Latest news with #WhakatāneDistrictCouncil
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Whakatāne council emissions almost double due to tree felling
The Valley Road forestry operation was carried out between January and March using a helicopter to lift logs from the steep hillside. Photo: Supplied / LDR The felling of the Valley Road pine forest earlier this year will result in Whakatāne District Council's greenhouse gas emissions almost doubling in its audit for the 2024-2025 financial year. In Thursday's final environment, energy and resilience committee meeting for the current council term, staff updated the committee on its progress toward meeting the targets of its community climate change strategy, Our Climate Pathway. This was the second six-monthly update and marked progress one year on from the council's adoption of the strategy. An emissions audit for the year ended 30 June is underway and expected to be presented to the council later in the year. While final figures are still being confirmed, emissions are expected to be roughly double those of the previous year, mostly due to the pine tree felling, which resulted in approximately 2917 tonnes of carbon dioxide having to be accounted for. The logging operation, earlier this year, was to prevent the risk of trees falling and erosion. The previous year's emissions were 3800 tonnes and, apart from the one-off increase from the felling, they are on track to be consistent in the upcoming audit. The Pathway has led to improvements to council facilities to reduce power consumption such as solar panels and more efficient water pumps. Work is continuing to reduce the council's fleet of vehicles and transition to electric or lower fossil fuel consumption vehicles. Four council staff have purchased ebikes through the work-ride scheme and the council-initiated e-bike hire scheme is now being managed by Community Resources Whakatāne (CReW). Other progress made over the past year includes 24 percent of council staff having participated in climate change workshops. A climate change and resilience team has been established, a new greenhouse gas emissions accounting and auditing platform has been adopted, school waste education and programmes have been delivered at 38 schools and the council has worked with community group Zero Waste Whakatāne to promote waste minimisation. A $160,000 Climate Change Risk Assessment created by consultants Tonkin & Taylor was also adopted at the meeting. The council's climate change and resilience manager Lou Hunt said a science-based, community-informed approach was key to making good decisions. "It's about changing what we do, how we build, and how we plan so we can stay safe, protect nature, and keep our communities strong. "Rather than reacting after events happen, we're putting tools in place to plan ahead, protecting our people and places, reducing future costs, and supporting long-term wellbeing." A key feature of this project will be a new online viewer, developed in-house, that will allow staff and the public to explore climate risk data interactively. The viewer is still being refined and will be rolled out in stages later this year. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
30-07-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Road between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki to be assessed for reopening
File photo. Photo: Pretoria Gordon / RNZ Authorities hope to reopen the road between Whakatāne and Ōpōtiki this morning after flooding and slips closed multiple roads in the area overnight. Heavy rain also prompted a boil water notice for residents of Rūātoki and the council warned tsunami surges from the Kamchatka earthquake could worsen flooding in some areas. Whakatāne District Council local controller Nicholas Woodley told RNZ the roads would be checked once it was light. "We will assess them because once the roads have been flooded as well as having silt and other debris on them, we actually need to check they haven't been undermined, that they are safe to travel on," he said. Woodley said more than 200mm of rain fell on the district in nearly 24-hours, most of it on Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night. He said schools in the town sent their Ōpōtiki students home early on Wednesday when it became apparent roads might close later in the day, but some people who lived in Ōpōtiki were stuck in Whakatāne overnight. Woodley said people were encouraged to stay with friends or family but the council fielded multiple calls from people who needed help finding accommodation last night. Meanwhile, the council warned residents of Rūātoki their water treatment plant was not working effectively due to the heavy rain, and they should boil water for three minutes before using it for drinking, food preparation or brushing teeth. On Wednesday evening the council's Facebook page summarised the combination of events: "We've got a tsunami advisory, communities cut off, road closures, and there could be more road closures to come... If it's not one thing, it's a tsunami." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
