Lake Horowhenua activist Philip Taueki to shut public road access to lake
Friday, 24 August 2018
Public road access to Lake Horowhenua will be shut by activist Philip Taueki after boy racers tore up turf at the park.
The threat of closure is the latest in a years-long dispute over the heavily polluted lake, which has pitted Taueki against the Horowhenua Lake Domain Board, local councils and the trust representing Muaūpoko iwi interests.
Taueki, a direct descendant of a Muaūpoko chief who signed the Treaty of Waitangi, says authorities have failed to protect the lake and its shoreline from damage.
A 'bunch of local red necks' have broken through a gate shut at night, skidded over grass and hurled abuse at Taueki this week.
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'The abuse flows out the door … I was forced to run out there and try and get them out of here. They're ripping up our land, and there's no one else to stop this.'
Taueki said on Monday he will reinstate the gate and close off access permanently. He will arrange for the local sea cadets and dog club to access the park as needed.
'There is a fair distance to walk, it's not going to be easier for older people … the public are welcome, but it's actually not safe for the public to come down here at night.'
He has informed police of the damage.
An ardent activist for Lake Horowhenua's preservation, Taueki lives in a defunct nursery building on the domain grounds.
He has done so in conflict with the Lake Horowhenua Trust, which represents Muaūpoko interests.
The trust asked Horowhenua Council to cut off water to the building - now more than 600 days ago, Taueki said.
He has also complained to Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage about a delay in appointing new Horowhenua Lake Domain Board members, which was due in March.
The gate will remain shut until these issues were resolved, he said.
'We'll close the park off, inconvenience the public, get the public to complain to the Minister and get some action on this.'
Horowhenua Mayor Michael Feyen, who is also on the domain board, said Taueki's shutting of the gate was entirely understandable.
'People have to get respect back for Muaūpoko Domain and Lake Horowhenua.'
Feyen said the council was a co-signer of the Treaty, and therefore responsible for addressing the issues.
'I've been to the Government, I've been to the District Health Board … you cannot cut off a person's water. There is no way that Phil Taueki's water should have been cut off, by anyone.
'I want everybody around the table. We have to, if we're going to move forward.'
Lake Horowhenua Trust has been contacted for comment.
In October, chair Matt Sword defended shutting off the water, calling Taueki an 'illegal squatter'.
'Phil's ongoing demands to the council are misdirected and is a cynical attempt to undermine the mana of the trustees and, therefore, all of the lake's beneficial owners … everyone has had enough of the antics.'
MidCentral Health medical officer of health Dr Rob Weir has informed the council he wanted to ensure Taueki was 'able to enjoy an adequate supply of drinking water', a requirement under the Health Act 1956.
Minister Eugenie Sage was unable to comment by deadline.
Lake Horowhenua was once a rich food source for Muaūpoko iwi, but is now one of the most polluted waterways in New Zealand.
A Waitangi Tribunal ruling found the Crown complicit in the pollution, breaching the Treaty.