1.4 Community involvement The key focus of Parts Two and Three of the 2020 TAP is on the section “what needs to be done in addition to the current work to reduce the threats?” In this section the new actions to be undertaken by the agencies have been identified. These actions will assist the community to protect and enhance the values identified through the 2020 Taupo-nuia-Tia project.
The community has been represented in the 2020 Taupo-nui-a-Tia project through the 2020 Forum and the Lakes and Waterways Action Group. The 2020 Forum was set up in February 2003 and has assisted the Project Team to prioritise the threats and develop actions to address these issues. Representatives from various sectors of the community, including health, tourism, forestry and farming, have been part of the Forum.
The new actions are focused on the key statutory agencies, which include Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board, Environment Waikato, Taupo District Council, Department of Conservation and Department of Internal Affairs. Between them, these agencies have the mandate to address these actions, on behalf of the community and Ngati Tuwharetoa.
The Lakes and Waterways Action Group is a group of interested community members set up in 1997. Their vision is to be a leading advocate for the protection of Lake Taupo-nui-a-Tia and its waterways and other local catchment environments. The Lakes and Waterways Action Group meets monthly and advocates for the sustainable use of these resources.
The Action Plan identifies an “action manager” for each new action (in bold type). This does not exclude other agencies or community groups from being involved with achieving the actions - it identifies which agency will take a lead in co-ordinating the actions. Some actions identify more than one “action manager”, which either indicates that there needs to be a co-ordinated approach between these agencies, or that this action needs to be equally addressed by other agencies.
The 2020 Forum and the Lakes and Waterways Action Group will continue to oversee the implementation of the 2020 TAP and encourage community involvement and ongoing dialogue in the solutions for Lake Taupo-nui-a-Tia.
Monitoring indicators and performance standards are also included in the 2020 TAP to track whether the value is being protected, assess how effective the actions are and identify any emerging issues. To support the 2020 TAP, a detailed monitoring plan has been developed, which outlines how indicator monitoring will be implemented. A research plan has also been developed to assess what additional information is needed on the values. Note These and other 2020 Reports produced can be downloaded from the 2020 website www.taupoinfo.org.nz
Introduction
It is critical to note that each year the agencies will identify which actions they plan to undertake and identify timeframes and resources. They will also report to the 2020 JMG on the actions they have completed in the past year. This information will be made public.
There is also a commitment from the 2020 JMG and the key agencies to involve the community and tangata whenua in the implementation of the 2020 TAP, by taking ownership of the plan and being part of the solutions. 2020 TAP is a community and Ngati Tuwharetoa-owned plan, as this is where the drive for 2020 Taupo-nui-a-Tia came from.
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