2024 was a year of upheaval, triumph and tragedy for the Ōpōtiki district. Ōpōtiki News  reporter Diane McCarthy revisits some of the events that made headlines over the past year.

January

Betty G found near Waihau Bay
Missing 12-metre launch Betty G is discovered washed ashore on a beach near Waihau Bay, putting a neat full stop to an epic story of survival at sea that begins in Coromandel.

The boat has been drifting for 12 days since Cambridge fisherman Will Fransen fell overboard from the idling boat on January 2 off the Coromandel.

Though he is rescued after surviving 23.5 hours in the water, which police describe as a miracle, the boat’s whereabouts is unknown until it washes ashore just east of the Raukokore river bar.

Though the boat sustains some damage and falls prey to looting, Mr Fransen is delighted to be able to retrieve his boat, which he feared was lost forever. The Betty G is towed to Tauranga on January 17 for repairs.

February

Vehicle access to beaches
Beach access for quad bikes becomes a hot topic at Ōpōtiki District Council meetings with concerns aired by beach side residents, quad bike users and wildlife protection organisation Forest & Bird.

Vehicle users go to extreme lengths to remove 1.5-tonne concrete blocks reinforced by iron stakes constructed from railway sleepers council staff have placed at beach access points at Ōhiwa Spit, a dotterel nesting area.

Similar issues rage at Waiotahe Drifts subdivision, where some residents demand council uphold rules against vehicles accessing the beach via a pedestrian boardwalk.

Signs and bollards at the subdivision are also vandalised.
A petition is later signed by more than 300 residents and frequent visitors to Waiotahe Drifts and Waiotahe Dunes subdivisions saying vehicle access to beach is essential to the community’s way of life.
Mayor David Moore says the council is seeking a solution that will make everyone happy, but the process will take time.

March

Public quick to defend library
There is a public outcry at the mere suggestion of cutting library and ISite services as Ōpōtiki District Council investigates how to keep rates rises to a minimum.

A delegation of eight users of Te Tāhuhu o Te Rangi address the council at its March meeting to protest any reduction in services or hours of opening.

The council has previously urged staff to look for ways to cut spending and they respond with a list of options that include cuts to the library services and hours and the potential of combining the library and ISite into one building.

Of 28 people who provide feedback on the plan, 26 are against the move. Ōpōtiki resident Carol Quirke appears on Breakfast television speaking about the proposed cuts and presents a petition with 660 signatures opposing it.

Elected members say they have no intention of cutting services at the library and are merely asking staff to look at ways to run the organisation more efficiently.

April

Work begins on wharf upgrade
Work begins to improve Ōpōtiki Wharf to accommodate Whakatōhea Mussels boats.

With plans to create an industrial wharf on the western bank of the harbour put on hold due to resource consent appeals, Ōpōtiki District Council has decided to upgrade its current wharf to allow the mussel boats to unload in Ōpōtiki rather than in Whakatāne, where they currently berth.

Although this will close access to the wharf to the public while work is carried out, the boat ramp remains open.  

Work includes removing three pohutukawa trees, extending 20 ground anchors, putting in 800 square metres of concrete hardstand, 20 new timber fender piles and two 600mm steel poles for berthing.

May

Historic moment for Whakatōhea
Hundreds of people from Ōpōtiki descend on Wellington to witness the third and final reading of the Whakatōhea Settlement Claims Bill.

Chairwoman of post-settlement entity Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea Arihia Tuoro describes the reading as an historical event and acknowledges the courage and commitment of tīpuna and whānau who made the day possible.

The bill aims to redress the breaches of the Crown against Whakatōhea, which include significant land confiscations and military actions against its people.

June

Hunting competition hotly contested
Ōpōtiki Big Three hunting competition sees 54 teams of three enter, with 39 weighing in the required three species – a stag or boar, a snapper and a pheasant – over the three-day competition.

The point tally for the competition results in a tie between two teams, Forever 17 and Here for the Beers.

Forever 17 are declared the winners after a countback reveals they bagged their catches in less time.

