With three district councils and one regional council to follow, reporting on local democracy in the Eastern Bay has made for a busy 12 months.

With the past year being a long-term plan setting year, a host of central government reforms affecting local government and post-Covid inflation causing no end of strife, it has been a tough year for our decision makers. It hasn’t all been bad, however.

Today, in part one of a two-part series featuring just a few of the stories from local democracry reporter Diane McCarthy that made up the roller coaster ride that was 2024.

January

Best beach awards
The 2024 year kicks off with great news for Whakatāne, with two of the district’s beaches being recognised as among the best in New Zealand for the third consecutive year.

Ōhope Beach is voted best family beach for the third year and is placed second for best camping beach in the annual competition run by New Zealand Herald newspaper.

Ōtarawairere Bay is voted best hidden gem, again, despite the track from West End being inaccessible due to a major slip.

Ōhope is also placed second for the best camping beach and is one of 10 beaches nominated for best surfing beach.

Ōhope Beach Top 10 Holiday Park also makes the list of New Zealand’s top-10 holiday parks.

February

The birth of Wag

Early budget scenarios for the upcoming long-term plan showing potential rates rises of as much as 28 percent becomes the impetus for a meeting of horrified ratepayers.

An initial meeting at the home of community watchdog Sandy Milne results in the formation of Whakatāne Action Group, or Wag.

The recent $13.7 million refurbishment of the Whakatāne District Council building and the use of $9.8 million of harbour fund money toward a boat harbour on Keepa Road are two of the projects identified as wasteful spending.

The $100 million project to create a sporting and recreational hub at Rex Morpeth Park also comes under fire at the meeting.

Mayor Victor Luca says he welcomes the community activism.

“Apathy is the worst disease of all,” he said.  

March

Calling the bar comes to an end

The long-held tradition of calling the bar comes to an end, with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council announcing it will no longer be providing this service.

Tauranga-based harbourmaster Jon-Jon Peters says individual boat skippers are best placed to make the decision whether it is safe to cross the bar due to the large number of variables such as tide, state of the sea, time of day, the skipper’s own level of experience and the size and type of vessel.

Skippers are relying more on the wide range of technologies now available than the bar-calling service.

Not everyone agrees with the decision. Whakatāne Sport Fishing Club president Heyden Johnston canvases club members, with over 90 percent of respondents saying they wish to keep using the service.

Mr Johnston says calling the bar is the most important tool in the boating toolbox for skippers to assess risk, along with checking the Coastguard webcam, the tides and the weather.

He says stopping the service could result in loss of life.

April

Submissions overload for WDC

Whakatāne District Council holds a submissions’ hearing on its long-term pan for 2024-2034.

After releasing a draft plan with a 17.1 percent rates rise for the first year, the council receives around 1000 submissions with over 70 people indicating they wish to speak at the hearing, held over two days.

This is double the number received in the previous long-term plan in 2021.

Submitters include former mayor Tony Bonne, adding his voice to the many stating that the proposed rates rise is “unacceptable”.

Former councillor Gerard van Beek also speaks about the rates’ rises, putting much of it down to “bloated” staff salary costs.

Other issues addressed by submitters come from people both for and against the proposed $100 million Rex Morpeth Recreation Hub, with people representing the sports and arts communities in favour and others saying council needs to stick to basics such as three waters and roading.

Other concerns include bridge access across Whakatāne River, both in Whakatāne and at Pekatahi, near Tāneatua, improvements at Mitchell Park and the problem of weed control at Sullivan Lake.

May

To quad bike or not to quad bike

Beach access for quad bikes is top of mind for many Waiotahe Drifts residents with speakers both for and against the bikes addressing Ōpōtiki District Council on the matter.

A petition signed by more than 300 residents and frequent visitors to Waiotahe Drifts and Waiotahe Dunes subdivisions is presented, expressing that quad bike and ATV access to beach is essential to the community’s way of life.

Another resident says quad bike numbers are increasing and are becoming dangerous and a nuisance and urges the council to work with the police to make people accountable.

Attempts by council staff to prevent quad bike access through a pedestrian boardwalk have resulted in vandalised signs and bollards.

“We know who’s responsible. At the very least they should be told that their behaviour won’t be tolerated,” a resident tells the council.

Mayor David Moore says there is no quick solution, but the council is working through a process with iwi in the hope of creating a beach access point near the western training wall of the new harbour.

“Hopefully we find a solution where everyone is happy,” he says.

June

Wood waste a ‘Pandora’s Box’

Bay of Plenty Regional Council signs off on a management plan to dig up contaminated wood waste from the Te Rāhui Herenga Waka Whakatāne Boat Harbour site on Keepa Road, although regional councillor Malcolm Campbell likens the move to opening “a Pandora’s Box”.

Earlier testing has confirmed there are dioxins in the northern part of the site, and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known as “forever chemicals” in the woodwaste and groundwater.

