Latest news with #ŌpōtikiDistrictCouncil
1News
5 days ago
- Politics
- 1News
Road works 'pointless' if bridge is underwater
A councillor is calling for a Bay of Plenty highway bridge to be raised and lengthened, in the wake of last week's flooding that closed the important route. The issues with Matekerepu Bridge turning into a "choke point" during flooding was discussed at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting this week. Councillor Tom Brooks described the new Matekerepu roundabout as 'pointless' if traffic from Ōpōtiki couldn't get over the bridge less than 50 metres away. He said when the new roundabout was announced, he queried at an Eastern Bay Road Safety Joint Committee meeting why the bridge wasn't being replaced at the same time. The committee includes a representative from NZTA. 'I was told that there was no budget for that, and it was never considered.' He raised the issue a second time at a meeting of the joint committee last Friday after the bridge had been under water the previous day, cutting off traffic between Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne. ADVERTISEMENT He pointed out that there was no detour available when the bridge was closed. 'The nice new roundabout that is being built is superfluous if we can't get over the bridge,' he said. He described the bridge as a 'choke point' for traffic, not only from Ōpōtiki but from the entire East Coast, including Gisborne. He said he was sharing some thoughts with the secretary of the joint committee who would draft a letter to the Bay of Plenty Regional Transport Committee and the Minister of Transport about the importance of the bridge. He suggested other councillors put their concerns forward as well. He felt Gisborne District Council also needed to be made aware of the issue. 'Because that's one of the choke points for them if we're cut off with these storm events. The new Matekerepu roundabout is under construction, less than 50 metres from a bridge that becomes a choke point in flood conditions. Photo supplied The Matekerepu Bridge on State Highway 2 between Ōpōtiki and Wainui Road. (Source: Supplied/Karen Richardson) 'It affects the resilience of our town and up the coast.' He felt both Gisborne and Ōpōtiki should put pressure on the Government. ADVERTISEMENT 'If you're going to do something, let's do it once, and do it right. If that bridge was raised and had a bigger span, that water could go right under there.' Councillor Maxie Kemara agreed the bridge needed to be updated. He attended a pōwhiri at Roimata Marae at Kutarere earlier this year when the local hapū welcomed the contractors constructing the roundabout. "One of the NZTA staff got up and said it wasn't in the budget to update that bridge. They said there was a 20-year life expectancy left in that bridge.' Mayor David Moore said it was a good issue to raise with the Bay of Plenty Road Transport Committee. He made East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick aware of the issue last week when she visited the area. Local Democracy Reporting is local-body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Community Warmth Shines At Opotiki Matariki Events
The Ōpōtiki community calendar of events for Matariki is warm and inviting, with something for everyone to mark the annual rising of the Matariki stars. Joseph Hayes, Experience and Engagement Manager at Ōpōtiki District Council, is helping coordinate and manage his eighth Matariki calendar of events this year, having launched the inaugural event in 2018 — five years before Matariki became a nationally recognised public holiday. 'Our Matariki events are quite different from many of our other annual events in Ōpōtiki. Community groups and individuals bring their own ideas to life, volunteering their time and expertise so that everyone can celebrate Matariki in a variety of ways. Council runs a couple of the larger events, but mostly we play a coordination and support role. The real work is done by the incredible people across the district who come together to celebrate Matariki,' Mr Hayes said. The calendar of events began on 15 June with a planting day in partnership with Motu Trails and will wrap up with the popular Matariki Street Party on 28 June. Some events have now become fixtures on the calendar, including night walks, golf, story time, movies, shows and markets. Joseph said that this year there are also new opportunities for authentic connection with Matariki, through a strong te ao Māori focus. 'We are very fortunate that Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and Omarumutu Marae have opened one part of Tohekura 2025 to the public as part of this year's celebrations — the Whāngai i te Hautapu. Following the hautapu at Omarumutu Marae, we'll be hosting workshops just down the road at Waiaua Marae, providing further opportunities for learning and connection. This year's Tohekura has a Matariki theme and was fully booked almost instantly, so being able to share parts of it with the wider community is a real privilege,' Mr Hayes said. The programme includes opportunities for remembrance, forecasting the year ahead, and wānanga on mahi māra (planting), rongoā (traditional healing), kai and whanaungatanga (connection). This year's Matariki Street Party on 28 June will once again be a highlight of the calendar, with live entertainment, kai, stalls and plenty of whānau-friendly activities. And while we can't give too much away just yet, if the weather plays its part, there may even be a little winter wonder arriving in Ōpōtiki for the occasion. The full calendar of events and activities is available on the isite website – You can also follow @ŌpōtikiNZ on Facebook for updates.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Ōpōtiki To Go It Alone For Now
