Plans for a multi-million dollar, integrated coastal residential, retirement and marine precinct development in Whakatāne will take shape over the next six months, following the signing of a heads of agreement between the Whakatāne District Council and developers.

The agreement signals a commitment to investigate a ‘masterplan’ approach utilising the Council’s large Piripai and adjoining Bennett’s Block landholdings for a major new lifestyle development. Signatories to the agreement are the Council (WDC), Hopper Developments Limited (HDL) and Whakatāne Marina Limited (WML).

Contractors are nearing completion on needed work to the Nga Tapuwae o Toi track. However, poor weather and other site complications have delayed completion of work on the site.

The originally intended completion date for work on the track was approximately 30 June. With the weather-induced delays, main structural completion is expected by the end of next week, with site tidy-ups to follow the next week.

At this time, contractors estimate the track work should be fully completed by mid-July. Signs on the track will be updated accordingly today.

On 10 April 2013, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, as both an applicant and a consenting authority, and the Whakatāne District Council as a joint consenting authority, sought submissions on the Kopeopeo Canal Remediation Project. Submissions closed on 17 May 2013.

A total of 139 submissions have been received on the resource consent applications:

The Whakatāne District Council has appointed Inka Krawczyk, an engineer with more than 20 years of international experience in major infrastructure projects, to manage the development, construction and start-up of the Matatā Sewerage Scheme.

The selection panel which assessed the short-listed candidates included the Chief Executive of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Mary-Anne MacLeod and the chairperson of the Whakatāne District Council’s Matatā Projects Governance Group, Councillor Russell Orr.

Applications are being called for annual grant funding to groups providing a social service to the residents of the Whakatāne District. Preference will be given to groups with a voluntary component. There is a balance of $20,000 to allocate.

Application forms can be obtained from any Council Office, or you may access application forms on the District Council's website. Multi-year funding can be sought for the next two years, in line with the Council’s Long Term Plan.

For further information, contact Janie Storey:

The Whakatāne District Council has issued a reminder to people who live in close proximity to escarpments of the need to take a precautionary approach to landslide risks.

Council Strategy and Planning General Manager David Bewley says the death of a Marahau woman as the result of a landslide in the Tasman District last weekend is a tragic reminder of the threat landslides represent.

Local elections are just around the corner.

To have your say in the local elections, you must be enrolled to vote by 16 August. Otherwise, you won't receive your voting papers in the mail. (Note that the date may be pushed back to 23 August; we will keep you informed if this happens.)

Voting in local elections occurs by postal vote from 20 September to 12 October 2013. You must be enrolled to receive a voting paper.

Anyone who enrols after 16 August will need to cast a special vote and contact the Council's electoral officer to obtain voting papers.

The possible establishment of flight training operations at Whakatāne Airport came a step closer on Wednesday when the Whakatāne District Council adopted a recommendation supporting the development of a ‘Heads of Agreement’ with CTC Aviation Training NZ Limited.

The autumn splendour of our deciduous trees adds greatly to the visual appeal of the Whakatāne District’s urban areas. There is a downside though, in the form of the drifts of leaves which, if left unattended, can clog our stormwater systems and increase the risk of localised flooding.

To help avoid potential flooding issues, urban residents throughout the district are urged to take action if they see the gutters and stormwater grates in their neighbourhoods are full of leaves.