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A suggestion by Northland Regional Council (NRC) that Kaipara District Council should use its bylaws to close a boat ramp at Lake Taharoa (Kai Iwi Lakes) has struck some opposition. NRC recommended to the Taharoa Governance Committee earlier this month that the boat ramp at Lake Taharoa be closed to reduce the possibility of gold clams being introduced.
The Governance Committee supported the recommendation, and KDC subsequently decided at its meeting on March 25 to close the boat ramp from Labour Weekend 2025 until the development of new rules, under the Regional Pest and Marine Pathways Management Plan, are completed. Council also agreed to investigate concessions for granting access for locally-based motorised watercraft owners and the process to manage them.
But a public deputation to last week’s monthly KDC meeting, led by Libby Jones, called on KDC to look at other options rather than closure. Jones said that the lake was an important recreational destination in Kaipara, adding that any craft – sailboats, waka, paddleboards and windsurfers, and even fishing gear – could just as likely introduce the clam as powered craft. She suggested that instead of a closure, KDC allowed only Northland boats to use the lake, set up a designated wash station for all craft prior to entering the lake, charged a cleaning fee and extended education about how the clam was spread.
The highly invasive gold clam (Corbicula fluminea) was discovered in the Waikato River in May 2023.
