This is a telephone survey of 300 respondents from across the District. It covers the community’s level of satisfaction with a broad spectrum of Council services and facilities. It also provides an opportunity to gauge the community’s view on some  specific proposals.

 For example, in this survey we are asking the respondents about their views on the following:

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.

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.

Safety 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

Weekend Programme -

Friday 31  May, 2013
‘Meet n Greet’

Whakatane Rowing Club
Starting at 6.30pm

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.

(NZTA media release)

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.

The realignment project will provide a straighter, wider and safer road by removing the Taneatua Rail Overbridge, upgrading the existing detour around the over bridge (which has been in use since the over bridge closed in 2011) and widening the SH2/Taneatua Road intersection to improve sight distances at the intersection.

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 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.

Principal Rural Fire Officer Neal Yeates says that following significant rainfalls across the area in recent days, a total fire ban is no longer needed.

“The public are reminded though that the Opotiki District Council Rural Fire District has an all-year restricted fire season, which means that anyone wishing to light a fire in the open air must first obtain a permit from the Opotiki District Council,” Mr Yeates says.