July

Matariki celebrated
Ōpōtiki District Council’s ISite puts on a range of Matariki events for locals and visitors over three weeks in July.

From sporting events to arts, planting and stargazing, there is something for all interests.

Some of the highlights include a tournament of traditional Māori ball game ki o rahi, involving 16 schools.

As part of the Dunes Trail, 500 trees are planted, and the Ōpōtiki premier for Māori language film Ka Whawhai Tonu sells out.

Golf tournaments and waka ama events are also a huge hit.

The event later wins best community or not-for-profit event for under 3000 people in the New Zealand Event Association Awards.

August

Another step for harbour
Whakatōhea Mussels and the new Ōpōtiki Harbour entrance achieve a milestone with one of the open ocean farm’s mussel boats, the Northern Quest, docking at Ōpōtiki’s recently upgraded wharf for the first time.

The 30-metre work boat travels from its usual berth at Whakatāne Harbour to the new Ōpōtiki Wharf for its first sea trial of the Ōpōtiki Harbour entrance. Local dignitaries board the vessel for the journey.

A karakia and a blessing are held before the boat is escorted through the harbour entrance by Coastguard Ōpōtiki.

It is the first time since at least the 1950s a boat of such a large size has docked at Ōpōtiki.

September

Woman seriously injured in dog attack
A woman is hospitalised with serious injuries after being attacked by a group of dogs.

Emergency services and Ōpōtiki District Council dog control contractors respond to the event on Church Street at about 10.30pm on September 14.

Police say dogs continue to rush at police and ambulance staff and members of the public as they attempt to help the victim.

Four dogs from one property are surrendered to the council after the attack and are euthanised.

October

Children saved in dramatic rescue
Ōpōtiki deputy fire chief Barry Hennessy is full of praise for the actions of firefighters and members of the public involved in rescuing two children from a flooded river following a crash that kills their mother.

Emergency services are alerted to a vehicle crashing into the Waioweka River and sinking at 10.30am on October 4.

Though a tragic incident, Mr Hennessy describes the survival of the children aged nine and 16 as “miraculous”.

He credits their “will to survive” and the quick actions of rescuers with their survival.

Six days later the mother’s body is located and retrieved, still in the car, 400 metres downstream from the crash site.

Barbarians targeted in gang raid
Operation Highwater, a 10-month police operation targeting organised crime, conducts a series of raids across the North Island, many of which are focused on members of the Barbarian chapter of the Mongrel Mob based in Ōpōtiki.

On October 22, 30 search warrants are executed across the North Island, resulting in 28 arrests. Many are in Ōpōtiki, while others occur in Waikato, Auckland, Rotorua, Taupō, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington.

Drugs and illegal firearms are seized and around $800,000 in assets are restrained.

Police say the operation had also prevented a planned shooting at the tangi of a gang member.

Bay of Plenty Police district commander Tim Anderson described it as a “good day” for Ōpōtiki.

November

Hikoi mō te Tiriti
Hundreds of Ōpōtiki residents take to the streets in an impromptu hikoi in support of those who had made the journey to Wellington to protest the introduction of the Treaty Principals Bill.

The Hikoi mō te Tiriti was a national demonstration of opposition to the bill, which passed its first reading in Parliament in November.

One of the instigators of the hikoi organises the march just the evening before with a couple of friends who are looking for a way to support those who make the journey to Wellington.

Despite the last-minute arrangements, there is a good showing at the event, which takes to the streets of Ōpōtiki with banners and flags flying.

December

Loss of hospital services devastating – midwives
Ōpōtiki district midwives speak out against downgrading of obstetrics and gynaecology services at Whakatāne Hospital, saying it will be devastating for pregnant women and their babies, who already have a long way to travel to Whakatāne.

News breaks mid-December, leaked through social media, that the service will be downgraded in mid-January and any women with high-risk pregnancies or needing caesareans will have to travel to Tauranga Hospital to give birth.

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand says the change is due to four of the hospital’s obstetricians having left and that it is a temporary downgrade until new staff can be hired.

A petition is begun by a group of women concerned about the impact of the changes and gains 250 signatures on its first day.