The Whakatāne District Council is reminding the community that the 2013/14 restricted fire season has now started. The season began on 1 October and will run through to 30 April 2014.

Principal Rural Fire Officer Neal Yeates says a permit will be required for any fire in the open air during that period. “Fire Permits help us to know where and when fires are lit during the drier months so that we can provide a measure of protection for our community, as well as our forests, coastal and grassland areas.”

Young women across the Eastern Bay of Plenty will have the opportunity to get involved in sports leadership roles thanks to the new Take the Lead initiative which launches this week.

The Take the Lead programme has been developed to provide opportunities for leadership development for young women (aged from 13 to 20) in sport and recreation over a three-year period. The project is jointly supported by Sport New Zealand, Sport Bay of Plenty, and the Whakatāne, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki District Councils. 

Eastern Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management is investigating the cause of a false alarm which triggered the region’s continuous rise tsunami siren just before 8 am this morning (1 October 2013).

The siren system, which is linked through existing New Zealand Fire Service sirens, along with additional sirens which were recently installed at Coastlands, Waiōtahe and Ōhiwa, was accidentally activated this morning, with the cause still unknown.

Story scrambles, craft workshops, painting sessions and drawing lessons are some of the activities on offer these school holidays at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre.

This year’s October school holidays coincide with the BirdsaPlenty Festival, so Te Kōputu is showing its support with some bird-themed activities. All the activities are free and open to the community with fun activity sheets also available throughout the holidays from the front desk at Te Kōputu.

The removal of most of the female ginkgo trees in Jubilee Crescent begins this week, following consultation with residents during the past year. The trees, which have affected residents largely through the offensive odours they emit, will be felled by Alfa Contracts Ltd as part of an active management programme.

The Whakatāne District Council has received close to 400 submissions on its Proposed District Plan. Submissions closed on 13 September, with feedback being received from a wide range of organisations and individuals.

All submissions, including the Council’s own, have been made available on the Whakatāne District Council website.

Andrew Irving, the architect responsible for the multi-award winning design of Te Kōputu, the Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, will give a free public talk on Thursday, 19 September.

This talk is part of the public programmes supporting the new Objects of Desire Exhibition in the Opus Gallery.

The talk will take place 5:30 pm Thursday, 19 September in the Little Orchard Activity Room at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi. Everyone is welcome to attend.

New Zealand Airports Association asks that candidates for this year’s local body elections remember their local airport is vital for economic growth in their region.

Association Chief Executive Kevin Ward says, “Airports are important for local communities, connecting New Zealanders and local businesses to the rest of the country and to the world. They provide essential services to local businesses and industries, tourism, special events and the health sector. Airports are also a major lifeline for disaster recovery and emergency services.”

Whakatāne has had 1800 hours of sunshine through 31 August, putting it well ahead of all other contenders in the sunshine race.

An additional 170 hours of sunshine during August helped Whakatāne maintain its lead over New Plymouth, which has had 94 fewer hours of sun than Whakatāne this year.

The sunshine hour totals through 31 August 2013 are:

• Whakatāne: 1800
• New Plymouth: 1706
• Blenheim: 1605
• Lake Tekapo: 1591
• Nelson: 1568