A news story on TV 1 caught my attention on Sunday night (25 July). A public meeting was being organised in Levin to discuss the restoration of Lake Horowhenua. The meeting was instigated by concerned residents and one rogue councillor, Anne Hunt, due to the poor health of the lake. The district and regional councils were both boycotting the meeting because they regarded the situation as unsuitable for a public meeting. Instead, they said a 'discussion' was needed with the key stakeholders. Clearly, the general public were not considered key stakeholders in the eyes of the council. This situation appeared to have all the makings of disfunctional environmental management (aka DEM) written all over it! The news story spoke of historical polluting - the council piping treated sewerage into the lake dating back to the 1960s. I decided to do some research a get some more information on the issue. The Lake was once a rich source of mahinga kai to local iwi, but since the introduction of European settlers the health of the lake has gradually deteriorated. It suffers from severe eutrophication, which has been caused by a variety of sources. It turns out from 1952 to 1987 the council pumped treated sewerage into the lake and although this has now ceased, some seepage occurs through groundwater and stormwater is drained into the lake. A decrease in vegetation along with runoff from surrounding farmland, have also lead to contamination. The lake is unsafe for drinking and at times, unsafe for recreational use (usually after heavy rainfall and an increase in runoff). There are iwi, farmers, growers, councils at two levels and local residents all with a variety of interests in this lake. Yet the council appeared to only want to consult a select few. Why is the council incapable or unwilling to engage with the public on this issue? Currently this issue is lacking co-ordination and open consultation. Communication is clearly less that adequate and is definately not multi-way. It seems they have become intrenched in a stand off that does not bode well for an integrated approach, unless they are able to reset the clock and start this process over again. What's more, the council has lost the trust and support of the community. It is unlikely that they will be able to lead this process without the assistance of an independent facilitator to assure other parties that the process will be fair and transparent.
