A new start date has been set for the Pekatahi Bridge upgrade to avoid the peak summer season.

Progress on the planned development of a 100-metre long floating pontoon wharf along the river edge adjacent to Quay Street in Whakatāne was reported to the Whakatāne District Council’s Projects and Services Committee last week, together with proposed harbour entrance dredging options to be trialled next summer.

Pride Whakatāne District Committee has organised a community planting day on Sunday, 19 June to acknowledge Arbour Day in the Whakatāne District.

Freshly-picked peaches could be on offer at a kohanga, school, or community centre near you. Pride Whakatāne has purchased 55 ‘Snow Grace’ peach trees to gift to worthy community groups and organisations.

The Ōhope to Ōtarawairere Bay section of the Ngā Tapuwae o Toi Walkway will be closed for a month – from 13 June to 18 July – while contractors rebuild staircases and install barrier rails on the track leading down to the bay.

Walkers and cyclists who use Whakatāne’s Warren Cole Walkway will need to make a brief detour from their usual route while a major stormwater upgrading project is completed at the McAlister pump station over the next six months.

Funds held in the Whakatāne District Council’s dog control reserve account will be used to cover a forecast deficit in funding, allowing the District dog registration and control fees to be kept at their current level for the 2016/17 year.

The Whakatāne District Council has approved an amended approach to water supply upgrades which will link the Edgecumbe and Te Teko community reticulation systems and ensure their supplies meet national drinking water standards.