Forever chemicals have been detected in Lake Rotorua, prompting calls for urgent testing and renewed questions about the safety of food gathered from the lake.
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter
Investigators found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or forever chemicals, moving through groundwater into the lake from a former firefighting training area on Rotorua Airport land.
The findings prompted tense debate at Tuesday’s Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group meeting, where members expressed frustration that months after contamination was identified, no agency had taken responsibility for further assessment.
Rotorua Airport phased out PFAS-containing firefighting foams in the 2000s as New Zealand moved away from the chemicals.
But PFAS chemicals can remain in soil and water for decades, and some have been linked to cancers, liver damage, reduced fertility and other health effects.
A detailed investigation of the airport site, carried out between late 2025 and April 2026, found PFAS in groundwater, lake water, sediment and soil. The investigation concluded the contamination was consistent with historic firefighting foam use.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust presented the findings at Tuesday’s meeting, calling for urgent testing and public communication around potential risks near the airport site, alongside longer-term monitoring of the wider lake.
The report found PFAS levels near the airport were high enough to warrant urgent investigation into whether chemicals were accumulating in fish, shellfish and other mahinga kai species harvested from the area.
Members were told concentrations recorded around the airport were below the threshold of threat to human health, but the extent of the contamination remained unclear.
The report also recommended communicating potential risks to those who harvest food from the lake. It suggested placing a rāhui on customary harvesting at affected sites while further investigations took place.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust lakes programme co-ordinator Soweeta Fort-D’Ath said the investigation did not yield enough information to determine how safe it was to harvest food from the affected area.
Disagreement over responsibility
The toxic substances, which are thought to contribute to health problems, have been used in a range of products over the past 80 years. (Source: 1News)
Fort-D’Ath said the trust had been raising concerns for months, but no agency had yet committed to carrying out the next stage of investigation.
“We are saying that needs to happen yesterday,” she said.
She said the airport had made it clear it would not lead any future monitoring or assessment beyond its boundary, while discussions over who should carry out that work continued.
Rotorua Airport chief executive Nicole Brewer said PFAS-containing firefighting foams were considered industry best practice at the time and were widely used internationally.
She said the airport was now investigating “world-leading” remediation options for the site itself.
“While no longer in use, it is important to us to minimise any ongoing impact on the environment,” Brewer said.
Brewer said the airport was continuing to work with iwi, councils and other stakeholders on next steps.
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and assets manager Stavros Michael said the immediate priority should be determining whether PFAS was accumulating in aquatic life around the airport site before assessing the extent of any wider lake issues.
“Just because one site by the airport has identified potential for bioaccumulation does not mean that is the whole lake,” he said.
“The question is, what’s the general picture of the lake?”
Michael said PFAS could enter waterways from a variety of sources, including stormwater, and argued the Bay of Plenty Regional Council should lead a broader assessment.
“The airport are obligated to decontaminate their land, and they are doing so,” he said.
“[The] regional council should lead an assessment on bioaccumulation and based on that assessment, an action plan can follow.”
Regional council chair Matemoana McDonald acknowledged the work done by Te Arawa Lakes Trust and said council staff had heard its concerns.
“I don’t want to leave the room with you frustrated,” she said.
McDonald later said she would make it clear to council staff that the trust needed to be part of the ongoing conversations around PFAS.
The trust’s representative on the strategy group, Nicki Douglas, said communities needed clearer information about risks around the affected site.
“The levels are high enough that we should be warning people not to take kai from that part of the lake.”
Ultimately, the strategy group endorsed the report’s recommendations and delegated the issue to the Rotorua Lakes Programme Steering Group.
It directed staff to progress the proposed investigations and communications work and return with a report on actions taken at the next meeting on September 11.
After an earlier motion that focused on reporting back rather than specific actions, Douglas expressed frustration at the lack of progress.
“Sounds to me like no action again, just more reporting,” she said.
Later, half-joking but clearly frustrated, she added: “Get me a [testing] kit, I’ll do it my bloody self.”
Rotorua Lakes councillor Gregg Brown agreed the focus should now be on action.
“I don’t think that is unreasonable,” he said. “Just get on with it.”
The decision followed repeated concerns that months had passed since contamination was confirmed, but responsibility for further investigation remained unresolved.
“We’re not talking about a long-term assessment,” Fort-D’Ath told members.
“Just the immediate one at the site and that’s the frustration.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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