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Te Arawa Lakes Trust

Iwi Organisation

Rotorua lakes iwi confederation. Treaty settlement in 2006. Manages 14 Te Arawa lakes.

Total Assets
$102.4M
Revenue
$20.5M
Officers
10
Subsidiaries
11

Iwi Details

Rohe (Region)
Rotorua, Bay of Plenty
Registered Members
23,484
Auditor
Cookson Forbes & Associates
Audit Opinion
Unmodified

Treaty Settlement

Settlement information not yet available for this iwi.

Service Providers

Auditor(1)
Cookson Forbes
2025
Bankers(2)
ASB

Asset finance loans

2025
Westpac

Primary term loan facility $18M

2025
Legal Advisors(2)
Annette Sykes
2025
Matthew Smith
2025
Investment Managers(2)
Kowhai Private Equity
2025
Milford
2025
Valuers(3)
Aero Consult Limited
2025
Preston Rowe Paterson Limited
2025
Preston Rowe Paterson Tauranga Limited
2025
Consultants(1)
Pivot Hort

Orchard management

2025
Partners & Stakeholders(4)
Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Co-management of lakes

2025
Montana Foods

Joint venture partner for Maketū brand

2025
Rotorua Lakes Council

Co-management of lakes

2025
Toi Ohomai

Partnership for staff relocation and Board Room facility

2025

Strategic Priorities

9
1Strengthen financial sustainability and stability of the Trust and TAML
2Protect, enhance and sustain social, cultural and economic wellbeing of Te Arawa
3Defend water rights and mana of Te Arawa lakes through settlement implementation and litigation
4Develop fit-for-purpose governance structure reflecting iwi aspirations
5Co-manage lakes through Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Strategy Group (RTALSG)
6Implement Te Tūāpapa o Ngā Wai o Te Arawa framework for water management
7Reduce debt and improve asset portfolio performance
8Deliver robust commercial returns through TAML
9Support cultural wellbeing and mātauranga Māori transmission

Key Risks

9
Sustained financial pressure and high debt levels impacting going concern
Settlement limitations not providing sufficient resources to manage 14 lakes
Crown policy changes threatening water rights and lake health
Need to defend settlement rights through litigation
Asset portfolio underperformance and ongoing need for asset sales
Governance structure limitations not meeting iwi needs
Limited government funding for only 4 of 14 lakes under settlement
Competition for resources and staff retention

+ 1 more risks identified