Lake Taupō catchment

Protecting Lake Taupō

Lake Taupō is under threat from increasing nitrogen leaching from land uses in the catchment. In order to maintain the lake's water quality, we need to reduce the amount of nitrogen reaching the lake from farmland and urban areas by 20 per cent.

Waikato Regional Council is responsible for the lake's water quality, and we have been working together with Taupō District Council and central government to identify appropriate solutions for both the lake and the community.

In 2003, Waikato Regional Council released Protecting Lake Taupō - the overall strategy guiding action to protect the lake. Subsequent to this, new Waikato Regional Plan rules were developed to cap the amount of nitrogen leaching from the land, with a public fund (administered by the Lake Taupōo Protection Trust) established to assist in achieving the required reduction of nitrogen.

In 2020, the Taupo provisions were changed by Plan Change 2: Taupo Overseer Version, to allow the use of updated Overseer Versions

These changes mean that all landowners in the catchment now need to consider whether they comply with the new permitted activity rules in the Waikato Regional Plan, or whether they need to apply for resource consent for their land use activities.

Read the rules

You can read our rules regarding activities in the Lake Taupō catchment online. Refer to chapter 3.10 of the Waikato Regional Plan.

Lake Taupō catchment map

The rules apply to all properties in the Lake Taupō catchment, whether they be residential, pastoral and or forestry sites. The catchment is identified on the map below.

Resources for consent holders

Find out more about issues affecting Lake Taupō’s water quality, including the effect of different land uses on the lake and how clean the lake is for swimming.

For further information you can contact our Taupō staff on (07) 378 6539.