocated on a first-in basis until the 12th July. The Heritage Hotel is a very busy one and often runs more than one conference at a time. Click to download a booking form from the LWQA website.

Other Rotorua accommodation

For other accommodation options, see:

- A range of accommodation at various Rotoroa lakes.

- The official Rotorua tourism website

Precious lakes and waterways are under serious threat. Discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus from intensive farming are polluting them. Yet farming is the largest export earner which underpins the economic base of our country.
How do we keep New Zealand’s clean, green image in the face of the unrelenting drive to increase agricultural production and economic growth?

Important lakes throughout our country, like the Rotorua lakes and Taupo, are showing signs of high nitrification leading to discolouration, putrid odours and dangerous algal blooms. The catchment regions around these lakes are nutrient sensitive zones where nitrogen and phosphorus from any source causes unacceptable damage. Farming is only one of the causes, but nearly all other polluters have already been dealt with.

LWQS is once again hosting a symposium to open the issue of nutrient sensitive zones in New Zealand to informed public debate. Over the last seven years, LWQS, together with the Royal Society of New Zealand (Rotorua Branch), have organised five symposia which have created a much greater understanding of the issues affecting the iconic Rotorua lakes.

The symposium this year will examine how the nutrient sensitive zone concept would help. Overseas experience will be presented against a background of the New Zealand situation:

• The scientific facts about lakes and land
• The role of the RMA
• Better tools for planners
• Economic effects
• Political implications

World experts have been invited to bring their knowledge relating to nutrient sensitive zones (which are called nitrogen sensitive zones in Europe).

Whether you are a farmer, a local authority person, a scientist or most importantly a Kiwi who loves our great environment, this symposium is for you.

Dr. Erik Jeppesen from Denmark's National Environment Research Institute is regarded as a world leader in nutrients in lakes. He brings a European case study to the Symposium with special emphasis on the biological structure and interactions with the nutrient dynamics and climate in lakes of the European Community. Professor David Hamilton holds the Chair in Lakes Management and Restoration at Waikato University and will talk about the current state of the Rotorua Lakes and Lake Taupo.

Guy Salmon is currently the Chief Executive of the Ecologic Foundation and his expertise in integrating economic and environmental perspectives in decision making informs his presentation on the National Policy Statement on Fresh Water management, which is due to be released in June.

Dr. Mark Shepherd's specialist area is nutrient management in agricultural systems, with an emphasis on decreased environmental impact. He was the head of ADAS Catchment Management in the United Kingdom and has recently joined AgResearch Ltd. in Hamilton. He brings a grounding in the issues and legislation relating to agri-environmental interactions in the European Union.

The farming perspective is represented by Frank Brenmuhl, Federated Farmers Dairy Section Chairman and the issue of consensus versus regulation for farmers will be addressed by Professor Ali Memon, Professor of Environmental Management at Lincoln University. Geoff Kaine from the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia, considers the barriers to change in the programme's segment on Solutions and a Change of Mindset.

The Symposium will be opened by the Hon. Trevor Mallard, Minister for the Environment, who will deliver the government's perspective on fresh water management.

The National party perspective will be presented by the Hon. Nick Smith, National Party spokesman for the Environment.