TLAW April 24 Meeting & AGM ‘Lake Taupō Protection from a Rural Perspective’ - Ruby Mulinder

Titled ‘Lake Taupō Protection from a Rural Perspective’, Ruby will speak to farm ownership, sheep dairying and more. 

Taupō & Turangi Times article here

Ruby and her husband Sean and young family live on the northwestern side of Lake Taupō where more than 20% of the farm is in conservation and riverbank plantings. 

The previous owners, Mike and Sharan Barton are well known to TLAW and to many meat consumers for their Taupō Beef initiative in the catchment.

The farm has been the site of trials by Ag Research Ltd looking into methods of mitigating nitrogen leaching from beef farming systems. Further trials are in the pipeline, so we look forward to an update on this.

Ruby and her family, farming under a nitrogen cap towards maintaining Lake water quality, will speak to their sheep dairying operation. Along with beef finishing cattle, it is a mix that works well in the sensitive lake catchment.

A rural perspective will also include the opportunity to discuss the current challenges facing landowners in the catchment including from climate affects.

Come along at 5.15 pm at Waiora House on April 24th

LAKE TAUPO PROTECTION TRUST 
BACKGROUND

In February 2007 the Crown, Waikato Regional Council and Taupō District Council an agreement to contribute to a joint public fund to be used to undertake strategies and actions to reduce the amount of nitrogen from entering the Lake Taupō catchment. This-saw the establishment of the Lake Taupō Protection Trust in 2007 to administer an $80 million fund with the purpose of maintaining water quality in Lake Taupō through a reduction in the manageable nitrogen levels entering Lake Taupo by 20%. 

The funds have been used to encourage and assist land use change, to purchase land/nitrogen In the Lake Taupō catchment and to fund any other initiatives that assisted landowners to reduce the nitrogen impact of their activities on Lake Taupō. 

A key activity undertaken by the Trust had been to enter into 27 contractual agreements with landowners (nitrogen reduction agreements). These agreements have a term of 999 years and require ongoing monitoring and contractual oversight to ensure that the terms and conditions of the contracts are adhered to and the investment made by the funding partners to the of the project is protected. 

The agreements provided for the purchase of landowner nitrogen allowances and for changes in land use. The Trust entered into the final nitrogen reduction agreement in 2015. Over the 2015 - 2018 period the Trust completed the remaining annual nitrogen reduction and on farm nitrogen reductions were achieved. 

The Trust now focuses on monitoring landowner compliance with the agreements. 

On 30 June 2023 Taupō District Council became the sole Trustee of the Trust and continues to monitor landowner compliance with the support of Waikato Regional Council.

NITROGEN REDUCTION AGREEMENTS 

The nitrogen reduction agreements have continued to be monitored for compliance throughout the year. Waikato Regional Council confirmed to the Trust that all contracted landowner's onsite operations achieved compliance with their allowable nitrogen discharge for the year.

NOTE: All landowners in the Taupo Catchment work under a catchment-wide model. Farmers are audited annually by Waikato Regional Council to ensure they are operating under their capped nitrogen limit.