Health Warnings & Alerts

Public health warnings are provided by Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service 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 and/or recreational water health warnings in your area.

Latest updates

Sign up here to receive the latest updates by email, or take advantage of our freephone if you are out and about - 0800 221 555.

Infectious diseases

Current health concerns for the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts include:

Pertussis (Whooping cough)

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

Rena Recovery

For public health advice and information related to the MV Rena incident in October 2011, click here.

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.

Visit the Ministry of Primary Industries website to find out if there is a marine biotoxin alert beyond the Bay of Plenty and Lakes area.

Weekly samples are taken from the coastal areas and the public will be advised once the shellfish are safe to eat. 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

Health Warning	Public Health Advice	Reason	Area	Location
Issued 5/10/2012, still current	Do not collect or eat shellfish, view media release	Paralytic shellfish toxins	Coastline from Tairua (including Tairua Harbour) on Coromandel Peninsula to Whakatane Heads	Part of Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty coastline
Issued 21/12/2012, still current	Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination	Kaiate Falls	Welcome Bay Falls
Permanent	Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination	2 Mile Creek	Waihi Beach
Permanent	Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination	3 Mile Creek	Waihi Beach
Permanent	Avoid recreational water contact	Contamination	Waimapu Stream	Greerton
Permanent	Not to eat shellfish	Contamination	Tilby Point	Tauranga
Permanent	Not to eat shellfish	Contamination	Waihi Estuary	Little Waihi settlement
Permanent health advice	Avoid recreational water contact within 48 hours after rainfall	Contamination	Lower Wairoa River	Lower Wairoa River
Permanent health advice	Avoid recreational water contact within 48 hours after rainfall	Contamination	McLarens Falls	McLarens Falls

Lakes and Taupo recreational water health warnings

Health Warning	Public Health Advice	Reason	Area	Location
Issued 1/03/2013, still current	Avoid recreational water contact	Blue-green algae	Lake Okaro	Rotorua