Te Arawa Lakes Trust says a report, which found some wild foods grown in Rotorua waterways carry contaminates such as mercury and arsenic, is motivation to clean up the lakes.
The study by the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research has looked at the potential risk of pollutants in collected wild food.
The Risk Assessment of Contaminants in Kai from the Te Arawa report also aimed to find out how much kai, such as watercress, shellfish, trout and eel, is consumed by Maori, as little information is known.
Lakes Trust chair Toby Curtis says the research brings certainty to Te Arawa about what traditional foods are affected by pollution.
He says as more people become aware they'll learn what foods are safe to collect.
Mr Curtis says he's not too worried about how food is being affected as long as Te Arawa begin to clean up the lake.
