Latest news with #WhakatāneDistrictCouncil
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Much loved swimming spot dumped on again
A two-door coupe style vehicle was found in the Tauranga River at Wardlaw Glade. Photo: LDR / supplied A rusting car body found in the Tauranga River at Waimana's Wardlaw Glade, about 20km south of Whakatāne, is just one of many the Bay of Plenty Regional Council is likely to have to pull out of rivers this year. Regional council compliance team leader Trudy Richards said last year, the council received 28 reports through its Pollution Hotline regarding vehicles abandoned in waterways across the region, from Katikati to Waioeka and surrounding areas. The two-door coupe-style car was reported to the hotline on Tuesday afternoon along with an assortment of whiteware and other rubbish dumped in the carpark beside the popular swimming spot. Richards said the council would arrange for a contractor to remove the car body from the river once weather conditions were suitable. "If feasible, we will also retrieve the whiteware." Pollution outside of the river bed typically falls under the responsibility of the territorial authority, which in this case is Whakatāne District Council. However, as Wardlaw Glade is alongside State Highway 2, this is unclear. A variety of whiteware has also been dumped at the Wardlaw Glade carpark. Photo: LDR / supplied The New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is responsible for rubbish collection on and alongside state highways. "However, where possible, we collaborate with local councils and Waka Kotahi to minimise costs." The cost of removal for the car varies depending on site accessibility, the need for traffic management, and potential fuel or oil discharge but, on average, each removal costs ratepayers about $2000. Richards said the regional council had not been able to assess the environmental impact of the car body on the river because of a lack of information on how long the vehicle has been in the waterway and whether it was fully intact or contained fuel or other fluids when it entered the water. "It is always disheartening to witness such disregard for our environment through the careless dumping of waste," she said. Transport agency system manager Andy Oakley said maintenance contractors were dealing with an "increasingly awful job", cleaning up after illegal rubbish dumping at rest areas along SH2. "It's been a growing problem over the last couple of years at this rest stop and others, and can vary from domestic household rubbish, to large household items, such as beds, chairs, headboards and washing machines, to broken toys and push chairs." "Stopping at rest areas to pick up litter was costly in terms of both money and, more importantly, time, when they could be prioritising other work that is vital to motorists such as fixing potholes. "Littering in public places is illegal. We would love the support of the community to please report any sightings of fly tipping to NZ Police or call NZTA on 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49). LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
NZ Herald
8 hours ago
- General
- NZ Herald
Whakatāne council urged to go solo on water services amid partnership doubts
Whakatāne District Council is prepared to look at forming a multi-council CCO to manage water services, but whether any other councils are prepared to join it is unclear. No other councils wanting to partner with Whakatāne District Council is among the most common reasons given by submitters for preferring the council go it alone in its three waters delivery. The council received 84 submissions on options for its Water Service Delivery Plan from individuals
Scoop
a day ago
- General
- Scoop
Tauranga Boys' College Wins 2025 Enviro Challenge
The importance of collective climate action amongst youth was evident at 2025's Enviro Challenge competition. Organised by Sustainability Options, this year's Enviro Challenge brought together 77 students from nine Bay of Plenty secondary schools for a one-day sustainability competition held at Tauranga Girls' College. Made possible thanks to the sponsors: Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Whakatāne District Council, and Sustainability Options. Tauranga Boys' College won the Enviro Challenge Award, and Whakatāne High School received the Rising Star Award for their creativity and emerging leadership. Back due to popular demand after a 6 year hiatus, run by Sustainability Options team members Amy Earles (leader of the 2019 Enviro Challenge winning team) and Jo Wills (a longtime organiser), the event gave students a chance to explore sustainability through five interactive activities: Presenting a sustainability audit of their school An upcycling task using a mystery box of waste materials A photo challenge based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals A structured debate on a topical environmental issue A sustainability quiz The energy and creativity on the day were evident in projects like a rainwater recovery system built entirely from repurposed items. Photography entries showed impressive insight into global sustainability goals, and debates revealed a depth of critical thinking from all schools. Students shared mahi from their kura ranging from native restoration to food sovereignty, energy and water efficiency, and local partnerships—demonstrating a strong understanding of real-world environmental challenges. The three judges certainly had their work cut out for them and were impressed by the standard of work produced: Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Ilze Kruis stated 'Congratulations to the winners and all the schools participating in the 2025 Enviro Challenge. Your innovative approaches to sustainability have genuinely restored my faith in the younger generation's ability to implement impactful projects, both within your schools and in the wider environment. It's inspiring to see the next wave of leaders step up and take action. Keep pushing forward—your efforts are more important than ever.' 'Congratulations to all the schools that participated in this year's Enviro Challenge. It was truly inspiring to see such creative ideas, meaningful content, and passion the students brought to the event—making the judging process a very challenging one,' said Tauranga City Council's Gabriel Hurford. 'The students are all leading the way in making a positive difference, one step at a time.' Karen Summerhayes, from Whakatāne District Council added 'Congratulations to all the participating teams. It was inspiring to see the creative thinking and relevant content that was presented. Struggling to ingrain sustainable behaviour within the school community was a common theme but these young people are certainly leading the way.' Thanks to the participating schools: Te Puke High School, Aquinas College, Pāpāmoa College, Tauranga Boys' College, Tauranga Girls' College, Katikati College, Ōtūmoetai College, Mount Maunganui College, and Whakatāne High School.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Rain Bombs Cast Cloud Over Matatā Housing Growth
