News

Do you have a creative project that could benefit from some funding assistance? With little over a week, time is running out to get applications into this funding round of the Creative Communities Whakatāne Scheme. The Scheme aims to increase participation in the arts at a local level and enhance the range and diversity of arts available within communities. Funding is divided into three categories: Broad Community Involvement; Diversity; and Young People.

The Whakatāne District Council has adopted a recommendation to proceed with the installation of a full sewerage reticulation, treatment and disposal scheme in Matatā.

Whakatāne District residents will have an opportunity to express their views on the fluoridation of water supplies in a non-binding referendum to be held in conjunction with this year’s local government elections in October. The details of the referendum were finalised at yesterday’s Monitoring and Policy Committee meeting, with councillors confirming the question to be asked in the referendum, and agreeing on what supporting information should be made available to inform referendum participants.

Healthy advice with your paperback? Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service, in partnership with the Horizon Energy Library at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi, has set up a public health information stand which enables community access to valuable information on health-related issues.

Nga Tapuwae o Toi Track access affected by upgradesSafety upgrades starting later this month on two staircases on the Nga Tapuwae o Toi Track’s Kohi Point Walkway section will affect through-access for the duration of the projects.

The Whakatane Rowing Club invite you to attend their 100 Year Centenary Celebrations over Queen’s Birthday Weekend Friday 31 May, Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June, 2013

Anyone looking for a fun and affordable way to celebrate Mum this Mother’s Day need look no further than the Whakatāne Aquatic Centre. The Whakatāne District Council is getting into the sentiment with a fun day out featuring free pool entry for all mums on Mother’s Day, Sunday 12 May.

The Whakatāne District Council’s Hearings Committee has appointed three highly-experienced commissioners to hear land use consent applications for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Kopeopeo Canal remediation project.

Music lovers can join in the celebrations for New Zealand Music month at Te Kōputu – the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre – every Sunday this month.

Finish line in sight for Taneatua SH2 safety project Motorists on State Highway 2 (SH2) near Taneatua will have a safer road to travel on as soon as July, with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) confirming the new, realigned road will be completed that month. (NZTA media release)

We are looking for your community’s heroes, angels and champions but we need your help to get these wonderful people in the running for the second ever TrustPower Whakatane District Community Awards!

Notice is hereby given that the Whakatane District Council proposes to stop (close) part of the service lane (road) adjacent to The Warehouse and public car park off Kakahoroa Drive being between the properties known as 1 and 31 Kakahoroa Drive and shown as Section 3 on the survey plan SO 462740 and being 1192 m2 in area.

The Whakatane District Council has received 219 submissions to its draft Annual Plan for 2013/14, with submitters raising some 500 submission points for Council elected members to consider during a hearing on Friday, 3 May.

The total fire ban which has been in force in the Whakatane and Opotiki Districts since 29 January will be lifted, as from Tuesday 23 April 2013.

The water restrictions applying to the Whakatāne and Ōhope water schemes have been lifted as from today (Friday, 19 April).

The current water restrictions for Whakatane and Ohope will remain in place until Friday, at least, when we will review the situation again.

The Whakatāne District Council is seeking the community’s help to stop motorcycles being ridden on District reserves.

A free legal education service is to be trialled by Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi (the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre) and Baywide Community Law.

The Eastern Bay Canoe Racing Club’s goal of producing more international paddlers and growing the sport in the Eastern BOP are set to take a major step forward.

Average daily usage over the long weekend was 5,740 cubic metres, which has allowed us to maintain reservoir storage at or above 80 percent. Essentially, the current situation won’t change until we get substantial rain and the weather pattern changes to the more regular falls you would normally expect in autumn. In the meantime, the sprinkler and irrigation system ban remains in place, with Ohope and Whakatane residents restricted to hand-watering gardens every second day. The community is asked to continue the other voluntary water conservation measures which so many people have been implementing. These savings have made a considerable difference in our ability to manage the water supply system and maintain storage at a safe level. The total fire ban also remains in place and the Nga Tapuwae o Toi track will remain closed until the extreme fire risk reduces.

Whakatāne Police have been asked to investigate the disappearance of Sir William Sullivan’s KCMG (Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George) Star and neck badge from the Whakatāne Museum’s collection.

The escarpment section of Hillcrest Road between George Street and Seaview Road will be closed to traffic from 9:00am to 4:30pm on weekdays between 2 April 2013 and 8 April. Motorists who normally travel to and from the Whakatāne central business district on Hillcrest Road are advised to use Gorge Road as an alternative route during those hours.

The Whakatane Community Board is excited to announce the unveiling of ' Kiwi Boy', the third sculpture in its Whakatane River Walkway sculpture trail. The unveiling ceremony will take place at 2.00pm today (Thursday 21 March) on the Warren Cole Walkway, midway between the Whakatane Yacht Club and the Visitor Information Centre.