27-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Eastern Bay Councils Adopt 30-Year Plan For Growth And Development
Councils across the Eastern Bay have officially adopted the Our Places – Eastern Bay Spatial Plan (Spatial Plan), marking the beginning of a long-term, coordinated approach to managing growth, infrastructure, and development across the sub-region. The plan has been jointly developed by Whakatāne, Ōpōtiki, and Kawerau District Councils, along with Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council, in partnership with iwi and central government. It sets out a shared vision for how the Eastern Bay could grow and change over the next 30 years, focusing on housing, infrastructure, employment, land use, and climate resilience, while protecting the qualities that make the region unique. Independent Chair of the Project Governance Group, Vaughan Payne, says the adoption is a major milestone built on collaboration, community input and shared commitment. 'This Spatial Plan is the result of strong partnerships across councils, iwi, government agencies, and local communities,' says Mr Payne. 'Throughout 2024, we listened carefully to the feedback of more than 550 individuals, groups and community organisations. Another strong feature of this plan is capturing the future aspirations of our iwi partners. That input helped us refine our direction, including shaping an alternative growth scenario for Whakatāne to reflect the community's aspirations for where and how development should occur.' 'Councils have worked together every step of the way. The plan's adoption now sets the stage for the next phase – local implementation that reflects each district's needs and future potential.' Each council will now lead the next phase of work to reflect their district's priorities, starting with growth strategies and master planning, and continuing engagement with communities, iwi and stakeholders. Whakatāne District Council will lead the development of a Local Growth Strategy to guide where and how growth will be supported. The strategy will focus on greenfield areas, housing and the infrastructure needed to support new communities. Whakatāne District Council Mayor, Victor Luca, says it's time to put plans into action. 'We're now moving from the big picture to the local detail - creating a Local Growth Strategy that clarifies where growth will happen and how we'll support it. 'We'll continue working closely with our community to understand their vision, especially on matters like climate resilience, housing supply and infrastructure. We want to protect what we value while also creating new, connected, future-ready communities. 'It is also important to emphasise that as we move forward, this spatial plan, like any plan, may evolve as new information, data and evidence come to light.' In Ōpōtiki, the focus will be on advancing the Hukutaia Growth Area and unlocking opportunities created by the Ōpōtiki Harbour Development. Ōpōtiki District Council Mayor, David Moore, says the joint approach has strengthened planning across the region. 'I think the process of building the Spatial Plan together through community engagement, feedback and workshops has helped us make more consistent decisions across the sub-region. The plan can be used to advocate for central government funding and provision of services such as health, education, and policing. 'By approaching our challenges together, we've created a stronger, more joined-up plan for the future.' Kawerau District Council will continue its work on a local housing and economic development strategy, focusing on Stoneham Park and enabling more business activity. Kawerau District Mayor, Faylene Tunui, says the plan helps ensure the town remains people-centred, now and into the future. 'Those who call the Eastern Bay home see it as that – their home. This is where we choose to live and raise our families, work and earn a living, either working for someone else or by starting a business, and contribute and volunteer our skills to help our community thrive. 'The Spatial Plan helps us honour the experience of our past while laying a strong foundation for those who come next. Implementation will focus on making sure our people have real opportunities to get ahead, with housing, jobs, and investment that meet their needs.' Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chair, Doug Leeder, says the adoption of the plan is an important turning point. 'The Spatial Plan is an essential tool that will help us coordinate development and optimise resources in a way that will have intergenerational benefit,' says Mr Leeder. 'Its adoption is the first step in a 30-year journey to collectively shape a vibrant future and create a cohesive sub-region, with community input guiding us every step of the way.' While the Spatial Plan provides a blueprint, each council will continue to carry out further engagement through upcoming projects such as District Plan changes, Long Term Plans, and master planning at the local level. 'We want to thank everyone who has contributed to the development of this plan,' says Mr Payne. 'Your voice has helped shape it and will continue to guide what happens next.'
