The time has nearly come for the Whakatāne Sportfishing club to make its move inland – slightly.

Work begins next week to demolish the adjoining building at 2 The Strand – home to Gibbo’s on the Wharf, the Iceman and Diveworks Charters – paving the way for the fishing club’s move west across the carpark.

The wharf building has been operating under a short-term lease for some time, with tenants given advance notice of the lease ending in August 2025. The Iceman has already relocated to premises on McAlister Street and yesterday Gibbos was dismantling its kitchen ready to exit the building and set up mobile premises.

The removal of the building by the Whakatāne District Council is part of the wider project to realign the floodwall in front of the site as Bay of Plenty Regional Council continues its work to upgrade flood defences.

Th council says the work is an important step in ensuring the riverfront continues to function well into the future, including flood protection, improving access, connections and open space for the community.

The relocation of the sportfishing club is an integral part of the project.

Sportfishing club president Heyden Johnston said over the past 24 months the club had been working through the minefield of compliance and engineering requirements needed to ensure the club facilities could be repositioned safely, ensuring it continued as a community hub for generations to come.

He said a few issues remained, but he hoped to soon have these resolved.

Computer generated images of what the results would look like were “stunning”, he said.

“We should all be very proud of what the future holds for this very special part of Whakatāne.”

“The building was originally very well designed and will become a focal point for the Whakatāne community with excellent access to the facilities and views of the awa and commercial wharf that are unsurpassed in Whakatāne,”

A view of the repositioned building from Muriwai Drive shows the disabled and stair access to the front door of the club while from the riverside, the club will have access to the wharf through an integrated terraced area. New decks and balustrades are incorporated in the club’s new location providing a further 140 seats allowing it more opportunities to host larger events.

Mr Johnston said the physical move would be completed in one piece.

“The building will be raised, transported and placed on the new foundations by specialists,” he said.

“You will probably be able to spot a couple of television cameras around during the process; this will be one of the biggest and more complex building moves undertaken in New Zealand in recent years, so all eyes are on us.”

Mr Johnson said the club’s community ethos meant it provided services to the entire community.

“While we are a club and our members enjoy fantastic benefits, our facilities are available to the community to utilise.

“Come and have a chat to our team and see how we can help with your next function or event, especially if you are also a community group; we would love to have a chat about how we can provide services to you.”

Work is expected to begin from Wednesday with the council warning people in the area may notice increased activity, including machinery and some temporary disruption while it is underway.