Suzanne Williams

This week has been a time to report some possibly positive things in Whakatāne.

First, Valley Road site: the request I made to Whakatāne District Council for information under the Local Government Official Meetings and Information Act regarding the reserve land on Valley Road – which so painfully and obviously to those of us who live near or use the road, is sprouting pest trees and plants madly – has borne fruit.

I asked what action had been taken to revegetate the land with natives and what is planned to be done in the near future, with some suggestions.

The answer tells us that seeds of manuka and grass have been scattered by drone last year; that no further planting will be done this winter; but proposals will be sought to prepare a site restoration plan (two years too late?), aiming to commence with removal of pest plants this year; and that planting of native vegetation will commence next winter – yeah, yeah, ho hum.

The council has at least carried out some of what might have been expected.

Secondly, Otarawairere Track: the councillors have, interestingly, gone against their staff’s report recommending closing the track permanently, which cited costs, health and safety risks to the public and staff liability issues, and have voted to set up a joint project team to partner with Toi’s Track Restoration Trust to restore the track.

It is, in theory, good to see the council and a volunteer group willing to work together on an important project like this. Isn’t this the ideal situation in these difficult times?

But then we find that the terms set out by council are impossibly wide- and long-rangingly difficult to comply with.

Again, health and safety and legal liability issues, plus apparent unwillingness by staff to collaborate; or is the volunteer group view of the problem too simplistic?

One can only hope that common sense is still alive and well there.

Thirdly, an unashamed plug for U3A: our midwinter lunch meeting featured an amazing local speaker, Shae Williamson, a young Barry Crump (only better looking), who entered the competition on the 2025 TV reality show Alone Australia and won it, outlasting the other contestants by remaining in outback Tasmania alone for 76 days.

A lovely, humble and quietly determined guy, who told his story well, with mandatory photographic record.

One can only feel for the person who stayed it out for only 74 days without winning anything.

The question remains – did Shae take over feeding the family when he got home? Braised worms and fern-root, anyone?