Lake Dunstan, Cromwell

The impact of human activity is evident along the lake, with extensive land modification and pest introduction creating a shoreline dominated by barren soil and exotic weeds that greatly impedes the health & well-being of wildlife and people.

In March 2022, Lake Dunstan Charitable Trust (LDCT) contracted Te Tapu o Tāne to deliver their Jobs for a nature restoration project along 6km of Lake Dunstan, Cromwell, in partnership with Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). This project will make a huge positive impact on the community, culture and ecosystems along the lake.

Extensive environmental management is needed to restore the soil along the lake that was heavily modified with the creation of the lake 30 years ago to service the Clyde Hydroelectric Dam downstream. Using ecological advice from e3Scientific, comprehensive site visits, sampling and mapping, we created an implementation plan to deliver their vision and commenced phase one in September 2022. Led by our Whakatipu-wāi Māori taiao (Central Operations), land preparations in the way of weed removal, tilling, and addition of high-quality soil were done ready for a community planting event.

In October 2022, we coordinated the largest community planting event ever seen in Cromwell in collaboration with Trees that Count. Over 170 community members, groups and businesses came together to plant 10,000 native trees and shrubs in McNulty Inlet along the lake. This incredible event created an opportunity to bring the community together for a shared vision, to restore te taiao. This event has left a permanent impression on the community’s passion for the environment and empowered them to become kaitiaki (guardians) of their whenua (land) and wāi-māori (freshwater).

With thousands more plants yet to be installed along lake Dunstan by 2024, we are committed to inspiring more people and youth to volunteer or work in the environmental sector and help with our efforts to recloak Murihiku. Working with our kaiarahi hapori (community connector), this project has supported many tamariki engagements relating to the lake and conservation efforts. We aim to deliver fun and educational projects that inspire a vision and passion in our tamariki to care for and improve the environment that will benefit them and wildlife now and in the future.

We are excited to deliver the next stages of this project and bring back wildlife and people to Cromwell!

Lake Dunstan Website