The Gambling Policy must be reviewed every three years and public consultation on the proposed policy is being undertaken in conjunction with the Whakatāne District Council’s 2019/20 Annual Plan process.

A new award plaque has been added to the 2019 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award - Painting and Drawing (MMCA) exhibition at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi. Organisers are excited to announce that the recipient of the Law Creative People’s Choice Merit Award ($500) is the finely-rendered oil painting, Fencing Assistant, by Mark Anstis. 

The Whakatāne District Council has supported the submission of a revised business case seeking funding for the extension of the Mōtū Trails Great Ride from Ōpōtiki to Whakatāne.

A six-week dredging project got underway at Sullivan Lake this week, utilising specialised equipment sourced from Denmark.

Council staff and Emergency Management Bay of Plenty (EMBOP) are organising a Tsunami Hīkoi to encourage people to prepare for evacuation to higher ground should natural signals (prolonged earthquake) occur or a tsunami alert be given.

The Horomanga Stream bridge on Troutbeck Road, Galatea, will be closed to all traffic for at least three months from mid-March.

The 380m-long 's-bend' section of Ōhope hill, between Brown and Cliff Roads, will be resealed with hotmix over three nights this month, beginning on Tuesday, 19 February.

Sections of the Whakatāne District Council’s Pikowai campground will be closed from early-March to mid-April to allow a number of significant upgrading projects to be completed.

Whakatāne District Council regulatory staff are asking for the community's help to identify people who are illegally dumping rubbish at various sites around the District. That follows a spate of illegal dumping in the past month, particularly along Tahuna Road.