Whakatāne District Council is reminding communities that the Mayor and Councillors are keen to hear from people before the draft Long Term Plan formal consultation process finishes this Friday, 12 April.
Council staff and elected members have held a number of engagement opportunities and been present at community events over the past few weeks.
The Long Term Plan Consultation Document provides an overview of the challenges the district is facing and the opportunities that need to be considered through the next 10 years. There are four key questions being asked of communities with three options for each. The questions are:
- How should we scale, stage and fund necessary upgrades to the Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub?
- How should we manage foodwaste collection?
- How quickly should we close our funding gap?
- How should we distribute rates increases across the properties in our district?
There’s a range of different ways people can do this, including community hui and events, hardcopy submission forms and through the Council’s website – whakatane.govt.nz
Community hui/meetings coming up include:
- Café Awa Korero me inu kawhe, Friday, 5 April, 10am-11am Awa Cafe, Muriwai Drive, Whakatāne
- Ōhope Craft Markets – Saturday, 6 April 2024, Bluett Road, Ōhope
- Whakatāne Sunday Markets – Sunday, 7 April, Mitchell Park, Pyne Street, Whakatāne
- Te Hui a Pooti Māori/ Māori Constituents Hui - Monday, 8 April, 12.30pm-2pm, Awanuiārangi Lecture Theatre
- Tāneatua Community Hui - Monday, 8 April - 4 pm - Tāneatua War Memorial Hall
- Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub information session – War Memorial Hall Reception Lounge, Tuesday, 9 April from 7pm
There is also an opportunity for people to speak in support of their submission and be heard by the Mayor and Councillors. People can do so before 5pm, Friday 12 April by emailing info@whakatane.govt.nz or calling 07 306 0500. Formal Hearings will be held on 18 - 19 April 2024.
After submissions have been considered, elected members will deliberate before adopting the final plan on 20 June 2024.