Health Warnings | Ngā whakatūpatotanga | Toi Te Ora Public Health

Public health warnings are provided by Toi Te Ora Public Health to help the Bay of Plenty and Lakes communities manage and monitor local public health issues.

Scroll below to see if there are any health concerns, shellfish health warnings or recreational water health warnings in your area.

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Infectious diseases

COVID-19
For information view our COVID-19 webpage or the Ministry of Health website.

For information on infectious diseases, visit our Infectious Diseases page.

For advice for travellers, visit our Travelling Overseas page.

Recreational water health information

Follow these links for shellfish and recreational water information. For pollution events that could affect recreational water and shellfish gathering contact your local council. All toxic shellfish warnings and alerts are shown on the Ministry for Primary Industries website and also in the summary table below.

48 hour no swim rule of thumb after heavy rain

It’s best to avoid swimming in rivers, streams, lakes, harbour areas and at beaches for at least 48 hours after heavy rain. There is likely to be contamination from rural and urban run-off in waterways after heavy rain. To avoid illnesses such as diarrhoea, vomiting, skin infections or ear infections, follow the rule of thumb of no swimming for at least 48 hours after heavy rain.

Algal blooms in Lakes

A number of lakes in the Rotorua area (such as Lake Rotoehu, Lake Okaro and Lake Rotoiti) are prone to blooms of blue-green algae that may be toxic and harmful to health. These lakes are monitored during warmer months of the year and health warnings are issued if monitoring results show that there is a bloom of potentially toxic blue-green algae. However, blooms may occur rapidly and unpredictably, and during the winter months the lakes are not monitored. Therefore, always look before using the lakes. If the water looks discoloured, has an unusual smell, has green or brown particles suspended in it, or there is visible surface scum, then it is best to avoid contact with it.

For more information about algal blooms see:

All health warning advice below is current and any changes in status are updated on this page on the same day.

Bay of Plenty shellfish and recreational water health warnings

Public Health Advice	Reason	Area
Avoid recreational water contact	Elevated levels of bacterial contamination	Uretara at Henry Road Ford
Not to eat shellfish	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination which can be taken up by the shellfish.	Little Waihi (Waihī Estuary Main Channel)
Not to eat shellfish	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination which can be taken up by the shellfish	Waiotahe estuary, near Ōpōtiki
Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination	Kaiate Falls
Not to eat the eels	Elevated levels of dioxin in eels and canal	Kopeopeo Canal and Orini Stream in Whakatāne
Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination	2 Mile Creek, Waihi Beach
Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination.	Waimapu Stream, Greerton (includes Maleme Street drain) Courtney drain, Fraser Cove
Not to eat shellfish	Contamination - Elevated levels of faecal contamination which can be taken up by the shellfish.	Tilby Point, Tauranga
Avoid recreational water contact	Algal blooms	Awatapu Lagoon, Whakatāne
Avoid recreational water contact	Algal blooms	Sullivans Lake, Whakatāne

Lakes (Rotorua and Taupō districts) recreational water health warnings

Public Health Advice	Reason	Area
Avoid recreational water contact	Algal blooms	Okawa Bay at Lake Rotoiti and Lake Okaro
Avoid recreational water contact	Algal blooms	Okere Arm and Te Weta Bay at Lake Rotoiti
Avoid recreational water contact	Elevated levels of bacterial contamination	Ngongotaha Stream
Avoid recreational water contact	Elevated levels of bacterial contamination	Utuhina Stream
Avoid recreational water contact	Algal blooms	Lake Rotoehu

For public health warnings in the Waikato region, visit the Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Waikato website.