page_title: Lake Wānaka
section_title: Conservation
hierarchical_section_title: Lake Wānaka / Human history / Conservation
caption_attribution_description: View of Lake Wanaka, New Zealand
context_page_description: Lake Wānaka is New Zealand's fourth-largest lake. In the Otago region, it is 278 meters above sea level, covers 192 km², and is more than 300 m deep.
  The original Māori name Oanaka means 'The place of Anaka', a local tribal chief.
  The town near the foot of the lake is named Wanaka.
context_section_description: As one of the few lakes in the South Island with an unmodified shoreline, the lake is protected by special legislation, the Lake Wanaka Preservation Act of 1973. The Act established a 'Guardians of Lake Wanaka' group, appointed by the Minister of Conservation, which advises on measures to protect the lake.
  Oxygen weed (Lagarosiphon major), an aquarium plant and invasive species native to Southern Africa, has been a problem in the lake's ecosystem for some time. Attempts to eradicate the weed have not been successful. Substantial suction dredging operations have shown promise, but tend to miss isolated spots which then regrow into larger weed beds.
caption: View of Lake Wānaka, New Zealand
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