NZ Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Former MP Brendan Horan eyes Whakatāne council role in elections
Former Tauranga-based MP, TVNZ weather presenter and New Zealand Iron Man champion Brendan Horan says he plans to stand for a seat on Whakatāne District Council in this year's local body elections. Horan was a list MP for NZ First and was stood down in 2012 he took large sums of money from his late mother's account. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2016 following a two-year police investigation.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Whakatāne Operators At War With Council Over Tourism Funding Cuts
Tourism operators across the district are boycotting Whakatāne District Council for cutting funding to Tourism Bay of Plenty. The Whakatāne council has previously contributed $85,000 annually to the council controlled organisation of Tauranga City and Western Bay District councils. In response, a group of tourism operators across the district are boycotting all council-led tourism activity. This includes directing that all of their businesses be removed from council websites, that brochures and experiences be removed from the Whakatane i-Site, refusing to participate in promotional campaigns, event partnerships, and famils (familiarisation trips for agents) and calling for a full independent audit of the Whakatāne i-site and council tourism department. Among the tourism operators supporting the boycott are Tio Ohiwa Harbour Cruises and Oyster Experience owner Wini Geddes, Kohutapu Lodge and Whirinaki Footsteps Nadine Toe Toe, Larni Hepi from Whaitaki, KG Kayaks' Kenny McCracken, Beachpoint Apartments' Alison Stern, One 88 On Commerce's Malcolm Glen, Awakeri Rail Adventures Paul Francis and Takutai Adventure Company's Ollie Dobbin. Geddes said that more than 44 tourism operators and accommodation providers from around the Eastern Bay of Plenty would be hurt by Whakatāne council withdrawing this funding. The contribution linked them to domestic and international tourism promotion through Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Māori Tourism. The boycotters said the $85,000 amounted to 2.8 percent of the council's annual $3 million tourism budget and a mere 0.14 percent of its $59 million total annual operating budget. Quoting Stats NZ, they said the region received $166 million in visitor spend annually, with approximately $20 million of that from international visitors. More than 10 percent of the workforce in Eastern Bay was through tourism. Geddes said the decision had been made in public-excluded meetings with no consultation or communication with local tourist operators. "We've only known about it for a month and the decision was made before Christmas with no consultation with the tourist operators at all." She said all of Tio Ohiwa's business came through either Tourism Bay of Plenty or support from other Regional Tourism Operators around the country, in particular RotoruaNZ, a CCO of Rotorua Lakes District Council, which Whakatāne council did not pay into. "In two weeks' time our connection to Tourism New Zealand will be cancelled and [the council] are trying to take it over by themselves." A response from council chief executive Steven Perdia to a Local Goverment Official Information and Meetings Act request sent by two of the operators, Toe Toe and Hepi, said Whakatāne council had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and funding agreement with Tourism Bay of Plenty in 2014, but since this had expired in 2019 no further MOU had been developed. The organisations had operated under a Letter of Intent to develop a revised MOU but "since the Whakaari eruption and Covid 19 and the catastrophic effects on the community and visitor economy with several business closures, both organisations have continued to work together in good faith". He said the council had a strong desire to reduce rates' increases and during last year's long-term plan budget funding was stopped to both economic development agency Toi EDA and Tourism Bay of Plenty. In a public-excluded section of its living together committee on 6 March this year, the council discussed reviewing the MOU with Tourism Bay of Plenty but to make cost savings decided to bring all tourism-related support in-house. Perdia told Local Democracy Reporting the matters were discussed in a public-excluded forum because the debate involved commercially sensitive matters, including contracts and funding agreements with third parties. "Council is trying to make itself a regional transport operator," Geddes said. "It has got no strategic plan, nothing, and they're expecting us to teach them how to get into the industry." Among the benefits of being part of Tourism Bay of Plenty was being included in the Bay of Plenty section of the Trenz Expo, New Zealand's biggest tourism trade show. "We are now taking bookings from China, India and the rest of Asia, Europe and the United States from those expos. Even our accomodation providers. We fill our hotels with tourists coming in. "[Whakatāne council] can't even get tickets to it." The council did not respond to questions from the Beacon around how it intended to promote the district to international tourists. Geddes said some tourism operators had already removed their brochures from the i-site. Toe Toe said the council shouldn't be making critical decisions in a field they didn't understand. "Tourism operators were completely left out in the cold around a decision that directly affects our businesses and survival." Stern, from Beachpoint Apartments, said she felt the decision was very shortsighted and would end up costing the council more in the long run. "If they don't want to focus on international tourism, then why are they planning to do exactly that - just without the professionals?" she said. "And how do they think they'll do it better for less than $85,000? This is going to end up costing the ratepayers more, not less."
