This article was first published on RNZ.
The construction of a controversial sewerage pipeline near a Rotorua lake is set to head back to court.
The Rotokākahi Board of Control (RBOC) was taking the Rotorua Lakes Council to the High Court over the Tarawera Sewage Scheme which would connect about 440 Lake Tarawera properties to the public wastewater network.
Part of the pipeline, 1.4km of it, would run along Tarawera Rd parallel to Lake Rotokākahi an area considered wāhi tapu by mana whenua, with tūpuna (ancestors) buried nearby during the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption.
The construction of the pipeline had been intermittent, with protests, an occupation of the area and seven arrests for trespass in February 2025.
Speaking to RNZ in February, Rotorua Lakes Council chief executive Andrew Moraes said the scheme would remove the need for properties in the vicinity of Lake Tarawera to have septic tanks which often leak into the lake.
“We have almost 20km of pipe throughout the district of similar type and construction that is installed a similar distance from our other lakes and we’ve had no incidences of those pipes leaking in the history of this district,” he said.
Board spokesperson Te Whatanui Leka Skipwith said the council’s refusal to honour genuine consultation with mana whenua had pushed this into the courtroom.
“We welcome our day in court - because we’ve had enough. Council has ignored consultation, disrespected the process, and pulled last-minute legal stunts whenever we pushed back.
“On December 1, they’ll have to front. No more hiding behind rushed paperwork, closed-door deals or political convenience. This is a chance for mana whenua to finally challenge the council on neutral ground - and to make it clear that we will always protect Rotokākahi, no matter who tries to silence us.”
Skipwith said the message from the RBOC consultation must be real, legal obligations must be honoured and mana whenua decision-making must be respected.
A previous bid to stop the pipeline being installed had failed in the Environment Court.
The hearing at High Court at Rotorua was set to begin on Monday, December 1.
RNZ approached Rotorua Lakes Council who said as the matter was before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment.
By Pokere Paewai of RNZ.
