20 May 2024

Around the motu: Diane McCarthy in Whakatane

From Nine To Noon, 10:45 am on 20 May 2024
Panoramic aerial view over town of Whakatane. The heart of the Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, it's nested between Whakatane River and bush-clad cliffs. Breathtaking New Zealand Landscape. Kohi Point Lookout, Whakatane, New Zealand.

Photo: scapigliata@outlook.com

Submissions to Whakatāne District Council's long-term plan have councillors worried that residents do not know where to head in a tsunami alert.

Diane says another submitter to the long term plan is so concerned about Whakatāne's total lack of preparedness for major civil defence emergency, she has organised for a team of scientists from GNS to hold a workshop and is inviting our community leaders to attend.

And the town wharf in Opotiki is undergoing a major upgrade at the moment to accommodate commercial boats from local iwi Whakatōhea's mussel farm to berth there.

Local Democracy Reporter -Diane McCarthy is the Whakatane Beacon