The recent flooding has resulted in many changes to the land. All repair and maintenance work and shifting of earth may uncover or come across archaeology.

Whakatāne District Council elected members have unanimously approved the ‘Liveable Homes’ programme.

Repairs to flood-related damage to the Thornton jetty and the western infill at Whakatāne’s Main Commercial Wharf could be delayed for up to another month.

The Whakatāne District Council has agreed to raise the annual registration fee for ‘entire’ dogs by $15 per dog for the 2017/18 year, to cover an expected increase in the cost of dog control activities.

Recent silt testing shows that there are no issues with chemical contamination in Edgecumbe township. Where there are still areas of ponding, these may contain stagnant water, but this should be a diminishing issue as water recedes and/or evaporates.

An update on the Liveable Homes project, rates postponement, Tzu Chi Foundation, and more.

All Whakatāne District Council facilities will close at 4 pm on Friday, 12 May, to allow staff to attend a function to acknowledge the significant effort devoted to the emergency response to cyclones ‘Debbie’ and ‘Cook’ last month.

The pool facilities at the Whakatāne Aquatic and Fitness Centre will be closed on Monday, 8 and Tuesday, 9 May 2017.

The Whakatāne District Council is reviewing its existing rates remission policy to ensure that it can be applied fairly and consistently to the owners of properties which cannot be occupied as a result of flood damage sustained in April’s extreme storm events.