Dredging of the Whakatāne harbour entrance recently got underway, and while this work is essential to maintaining the safety of our harbour it is likely to cause some disruption for reserve users at the Whakatāne Heads over the next few weeks.

Following discussions with commercial operators and recreational boating groups, the Whakatāne District Council has adopted a two-pronged approach to deepening the channel and maintaining it in a workable state over the summer peak use period. Low winter and spring rainfall and reduced river flows have meant the typical ‘flushing’ of sand from the channel has not occurred this year, and discing and bucket dredging operations are necessary to keep the situation from getting any worse.

Regular monitoring of the channel will continue to assess the effectiveness of the dredging operation and direct resources to any areas of continuing concern. While the operation is underway, areas of the reserve at the Heads will be cordoned-off and unavailable to the public, but the reserve should be reopened before Christmas.