World Lake Day 2026
27 August 2026 - 27 August 2026
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): national Events, promotion
World Lake Day is an observance celebrated by the United Nations to raise awareness of the importance of lakes and their ecosystems.
Lake Hawea
Lakes fill with water from rain or snow falling on the surrounding land. This surrounding land is called the catchment area, and the nature of the land in this area contributes to the quality of the water in the lake.
Lakes: the lifeblood of our planet
Lakes are one of the most vital natural resources on our planet. They serve as a crucial source of fresh water, supporting drinking water supplies, agriculture, and industry.
Lakes also play a key role in maintaining biodiversity, offering a habitat for countless species of fish, plants and wildlife.
Beyond their ecological significance, lakes contribute to climate regulation by keeping the planet cool, absorbing the floodwater and storing carbon.
Additionally, they provide recreational and economic opportunities, attracting tourism, fishing and other activities that support local communities.
But lakes are affected by a combination of overuse, pollution and climate change. Lake pollution is frequently caused by inflows from fertilizers, contaminants and solid waste being dumped directly, or flushed into lakes via rivers, and this is worsened by global warming – leading, for instance, to more frequent and intense floods.
The water levels of lakes are also changing dramatically. Rising temperatures and changes to cloud cover, which are leading to decreasing ice cover, are increasing the rate of water evaporation.
We need to act now. Be aware of the problem lakes are facing and let's protect them today for a sustaining life tomorrow.
Related content
The Hub has extensive resources on freshwater, use these curations to explore further:
Lakes380 – Our lakes’ health: past, present, future – find out about the largest scientific study ever undertaken of lakes in Aotearoa.
Lakes380 – a context for learning – includes key concepts, curriculum links and additional pedagogical help.
Waitī – freshwater environments looks at our connections to freshwater and how we are impacted by the degraded state of many of our freshwater environments.
Smart Water – a context for learning is a suite of resources that foster a greater understanding and appreciation of water from source to tap.
Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo – he kohinga rauemi pāhekoheko a Tuihonoa Te Reo o Te Repo hei āwhina i ngā kaiako ki te whakatītina i ngā ākonga kia tū hei kaitiaki mō ngā repo. E whai ana hoki kia tū tiketike mai te mātauranga Māori, mā roto i ngā mahi whakaora taiao.
Freshwater resources – planning pathways – help for teachers, based on the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ report on the pressures, state and impacts of human activities on the freshwater environment in Our freshwater 2023.
New Zealand’s freshwater fish – introduction – exploring our unique native fish, their habitats and suggestions on what we can do to help conserve this taonga (resources in te reo Māori and English).
For more resources, browse the wide range of content under our Water or Freshwater topics, remember you can use the filters.
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