If you hear a continuous siren sounding a Tsunami warning at 10am on Sunday 7 April, remain calm, it’s only a test. Fire sirens located in coastal Eastern Bay of Plenty communities have recently been converted to provide a tsunami warning system, which will be put into action for the first time to coincide with the end of daylight saving. Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki District Councils are jointly managing the siren test, which follows on from the release of the Eastern Bay Tsunami Evacuation Information booklet earlier this year.

Whakatane District Council is asking the public to have their say on the draft Annual Plan 2013/14 and draft Fees and Charges 2013/14, which are now open for feedback. These documents highlight the proposed budget, projects, and fees and charges for the year beginning 1 July 2013. The draft Annual Plan represents year two of Council’s Long Term Plan 2012-22 (LTP) and takes on a ‘business as usual’ approach. There are not many changes from the programme set out in the LTP, with Council’s main focus remaining on the key principles of Affordability, Sustainability and Responsibility. “These principles aim to balance people’s ability to pay with the need to maintain assets and deliver services, so the community gets the best value for money from its Council,” Mayor Tony Bonne says.

It doesn’t matter if we win or not, we still think we have the best beach in New Zealand. That’s the message the Whakatāne District Council is sending with its call to get the whole community involved in our own version of the YouTube sensation, the ‘Harlem Shake’.

Eastern Bay residents, community groups and liquor licence holders are being asked for their views on the availability of alcohol. An online survey has been jointly developed by the Ōpōtiki, Kawerau and Whakatāne District Councils, which will inform their development of a local alcohol policy. The three councils are encouraging people to complete the survey which will be open from 4 March to 18 March 2013. The survey questions include peoples’ views on operating hours; the location of licenced outlets and their proximity to facilities such as schools or churches; and whether there should be special conditions placed on licences such as a ‘one-way door’ requirement.

Whakatane and Ohope residents are being asked to conserve water now to avoid the inconvenience of restrictions, which could be required as early as next week if storage levels continue to fall. Whakatāne District Council Infrastructure General Manager Tomasz Krawcyzk says the call for water conservation applies particularly to consumers connected to the Whakatāne and Ōhope schemes.

Dry weather conditions continue to affect the Whakatāne District, keeping the risk of fire extremely high. Principal Rural Fire Officer Neal Yeates is reminding the public that a Prohibited Fire Season remains in force for the whole of the Whakatāne District, which includes land administered by the Department of Conservation and Pumicelands.

Knowing what to do if a tsunami occurs will now be clearer for residents along the Eastern Bay of Plenty coastline, thanks to the new Tsunami Evacuation Information booklet released this week. Whakatane and Opotiki District Councils have jointly developed the booklet, which includes evacuation route maps, information about natural warning signs and how you can prepare for a tsunami.

A new children and family-oriented mountain bike event is set to introduce several hundred people to the joys of the Onepu Mountain Bike Park. The inaugural ‘Onepu Strawberry Bike Jam’ will be held on Wednesday (13 February) and features a great programme of events aimed at primary and intermediate school groups, senior riders, families and, at the end of the day, more competitive cyclists.

The current dry weather conditions have created an extreme fire hazard for the whole of the Whakatāne District. The high risk has led Whakatāne District Council Principal Rural Fire Officer, Neal Yeates, to declare a prohibited fire season for the whole district until further notice.

The crater lake is drying out and the frequent bursts of mud, steam and gas are still vigorous. During the last few days, the bursts have thrown mud and rock several tens of metres out from the lake area. Steam and gas clouds above the volcano are often visible from the Bay of Plenty coastline.

Updated 2013/14 draft Annual Plan budgets presented to the Whakatāne District Council’s Monitoring and Policy Committee this week indicate that the district can look forward to its lowest average rates increase for more than a decade.

The Whakatane District Council has announced the appointment of local businessman Aaron Milne as its Business Services Manager and recreation professional Sarah Clarke as its Manager Aquatics and Recreation.

Works will begin on Monday 3 December on the installation of a training groyne near the mouth of the Maraetōtara Stream in Ōhope. The work will involve the construction of a buried groyne that will prevent the Maraetōtara stream from deflecting west and eroding the frontal dune.

Do you have a creative project that could benefit from some funding assistance? The Creative Communities Whakatāne Scheme aims to increase participation in the arts at a local level and enhance the range and diversity of arts available within communities.

If your dog is barking, howling, jumping up,pulling on the lead or won’t come when it’s called, then head along to our free dog training session at 10.00 am on Saturday 17 November at Margaret Mahy Court. The Council’s Animal Control team is hosting this free workshop with experienced dog trainer and author of New Zealand’s first dog training book, Wendy Graydon.

Murupara’s outdoor community swimming pool is welcoming summer with a pool party celebration on Saturday 10 November. Whakatane District Council Community and Economic Development General Manager, Julian Reweti is excited about the opening weekend event and is encouraging the Murupara community to bring family and friends and enjoy their pool.

