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Of the eight lakes that had improved significantly over the course of the study – conducted over five years from 2005-2009 – four of these were in Northland.

Northland Regional Council Chief Executive Officer Ken Paterson says that while Northland has one lake in a non-vegetated state – in other words in very poor health – we have 13 that are in excellent health.

“Northland has the highest number of lakes in excellent ecological condition of any region in the country,” he says.

“This is a significant result and reflects well on the work the Regional Council has been undertaking.”

Mr Paterson says improvements in lake water quality have been particularly successful where the Council has worked with local communities and he is keen to acknowledge the input of many volunteers.

Lake Ōmāpere is one of these projects and was noted in the report as having improved significantly over the period of the study. A third of Northland’s lakes showed significant improvement.

“The results contrast strongly with other regions across the country but there is still work to do,” says Mr Paterson.

“We are fortunate that the quality of our lake water remains good with little intervention from us but we are also aware that our ecologically significant lakes are easily damaged and need ongoing and improved protection.”

The study looked at the trends for various water quality variables for 68 lakes across the country and found that 19 had deteriorated significantly.