[2] In 2015 the Cook Islands government declared the environmental condition of the lagoon a national disaster.

[4] The lagoon is heavily polluted, with nitrogen from agricultural runoff and leaking septic tanks leading to the growth of noxious seaweed and decreased water visibility.

[5] In 2015 the Cook Islands government declared the environmental condition of the lagoon a national disaster.

[1] In 2016 the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce began a program to scrape algae from the bottom of the lagoon.

[7] In December 2020 the lagoon suffered an anoxic event, and local residents were warned to avoid swimming or harvesting seafood from the area.