The White Ribbon Campaign was launched throughout New Zealand today, with Eastern Bay of Plenty Mayors joining others throughout the country in endorsing this community initiative to end men’s violence against women.

An ‘optimistic spirit’ and an ‘innovative approach’ are two of the descriptions used by judges of the Institute of Architecture Waikato/Bay of Plenty region's annual awards to describe the winning attributes of Te Kōputu a Te Whanga a Toi - the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre.

Just how many scrambled egg meals is too many is just one aspect of creating art that award-winning local artist Mandy Hague will talk about this Sunday.

Whakatāne Library’s celebrated book sales are set to resume this weekend, with hundreds of items up for grabs.

Whakatāne District Council is reminding all ratepayers that their first rates instalment must be paid before 5pm on Friday, 24 August 2012 to avoid incurring a penalty charge.

The Whakatāne District Council has achieved a significant turnaround in financial performance for the 2011/12 year, recording a rate funding surplus for the first time in more than five years.

Around 11:30pm on 7 August 2012 a volcanic tremor at White Island sharply decreased to levels seen prior to the current episode of unrest in late July. A few hours after this drop in tremor, the colour of the plume changed from white to light brown, indicating more ash is now in the plume. Visual observations in recent days show that a small cone is being built in the lake, around the main area of degassing.

Current status - Tuesday 6 August 2pm Volcanic eruption threat has passed for now Tongariro Volcano erupted at 23:50hrs Monday 6 August 2012, light ashfall was recorded to the north and east of the volcano. The latest assessment from GNS Science is that eruption activity has subsided. White steam clouds were observed at the historically active Te Maari craters area. There is no ash being produced from the volcano presently. There have been no lahars or pyroclastic flows or lava flows.

You're invited to meet with Mayor Tony Bonne for coffee and chat on Wednesday, 8 August.

A series of tributes will flow this week as the Whakatāne District honours the memory of much-loved, internationally renowned children’s author, Margaret Mahy ONZ. Described as a ‘giant of literature’, Margaret Mahy, who was born and raised in Whakatāne, passed away this week at the age of 74. She held the country's highest royal honour - The Order of New Zealand – and her literary achievements include 100 picture books, 40 novels and 20 collections of short stories. Many of which have been translated into over 15 languages.

Whakatāne District Council regulatory staff would like the community to help identify people who are illegally dumping rubbish at various sites around the District.

Work began this week on the installation of a new wastewater pipeline in Whakatane’s CBD area. The work will involve the laying of a new 180mm pressurised wastewater main from the southern end of George Street, along Kakahoroa Drive to the existing wastewater pump station at the northern end of McAlister Street.

Could your not-for-profit organisation do with some financial assistance? Applications are being called for annual grant funding to groups providing a social service to the residents of the Whakatāne District. Annual Grants Allocation Committee Chair, Councillor Scott Jarrett, says the fund assists social service providers with costs such as building leases, training and development, salaries and wages, grounds maintenance, promotion, stationery and travel costs. Priority will be given to groups which have a high volunteer component to their activities.

An economic impact assessment carried out by APR consultants has found that the 500 cyclists who stayed for 2 nights in February spent more than $54,000 in Whakatane. That represents a return of $9 for every dollar spent by the Whakatane District Council on bringing the event to Whakatane.

Whakatāne’s Library and Exhibition Centre will ‘open for business’ at 11.00am on Thursday 28 June, following a civic ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Apply for funding from Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Environmental Enhancement Fund.

The Whakatāne District Council is examining a number of options to overcome odour emission problems at its Te Tahi Street Transfer Station.

Ōpōtiki District Council and Whakatāne District Council have put forward a joint application to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management for additional fire sirens to work as a tsunami warning system. The proposed system would see the conversion of existing New Zealand Fire Service sirens to enable a tsunami alerting system and the installation of a further three sirens.

Leisurely strolls along the banks of the Rangitāiki River are just around the corner with development of the Rangitāiki River Walkway underway. The walkway will extend 2.7 kilometres from behind the Edgecumbe Squash and Tennis Club through to Edgecumbe Domain and will be able to be accessed at many points along the route.

Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne returns the coveted Sunshine Hat to Nelson who has won back the title of Sunshine Capital.

Council contractors are currently in the process of repairing a collapsed sewer main along Wainui Rd in Ohope.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has reduced the boating exclusion zone of the Bay of Plenty coast.

Whakatane District Council is holding information evenings in Whakatane and Ohope to provide the community with information on the current stormwater system, flood risks and flood mitigation options.

Whakatane community will today Monday 17 October will get briefing on the Rena ship grounding from Maritime New Zealand at 6pm, Whakatane High School.

Whakatane District Council is looking for feedback from the community on how the draft plan should provide for natural features and landscapes, and areas of native vegetation or indigenous biodiversity.