Rei Simon (Ngāi Tahu) has been a member of Te Waihora Management Board for five years and is the Wairewa Rūnanga representative. He believes the group’s united purpose has been a key factor in their successes to date.

“The lake is foremost in our minds. It unites us. That kaupapa is all-encompassing,” he says.

“We’ve all put egos and personal agendas aside and with Terrianna [Smith’s] drive and energy as Chair, we’ve stayed focused. We’ve been given a mandate to do this work and we’re all actively pursuing that. I find that very exciting. Some of the steps we made in 2010 were huge.”

He points to the access arrangement for commercial activities affecting the lakebed as an example of years of hard work culminating in success.

“We persisted. With the backing of the iwi and despite some formidable opposition, we got there. That was a huge achievement, and it’s very gratifying to gain that sort of traction. We’ve succeeded in implementing quite a few of our wishes and wants and we’re starting to make inroads.”

He acknowledges though that these are only the first few steps in reversing the 150-year degradation of the lake.

“Our tīpuna are guiding us. They set down the path. We’re only picking up where the old ones left off, and it will be a multi-generational project. But once the momentum starts, it picks up its own dynamic.

“We spent so long banging our heads against bureaucracy to achieve the Joint Management Plan. We often felt we weren’t getting anywhere. Now that we’re over that and the plan is in place, we’re into the next exciting phase. Our dreams are slowly falling into place and our aspirations are bearing fruit.”

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