‘Sensitive’ lakes have ecological and cultural importance
Several of Canterbury’s high-country lakes are recognised as being ‘sensitive’, with specific provisions in the LWRP included to protect them. In addition to having high ecological values these lakes are recognised in statute as culturally significant historical food gathering and mahinga kai sites.
In response to concerns at the state of these lakes, three rūnanga – Te Runanga o Arowhenua, Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga and Te Taumutu Rūnanga – initiated a working group in 2019 of statutory agencies (Environment Canterbury, DOC, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, Ashburton District Council and Fish & Game) along with local farmers and other resource users to address this issue.
A
new scientific report commissioned by Environment Canterbury
and the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides further
support for the efforts of rūnanga, public agencies and
farmers to address declining water quality in the Ashburton
high-country lakes/Ō Tū Wharekai.
The report
(PDF File, 2.27MB) was commissioned to provide
information on the nutrient reductions required to achieve
water quality targets set by the community in the Land
and Water Regional Plan (LWRP). The conclusions from the
Cawthron Institute found that significant reductions in
nutrient loads will be required to preserve water quality in
the high-country lakes studied.
The lakes are
sensitive to nutrient inputs from several sources, including
Date Time
NZ police release name over serious crash, Ashburton Lakes 5 April
Police can now release the name of the man who died following a crash on Hakatere Potts Road in the Ashburton Lakes area on 27 March 2021.
He was Ashley Neil O’Donnell, 35, of Ashburton Lakes.
The investigation into the circumstances of the crash is ongoing.
Police extend their sympathies to Mr O’Donnell’s family and friends.
/NZ Police Public Release. This material comes from the originating organization and may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. View in full here.
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Marion van dijk/Stuff
Ashley Neil O Donnell, 35, from Ashburton Lakes, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Hakatere Potts Rd, about 1.35am on March 27. (File photo)
A father-of-two killed in a late-night crash was a “remarkable young man who loved life in the high country”, his mother says. Ashley Neil O Donnell, 35, from Ashburton Lakes, was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Hakatere Potts Rd in rural Mid-Canterbury about 1.35am on March 27. His mother, Dawn O’Donnell, told
Stuff he crashed into a bank on his way home. The cause was unknown, she said. Her son, who worked as station manager at Mt Potts Station, had done a day’s work before heading to the dog trials. He was on his way home when he crashed. It was unclear how long he had been in the car following the crash before someone found him.