Malaysian officials view Rotorua lakes systems
From left to right: Mr Ahamad Saiful Bin Salihin Environment Institute of Malaysia, Mr Zulkifili Bin Din Department of Environment Putrajaya Malaysia, Tony Carr Sheep and Beef Farmer Rotorua and Nick Zaman Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Lake Rotorua's water quality management systems and science could soon be making a contribution to the improvement of Malaysia's waterways following a visit by Malaysian Department of Environment officials to Rotorua this week.
The five officials - four from the Department of Environment and one from the Environment Institute of Malaysia - spent two days in Rotorua learning more about water quality management and the practical application of on-farm effluent and water quality regulations.
The officials also visited Rotorua lakes to view some of the water quality science activities, particularly focusing on nutrient reduction and phosphate locking, and technical visits to farms in the Lake Rotorua catchment.
While the Department of Environment is a national Government agency in Malaysia, it is also responsible for compliance and monitoring - a function that is delivered at a regional council level in New Zealand.