There are a number of stakeholders of the river.
Ownership of the Tongariro River area was vested in the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board in 1999 pursuant to the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act of 1993. The Trust Board hold title of the River Bed on behalf of members of the hapu adjoining the river, and also in trust for the common use and benefit of all the peoples of New Zealand as far upstream as the junction with Whitikau Stream.
The Department of Conservation has responsibilities for reserve management along the river margins and of the fishery. The responsibilities of DoC fishery are in the Conservation Act 1987, The Taupo Fishery Regulations 2004, The Maori Land Amendment and Maori Land Claims Adjustment Act 1926. Doc Fisheries have the same responsibility under the Conservation Act as The Fish and Game Council.
The Fish and Game Council has responsibility for all NZ Freshwater fishing except for the Taupo Fishery. An important link for information on fishing in the the rest of New Zealand is The New Zealand Fly Fishing web site.Daily Information on fishing in the Tongariro River is avail able from tackle shop and motel websites among which are Sporting Life and the Tongariro River Motel sites.
The Tongariro River Management Forum
From the 2003 Annual Report, Appendix 1. Page 14
An important event in the short life of the Advocates occurred on the 12 November 2003 with the inaugural meeting of the Tongariro River Management Forum. At that meeting convened by Environment Waikato and held in Turangi, the case for a Tongariro River Management Forum was spelled out, terms of reference were established and membership was confirmed. The Advocates have felt the need for a public forum whereby concerns about the river could be discussed, Now with special rates being levied for river restoration and sizeable mitigation funding from the hydroelectric utility available to Ngati Turangitukua, ratepayers and friends of the river sought some mechanism whereby accountability could be rendered visible. While the Management Forum is not a statutory body, it has the npotential to re establish effective working relationships amongst the agencies and groups which have an interest in the river. Enhancing that relationship is a necessary step in devising an ongoing river management plan. The background to this development is the abrogation of responsibilty by the Crown for the damage incurred as a result of the Tongariro Power Development scheme.
Purpose of the Forum The Forum aims to link the community to the professional oversight of the river. A river management plan needs to be prepared with inputs from all interested and affected agencies. Therein, issues will be identified and addressed and an annual work plan will be set up. The Forum will expect to assist with the consents process, and finally, provide feedback to the various interest groups. The Forum will have to address the concerns of the riverbed owners, Turangitukua, who seek restoration of their taonga, residents with flood protection needs and folk who identify who identify with the importance of the river recreationally and aesthetically. It is widely accepted that the river has not been well cared for, from 1972 to 1992 the Crown largely ignored the negative effectsnits engineering schemes had on the river. Since 1992 when the river was gifted back to Tuwharetoa, the owners have viewed the alarming rate of deterioration, noting that the damage is compounding from one year to the next.
Representation The bodies represented on the Forum are Ngati Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board, Ngati Turangitukua, Genesis Power Ltd, Environment Waikato, Taupo District Council, The Department of Conservation, Taupo Fishery Advisory Committee, and The Advocates For The Tongariro River. ….Environment Waikato will provide full administration services for the Forum.
Environment Waikato with responsibility given from central government for all environmental matters including protection of Turangi from flooding and for management of the river. A Catchment Management plan exists to satisfy the requirements of the Environment Court but stakeholders will work with Environment Waikato to complete a comprehensive catchment management plan. By November 2007 work was commencing on one of the last phases in stopbank work to protect the town being the link between existing stopbanks between Poto Street and Te Aho Reserve.
At a Local Government level, Taupo District Council and the Turangi Community Board are stakeholders with influence through urban and rural growth strategies.
Genesis Energy is the power company that operates the Tongariro Power Scheme to generate electricity at Rangipo and the Tokaanu Power Station.
Mighty River Power manages the lake level of Lake Taupo and through this management has an effect on the ability of the Tongariro River to deposit its sediment into the Lake. A far sighted report in 1964 saw this problem and recommended that the dredge used for the Tokaanu tailrace be placed at the mouth of the Tongariro River to assist the river clear the sediments.
TheTongariro National Trout Centre operates a trout museum and eduction programme.
Advisory Committee
Bob Appleton represents The Advocates For The Tongariro River on the committee. He was appointed by Minister of Conservation, The Hon Chris Carter on 9.12.2004 The Conservation Act puts management of all freshwater fisheries in the hands of Fish and Game with the exception of the Taupo fishery. The Fishing Advisory Committee was established by the Act to provide advice to the managers of the Taupo Fishery.
Other stakeholders
There are other stakeholders such as Anglers, Walkers, Mountain Bikers, Kayakers, Rafters who enjoy the river for its beauty and the recreation it offers as well as the business community of Turangi and Taupo.