Article – Diane McCarthy – Local Democracy Reporter Through a series of workshops and extensive consultants reports the council has considered several options and identified two as most suitable. Ōpōtiki District Council is considering going it alone in delivering water services for the next couple of years and is asking the community what they think. Under the Government's Local Water Done Well legislation, councils must consult with their communities on a Water Services Delivery Plan that ensures revenue received for water is kept separate from other council activities. The plan must be submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs by September 3. Through a series of workshops and extensive consultants' reports the council has considered several options and identified two as most suitable. Its preferred option is to form an internal business unit within council in the short term while also exploring a potential joint water services organisation in the future. Another option would be to form a joint water services organisation with neighbouring councils now. Mayor David Moore said that, realistically, the council needed to be looking at people to partner with. 'There's not a big queue of them. We don't have a lot of choice. We don't know, in the end if those who are interested will continue on that path. They may jump in with other people.' However, he said sound choices made by previous councils had put them in a position where they had some time to decide. 'People at this table made some big choices and put us into a position where we do have a chance to stand alone just now to get some breathing room.' Consultants Martin Jenkins suggested a potential multi-council water services organisation with Rotorua Lakes, Kawerau and Whakatāne district councils as a suitable option for Ōpōtiki. Martin Jenkins consultant Andrew Horwood told Tuesday's meeting the assessment showed an in-house unit was expected to be viable, though it carried some risks. 'While it has the greatest degree of control and the smallest degree of change for council, we would expect it to be the costliest arrangement for ratepayers as it doesn't allow for efficiency gains to be realised to any significant degree.' These efficiency gains would mostly not be experienced until after the 2034 financial year. 'In-house delivery also keeps water debt on the council books … leaving council with less headroom to fund non-water activities and less financial flexibility in the event that you had to respond to some sort of shock like a natural hazards event.' Costs per connection were expected to almost double within the next 10 years under either option. After that time, an Eastern Bay of Plenty water services organisation would provide greater operational efficiencies. Modelling showed efficiencies were expected to accrew by about 1 percent year on year. Cost of connections would ultimately depend on the mix of councils involved. With none of the councils mentions currently committed to pursuing a joint water services organisation.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Over Budget And Late: Ōpōtiki's Most Difficult Audit To Date
The cost to ratepayers of having the annual report and other documents audited, both in auditor's fees and in staff time, was the subject of complaint from councillors at an Ōpōtiki District Council meeting on Tuesday. The council adopted its Annual Report for the financial year ended June 30, 2024 this week, four months after the due date. The report was due to be adopted by the end of last year but due to flow on effects of the late adoption of the Long-term Plan 2024-2025 and a difficult audit process, the council is in breach of legislation by not adopting it by the deadline. It will also incur extra auditing costs due to the longer than anticipated auditing process. A report by council management to Tuesday's meeting said the audit process had been one of the most challenging that Ōpōtiki District Council staff had experienced, to date. 'Long-serving staff members, who have been through multiple audits over many years, have expressed that this particular audit was the most difficult they have encountered,' the report said. 'Further investigation needs to be carried out to determine what key factors are contributing to this cost increase and what improvements can be made by council staff and Audit New Zealand to reduce the audit inefficiencies that are occurring.' While it is not yet known how much the audit process will cost, Audit New Zealand had previously quoted a fee of $231,429 including GST to complete the Annual Report audit, which was estimated to involve 975 hours work. This year's audit had taken more than 1630 hours. Councillor Tom Brooks suggested writing to the appropriate Government minister about the prohibitive costs of the auditing process. "It's between 1 and 2 percent of rates and the ratepayers of this community can't afford this sort of money.' He also felt auditing both the long-term plan and the annual plan, which is based on the long-term plan was 'doubling up' of work. Mayor David Moore agreed with Mr Brooks and said he also hoped to align with neighbouring councils and Local Government New Zealand to bring the matter to government. He would be raising the issue at the next Bay of Plenty Mayoral Forum. 