Iconic lake benefits from weed control

Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says great progress is being made to improve the health of Lake Wanaka through efforts to rid it of a noxious weed.

Lagarosiphon, also known as South African oxygen weed, chokes waterways, smothers native aquatic plant communities and it establishes quickly if left untreated.

Weed control at Lake Wanaka is carried out by a lagarosiphon management committee, led by Land Information New Zealand.

“The control work has been so effective that there’s now improved access to many parts of the lake – such as Paddock Bay and Bishops Bay, which were previously restricted by dense weed beds,” Maurice Williamson says.

The management committee has now recommended the containment line be moved further south to extend from the southern tip of The Peninsula to the very southern end of Bishops Bay.

“Moving the containment line south means lagarosiphon is being effectively controlled in a large part of Lake Wanaka, and weed control efforts can be directed to areas more heavily used for recreation closer to Wanaka Township.

“The work of Land Information New Zealand and others is enhancing Lake Wanaka for New Zealanders and others to enjoy,” Mr Williamson says.