East Rotoiti | Rotomā Sewerage Scheme

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The East Rotoiti Rotomā Sewerage Scheme (the Scheme) aims to protect the health of the waterways, the health of the public, and to provide an essential service to the community. The scheme also aligns with the vision of the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes Programme (a partnership between Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Rotorua Lakes Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council):

‘to preserve and protect the lakes for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations while recognising and providing for the traditional relationship of Te Arawa with their ancestral lakes’

The project has come to fruition through a collaborative effort by Rotoiti/Rotomā Sewerage Steering Committee, Rotorua Lakes Council, Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The project has also been assisted through funding from the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Health.

A Wastewater Treatment Plant was built behind the Rotoiti Emery Store and some 47 kilometres of reticulation network has been laid from to service properties from Matahi to Curtis Road.

Rotomā properties including non-residential were connected to the new service in 2019/20. Homes in east Rotoiti will be connected over the next two years,

For more information visit: https://visiontoaction.nz/projects-home/protecting-waterways/

The animation video below shows the route of the sewerage reticulation line that runs from Matahī Road to the site of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.



The East Rotoiti Rotomā Sewerage Scheme (the Scheme) aims to protect the health of the waterways, the health of the public, and to provide an essential service to the community. The scheme also aligns with the vision of the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes Programme (a partnership between Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Rotorua Lakes Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council):

‘to preserve and protect the lakes for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations while recognising and providing for the traditional relationship of Te Arawa with their ancestral lakes’

The project has come to fruition through a collaborative effort by Rotoiti/Rotomā Sewerage Steering Committee, Rotorua Lakes Council, Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Bay of Plenty Regional Council. The project has also been assisted through funding from the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Health.

A Wastewater Treatment Plant was built behind the Rotoiti Emery Store and some 47 kilometres of reticulation network has been laid from to service properties from Matahi to Curtis Road.

Rotomā properties including non-residential were connected to the new service in 2019/20. Homes in east Rotoiti will be connected over the next two years,

For more information visit: https://visiontoaction.nz/projects-home/protecting-waterways/

The animation video below shows the route of the sewerage reticulation line that runs from Matahī Road to the site of the Wastewater Treatment Plant.



  • Where we've come from

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    by RRRangitauira,
    supporting image

    Finding a preferred option for a sewerage scheme for east Rotoiti and Rotomā has taken about ten years and has involved the community, investigating options and reaching a decision.

    In 2012, Council renewed its direction in finding a scheme after its resource consent for its then chosen scheme failed in the Environment Court.

    With help from the community, the Regional Council and financial support from the Ministry of Health, Council needed to find a scheme that:

    • Helps to protect the mauri (life force) of the lake
    • Protects people's health
    • Ensures cultural factors have been considered as part of a scheme
    • Considers the cost to the community
    • Finds the best possible communal on-site wastewater pre-treatment system for the community
    • Ensures any available subsidies are used wisely

    The East Rotoiti Rotomā Sewerage Scheme has been led by the community group, the Rotoiti Rotomā Sewerage Steering Committee since its inception in 2014.

    It has been supported by a Cultural Impact team that is made up of members from the Rotoiti/ Rotomā community.

    A preferred option on a scheme was approved by Council in December 2014 and was added as a discussion document on page 13 of the Council's Long-Term Plan in 2015.


  • Where we are going

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    by RRRangitauira,
    supporting image

    The aim is to develop a sewerage scheme that serves the community in a way that is environmentally sustainable and culturally appropriate. These objectives are reflected in the Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti Action Plan and Council's Long-term Plan for 2018 - 2028. (Refer to page 14).

    Council has taken the advice of the Rotoiti Rotomā Sewerage Steering Committee and a dedicated Cultural Impact Team in picking a preferred sewerage scheme option.

    So what will the sewerage system include?

    • Building a Wastewater Treatment Plant behind the Rotoiti Emery Store; and
    • A reticulation network of about 22 kilometres which runs from Matahī Road in Rotomā to the plant in Rotoiti


    Future-proofing:

    • The system will be expanded, with the intention of connecting the Lake Rotoehu and eastern Rotoiti communities to the network
    • The total reticulation network will be 47.5 kilometres long