'One voice is not enough. The more the better,' he said. Chief executive Stace Lewer said he had arranged a meeting with Audit New Zealand and the Office of the Auditor General to discuss how the process could be done more efficiently. He said audits played an important role in assuring communities that councils were delivering on what they set out to. 'I think it's a good opportunity to take a step back and review if there is an easier way to get the result that we want to without costing the community and staff time,' he said. He felt auditors could provide councils with better information about the information they needed rather than 'catching them out' with unexpected information requests. Audit New Zealand's David Walker said he understood the impact the auditing process had on smaller councils. He said a lot of what auditors did was driven through the Auditor General Standards which were what would need to be looked at if the process was to be changed. The audit report included two qualifications, identifying significant issues with performance measures relating to the time it took to resolve sewerage overflows and customer service requests relating to roads and footpaths. Mr Walker said changes in both contractors and internal staff from previous years had made the auditing process more difficult. 'They had obviously adopted their own way of doing things and we didn't have access to the supporting documentation. That led to us not being able to test and confirm the response times which led to the qualification,' Mr Walker said. He recommended putting better internal quality assurance processes in place and suggested looking at how other councils did these. The council achieved 50 of the 74 non-financial targets it had set for the year in its 2021-2031 Long-term Plan.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Ōpōtiki Rates To Increase By 9.5 Percent
Ōpōtiki District Council is planning an overall rates rise of 9.5 percent in its coming financial year. While this is less than the 10.5 percent projected in last year's long-term plan, the council says residents can expect to see lower levels of service in some areas due to tightening of budgets. The council approved an information document on its draft Annual Plan 2025-2026 for public release at a meeting on Tuesday. A report to council said community feedback on the long-term plan had been in support of reduced services and deferring costs. The council had tightened budgets to engineering, parks and reserves, events, and regional development even further to reduce the rates rise by 1 percentage point. Mayor David Moore warned that residents may see the impact of lower levels of services across these areas. The document showed the expected movement in rates for a variety of properties. For a medium-priced home in the Ōpōtiki township, rates are expected to increase by $320 annually, representing an 11 percent change. Rates for a medium-priced Hukutaia-Woodlands home connected to water supply and receiving kerbside rubbish collection would increase by $311, or 10 percent. Rural properties not receiving services paid for by a targeted rate such as water supply or wastewater would see a 7 percent rise. These included rates for a medium valued residential property of $390,000 increasing by $113, a $6.2 million kiwifruit orchard increasing by $1183 and other rural properties valued at $1.4 million increasing by $299. An Ōhiwa property connected to water supply would increase by 2 percent or $48 for a $470,000 valued property, 3 percent or $127 for a $900,000 property and 4 percent or $219 for a $1.4 million property. A Te Kaha property connected to the water supply will see little change in rates, with lower value properties of $300,000 dropping by $20 and properties worth $800,000 increasing by just $72. Most commercial and industrial properties' rates will increase by 6 percent except those valued at $3.5 million or more which will decrease by at least 7 percent. The document also outlines work planned for the town's big cost items such as wastewater, stormwater, water supply, roads and solid waste to keep them safe, resilience and fit for purpose. It also outlines over $1 million in capital expenditure on parks and reserves, including new toilets near the eastern sea wall and upgrades to existing toilets, new floodlights and other upgrades for Memorial Park sportsgrounds and extending the Waiotahe cycleway to connect with the Bryan's Beach and Ohiwa Harbour cyclepaths. Because there are not any major changes to what the council already consulted on in its long-term plan, it is not required to undertake a formal consultation. However, the community is encouraged to let the council know what it thinks about the plan before it must be adopted by June 30. Feedback can be given online through by email, post or drop off. Information sessions will be advertised through social media and the Antenno app.