Regional council staff say it has taken 18 months and seven iterations of the first stage of the management plan to satisfy the council that sufficient safety measures will be taken.

Mr Campbell and regional council chairman Doug Leeder say they flagged that the regional council considered the site contaminated to the Environment Protection Authority before fast-track consenting was granted.

Te Rahui Herenga Waka Whakatāne board chairman John Rae expresses disappointment that regional councillors are not more supportive of the project.

Disposal sites for the waste material are yet to be decided and Mr Rae says excavation will get fully under way only when the budget for the work is agreed.

July

Wallys to become creative hub

Whakatāne District Council reveals plans to transform the former Wally Sutherland Motors office building on The Strand into one of a network of connected sites that could make up an arts, culture and creativity hub for Whakatāne district.

The move is designed to increase access to, and engagement with the arts, and showcase a variety of artworks with a special focus on ngā toi Māori – Māori artists.

The Wally Sutherland building has stood empty since being purchased by the council in 2019, though other buildings on the site have been demolished to make way for parking.

The council also investigates long-term options for the site, including a mixed-use commercial-residential development.

August

A plan to remember

Whakatāne District Council adopts a long-term plan that will see rates rise by 15 percent in year one and 42 percent when compounded over three years.

Mayor Victor Luca and Councillor Gavin Dennis refuse to support the plan’s adoption during voting, due to its unaffordability for many in the community.

Councillor Andrew Iles is also reluctant to support the plan, voting to adopt it only out of concern about the extra stress delaying the decision would place on residents.

The remaining eight councillors support the plan, which reflects the effects of the council starting in a financial deficit position, increased inflation and compliance costs as well as increased costs of doing business.

The plan also reflects the need to account for the future demand on our infrastructure and be resilient to climate change.

September

Regional growth on agenda for summit

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones visits Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne for an official launch of the new Ōpōtiki harbour development and the annual Bay of Plenty Regional Growth Summit.

The summit is one of 15 events throughout New Zealand to discuss regional priorities, aspirations and opportunities with councils, iwi leaders and business organisations.

The emphasis of the summit is to lay out the criteria for applying for central government’s $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund.

Mr Jones accentuates that it was a co-investment fund, requiring organisations to also invest in any projects they want to receive funding for.

While in Whakatāne, Mr Jones says he is also seeking answers to why Te Rāhui Herenga Waka Boat Harbour project, which the Government granted $29 million toward in 2020, has not yet begun.

October

Homeless haunt freedom camps

Freedom camping becomes a hot topic as all three Eastern Bay district councils review their Freedom Camping Bylaws.

The issue of which areas are suitable for freedom camping is overshadowed by the issue of homelessness and the number of people living permanently in cars and campervans at freedom camping sites because they have nowhere else to go.

One woman living in a camper says that on any given day, in any freedom camping area, more than half and sometimes all the people parked there are living permanently in their vehicles.

However, freedom camping legislation does not allow for these people to be moved on from freedom camping sites.

The economic benefits of catering to caravanners are also highlighted to councils.

Matatā local Rod Meharry talks about the phenomenon of the “grey nomad” – highly mobile, retired or semi-retired couples wishing to explore New Zealand, socialise, eat out and shop.

November

Celebrating our Olympic heroes

The Eastern Bay’s Olympic heroes are honoured with a parade at Whakatāne’s Rex Morpeth Park.

Kayaker Dame Lisa Carrington, multi-sporter Hayden Wilde and Rugby Sevens player Stacey Waaka attend the parade, although Waaka’s fellow Sevens team member Mahina Paul is not able to attend as she is competing in Dubai

The parade marks the first time the three athletes are together in Whakatāne since winning medals in the Paris Olympics in July and August.

The parade is attended by hundreds of sports fans, mostly from Eastern Bay schools, who get to cheer their heroes, have a look at their medals and hear some inspirational words.  

Following the parade, there is a pōwhiri and formal welcome from Ngāti Awa, with stage performances by Whakatāne High School Kapa Haka and acknowledgements of the athletes from Mayor Victor Luca and East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick.

December

Memorial for Whakaari whānau

The fifth anniversary of the Whakaari-White Island eruption that claimed the lives of 22 people is commemorated with several events in Whakatāne, including two organised in collaboration between Whakatāne District Council and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa.

Families of at least 15 of the victims as well as those severely injured in the eruption attend the event, with as many as 40 people travelling from overseas.

A dawn ceremony, open to the public, is held at The Heads and a more formal, invitation-only event is held at midday at Te Mānuka Tūtahi Marae.

Family members of two young Australians who died in the eruption spoke at the memorial and a minute’s silence was observed at 2.11pm, the time the eruption started.

Later in the day, designs for a memorial statue by sculptor Peter Takutaimoana-Harawira is unveiled to family members for their approval.  

Fundraising is under way for the memorial.