Join award-winning photographer and Whakatāne Camera Club member, Troy Baker, as he discusses his work in support of the current Te Kōputu exhibition, How We See It.

About a third of the people who made submissions to the Whakatāne District Council’s 2016/17 Annual Plan and reviewed Gambling Policy chose to use the less formal avenues provided via the Council’s social media channels.

A Remuneration Authority ruling will see the salaries for elected members of the Whakatāne District Council and the District’s Community Boards increase by 2.5 percent from 1 July.

The recently-constructed, 6-metre by 2.8-metre culvert at the Douglas Street Bridge over the Wainui Te Whara Stream will have its finishing touches added next month, with galvanised steel safety rails now being manufactured.

The King Street bridge over the Wainui Te Whara Stream will be closed to all vehicles from 26 April to 6 June, to allow the installation of a larger culvert. Traffic diversions will be in place for the duration of the project, but the installation of a temporary footbridge on the western side of King Street means access will be maintained for pedestrians, cyclists and mobility scooter users.

Entries for the 2016 Trustpower Community Awards are now open.

Whakatāne District Council elected members have decided not to provide additional funding from dog operations reserves for a proposed new dog park in Whakatāne.

Whakatāne District Council has decided to centralise its dog pound services, which has resulted in the closure of the Murupara pound facility.

With the inaugural Whakatāne Oxfam Trailwalker set to kick off on Saturday, organisers and entrants alike were putting the finishing touches to preparations for an event that would see more than 1500 people walking up to 100kms through Whakatāne, Ōhope and Taneatua to raise money for Oxfam causes around the Pacific.