Update:

In April 2024, Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council approved the Rotorua Geothermal System Management Plan (SMP) Ngā Wai Ariki o Rotorua He Mahere Whakahaere Pūnaha, a ‘care plan’ and Regional Council policy that will guide the overall management of the Rotorua Geothermal System.

It will also be used to guide and inform changes to the Regional Natural Resources Plan (RNRP) and the Rotorua Geothermal Regional Plan (RGRP) later this year. These plan changes are part of a regular review process under the Resource Management Act (RMA) to make clear how the geothermal (ngāwha) resources in Rotorua city are to be used.

Read the SMP in full PDF 6.33MB .

Rotorua Geothermal System

The Rotorua Geothermal System or Ngā Wai Ariki o Rotorua underlies part of Rotorua City, from the southwestern end of Lake Rotorua to the Whakarewarewa Valley.

It has many different social, cultural and economic values, and is considered to be a taonga (treasure).

We know that the system is fragile, that it is still recovering from our past mistreatment, and that it cannot meet unlimited demand for geothermal water, energy and heat.

Over the past 40 years, GNS and Bay of Plenty Regional Council have been monitoring, analysing and assessing the state and trends of the Rotorua Geothermal System.

We do this to understand what’s happening below the surface and how this is reflected in the geothermal surface features above ground.

This monitoring and research informs our plans and policies, which are regulatory tools to help us balance the use of geothermal, while keeping it safe for future generations.

Drafting a plan

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has led the development of the draft Rotorua Geothermal System Management Plan (SMP), alongside tangata whenua through the establishment of a haukāinga working group, engagement with iwi entities, and engagement more widely through multiple hui-a-iwi.

Wider community views were also gauged from key stakeholders, such as resource consent holders and Rotorua Lakes Council, through workshops. This input has guided the structure, draft vision, principles for how we will behave and the overall management approach in the SMP.

The SMP has been developed as a ‘care plan’ – a holistic and integrated approach to the sustainable management of the system and includes:

• A vision for the Rotorua Geothermal System
• Principles for how we will behave
• A broad management approach