Article – Diane McCarthy – Local Democracy Reporter Whakatne Mayor Victor Luca says building more homes within Matat now would be a mistake due to the potential damage from 'rain bombs' and worsening weather. Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca says building more homes within Matatā now would be a mistake due to the potential damage from 'rain bombs' and worsening weather. Matatā is one of the areas named in the draft Eastern Bay Spatial Plan as a key growth area for housing, with infill housing of up to 700 homes and the potential for development of up to 800 homes eastward of Pollen Street over the next 30 years. At an infrastructure and planning committee meeting on Thursday, council learned that since August, Whakatāne District Council has spent more than $300,000 clearing sediment and debris from Matatā catchpits after it washed down from stream catchments due to localised 'rain bombs'. Most of the cost was incurred between between February and May due to several heavy rain events in the hills above the town during that period. Rain bombs are usually associated with burst of heavy rain that has potential to do damage. Luca said it would be a mistake to densify Matatā with what was going on there at the moment. 'Climate change is the elephant in the room and we seem to have consistently underestimated the effects. 'There's a micro-climate [in the Matatā catchment]. It's not totally predictable, but it looks like things are going to keep getting worse. 'These rain bombs that come – this is the second in 20 years but they don't have to be linear, there could be another one in a year or two. 'This has to be fixed and the people living there have to be given some comfort.' After the 2005 debris flow, the council placed sediment and debris catchpits in Matatā both at the Awatarariki Stream on the western side of the town and Waitepuru Stream on the north-eastern side of the town. A $70,000 annual maintenance budget is supposed to cover the cost of keeping these catchpits clear so that the town and lagoon do not suffer debris flooding events. Despite this, earlier this year a heavy rainfall event localised in the hills above Matatā saw sediment and debris overwhelm Moore's Bridge, which crosses the Awatarariki Stream, blocking State Highway 2 and entering properties on Pioneer Place. While some of the cost overrun for removing debris was covered from an emergency stormwater fund, $112,000 of unbudgeted spending needed to be approved which would likely come from an internal loan. This amount also included the repair of a blown out stormwater pipe in Murupara. Three waters manager Jim Finlay suggested this sediment and debris coming down the rivers could be mediated with rock weirs slowing the flow of the water, at an estimated cost to the council of $140,000. 'It's terrible that we're just sitting there waiting for this to happen and you have to clean up each time and if you don't you are possibly going to have flooding down the highway and through the town from both of those streams.' He likened it to 'someone having a party in your house every week and you've got to go and clean up the mess'. Councillor Gavin Dennis recently presented to the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Committee about the Moores Bridge incident which resulted in a debris flood. He asked that the bridge be improved and that New Zealand Transport Agency and New Zealand Rail increase their maintenance on their State Highway 2 and railway bridges. Finlay said New Zealand Rail had since cleared out their culverts on the Awatarariki Stream and had further work planned for clearing culverts on the Waitepuru Stream.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Rain Bombs Cast Cloud Over Matatā Housing Growth
Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca says building more homes within Matatā now would be a mistake due to the potential damage from "rain bombs" and worsening weather. Matatā is one of the areas named in the draft Eastern Bay Spatial Plan as a key growth area for housing, with infill housing of up to 700 homes and the potential for development of up to 800 homes eastward of Pollen Street over the next 30 years. At an infrastructure and planning committee meeting on Thursday, council learned that since August, Whakatāne District Council has spent more than $300,000 clearing sediment and debris from Matatā catchpits after it washed down from stream catchments due to localised "rain bombs". Most of the cost was incurred between between February and May due to several heavy rain events in the hills above the town during that period. Rain bombs are usually associated with burst of heavy rain that has potential to do damage. Luca said it would be a mistake to densify Matatā with what was going on there at the moment. "Climate change is the elephant in the room and we seem to have consistently underestimated the effects. "There's a micro-climate [in the Matatā catchment]. It's not totally predictable, but it looks like things are going to keep getting worse. "These rain bombs that come - this is the second in 20 years but they don't have to be linear, there could be another one in a year or two. "This has to be fixed and the people living there have to be given some comfort." After the 2005 debris flow, the council placed sediment and debris catchpits in Matatā both at the Awatarariki Stream on the western side of the town and Waitepuru Stream on the north-eastern side of the town. A $70,000 annual maintenance budget is supposed to cover the cost of keeping these catchpits clear so that the town and lagoon do not suffer debris flooding events. Despite this, earlier this year a heavy rainfall event localised in the hills above Matatā saw sediment and debris overwhelm Moore's Bridge, which crosses the Awatarariki Stream, blocking State Highway 2 and entering properties on Pioneer Place. While some of the cost overrun for removing debris was covered from an emergency stormwater fund, $112,000 of unbudgeted spending needed to be approved which would likely come from an internal loan. This amount also included the repair of a blown out stormwater pipe in Murupara. Three waters manager Jim Finlay suggested this sediment and debris coming down the rivers could be mediated with rock weirs slowing the flow of the water, at an estimated cost to the council of $140,000. "It's terrible that we're just sitting there waiting for this to happen and you have to clean up each time and if you don't you are possibly going to have flooding down the highway and through the town from both of those streams." He likened it to "someone having a party in your house every week and you've got to go and clean up the mess". Councillor Gavin Dennis recently presented to the Bay of Plenty Regional Land Transport Committee about the Moores Bridge incident which resulted in a debris flood. He asked that the bridge be improved and that New Zealand Transport Agency and New Zealand Rail increase their maintenance on their State Highway 2 and railway bridges. Finlay said New Zealand Rail had since cleared out their culverts on the Awatarariki Stream and had further work planned for clearing culverts on the Waitepuru Stream.
