Reserve Management Plans are required under the Reserves Act to guide the use, management, and protection of reserve land. They should provide a long-term vision for a reserve, as well as direction on actions that will be taken in the next 10 years.

The plan acts as a reference point and includes the reserve classification and legal status, the area it covers, an overview of the values and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The Masterplan is a high-level visual layout of the development of the site. Developing a separate masterplan at the same time is recommended to provide more specific guidance on the location of any agreed reserve developments. The document can be more easily amended in the future because the process isn’t under the Reserves Act.

There have been a number of changes and developments relevant to the Karāpiro Lake Domain since 2011, including:

• Mana whenua have completed Treaty settlements and have had the opportunity to better express their cultural values and aspirations for the area, the Waikato River and for Karāpiro Lake Domain.
• Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Claims Settlement Act 2014 was enacted and recreation reserve land south of Karāpiro Lake Domain, known as Taumatawiiwii, along with three other parcels were vested back to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura. These reserves are jointly managed by Ngā Pae Whenua which is currently preparing a management plan for them.
• The Waikato River Authority prepared Te Ture Whaimana o Te Awa o Waikato – the Vision and Strategy for the Waikato and Waipā Rivers.
• Karāpiro Lake Domain usage has significantly increased in terms of the number and scale of events, and activities have diversified.
• New leases have been granted, some existing leases have expired and are currently rolling over month to month, and requests for new leases in the future are likely given the increasing demand from users and changes at other reserves.
• Council acquired new reserve land (Waipuke Park and 859 Maungatautari Road) south of Karāpiro Lake Domain and usage of these and other lakeside reserves has increased.
• The section of Te Awa River Ride between Cambridge and Mighty River Domain has been completed.
• Waikato Regional Council reviewed its Navigation Safety Bylaw which governs activities on the lake.
• Highly invasive gold clams that will likely spread between waterbodies via people boating and recreating, is the most recent biosecurity threat identified in Lake Karāpiro. There is an annual control programme for the problematic hornwart.
• Changes in relevant legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and Council's strategic planning framework with the development of Ahu Ake Waipā Community Spatial Plan.
• Council has entered into a new management agreement for Karāpiro Lake Domain from 2023 – 2038 with GL Events Ltd, and
• Two reports prepared by Howarth HTL have highlighted the need for additional accommodation at Lake Karāpiro.

Karāpiro Lake Domain has a wide range of stakeholders due to the high number of activities, events, leases and users.

Some of these stakeholders are:

• Mana whenua
• Wider Waipā community
• GL Events Ltd
• Lessees and other lake users
• Waikato Regional Council
• Land Information New Zealand
• Mercury Energy
• Sport Waikato
• Surrounding neighbours

The water space and quality are outside of the scope of the Reserve Management Plan as these are governed by Waikato Regional Council under the Navigation and Safety Bylaw.

Water quality of the lake is outside of the scope of the Reserve Management Plan, other than actions that can be taken on land included in the Reserve Management Plan to protect and restore the water quality and ecological habitat quality.

The following people were invited to participate in the focus group:

This focus group was established to provide the following support to the project team:

• Champion the project to stakeholders
• Provide advice on behalf of iwi and organisations they represent and provide updates to their respective iwi and organisations
• Test ideas, options and proposals to gain feedback and ideas
• Provide input and feedback on key policy directions and masterplan changes and responses to submissions, and
• Advise on risks and mitigation measures.

In 2024/2025, Karāpiro Lake Domain hosted a full and diverse calendar of activity – with around 250 events at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre and another 37 across the wider domain. Many of these were multi‑day events.

While they were all within the limits set out in the Waipā District Plan, concerns were raised by some about event-related adverse effects such as noise, traffic, wi-fi disruption and disruption to public access for other activities.

The draft Reserve Management Plan and Masterplan acknowledge that events are central to the domain’s identity and vitality. They generate revenue that funds the upkeep of facilities, attract tourism, and most importantly, enable a range of highly valued national and local activities from high performance sport competitions through to local weddings. The plans seek to reduce the impact of events on everyday public use by:

• Improving traffic and parking management – reducing congestion through roading and parking improvements, removing parking charges during events and requiring major event organisers to work with Council on park and ride options.
• Expanding safe walking and cycling connections – ensuring locals and visitors can still enjoy the domain even during large events.
• Maintaining access where possible – protecting opportunities for informal recreation alongside scheduled event use.
• Investing in infrastructure, including provision for a cell tower to improve connectivity for locals and visitors.

This reflects the domain’s role as a premier training and competition venue for rowing, canoe racing, waka ama, and dragon boating - activities that have made significant investment in land‑based infrastructure (eg. high‑performance training centres, pontoons, finish tower, embankments and storage facilities) and which rely on carefully managed stretches of the lake for safe racing and training.

This does not mean exclusion for motorised aquatic sport and recreation. Organisations and individuals wanting to undertake activities such as boating, water‑skiing, wakeboarding, and hydroplane racing will still be able to access the lake from the domain as well as from other reserves that Council manages that have public boat ramps such as Horahora Domain, Keelys Reserve, Moanaroa Reserve and Bob’s Landing.

The key implication of “prioritisation” is therefore about scheduling, spatial allocation, and investment:

• Scheduling and lake use – priority will be given to the scheduling of non-motorised events and during major national and international non‑motorised events (eg. Maadi Cup, waka ama nationals), motorised use may be restricted or shifted to maintain safety and course integrity. Greater focus will be placed on educating motorised boat operators on how to considerately share the lake with our rowers, sailors, paddlers and swimmers and reduce the risk of boats spreading invasive species such as golden clams and hornwort.
• Spatial allocation – while the proposed new multi-purpose facility in the northern domain area would provide for Karāpiro Water Ski Club to continue to have a base at the domain, the focus will be on clubs and organisations that deliver non-motorised aquatic sport. Council and Sport Waikato are currently in discussions with water ski clubs operating at the lake to better understand their activity and requirements and explore future options.
• Investment focus – future development and upgrades at the domain will favour facilities that support non‑motorised codes, reflecting their national significance and alignment with the domain’s vision as a world‑class venue for these activities.

In short, motorised sport remains valued and supported, but the draft plans acknowledge that the domain’s national and international reputation – and much of its infrastructure – are built around non‑motorised codes. Prioritisation means ensuring those sports can operate safely and effectively, while still accommodating motorised recreation in ways that complement rather than conflict with this primary purpose.

Funding for actions contained within, and enabled by, these plans will be considered and confirmed through Council and Waikato Regional Council’s Long Term Plan and Annual Plans. Alternative public and private funding sources will also be required to implement actions within desired timeframes.

Some ideas may take longer to implement due to current fiscal pressures. Alternative funding sources, including sponsorships or partnerships, will be explored to help achieve community aspirations over time.