Photo Louis Klaassen D4190-44

DESPITE blanket permission from Whakatane District Council allowing drone pilots to fly within the boundaries of public parks, other guidelines effectively block their use within the town’s urban zone.

Certified drone pilot and Ohope photographer Matthew Lowe, who uses drones for some of his real estate photography, said civil aviation law restricted drone use.

“Some councils, such as Whakatane District Council, are putting in blanket approval to fly in their parks.

“In Whakatane you have the hospital helipad right in the middle of town and you’re not allowed to fly within four kilometres of that unless certain conditions are met. That excludes a lot of Whakatane that you can fly over,” he said.

Because the hospital helipad and Whakatane airport were within eight kilometres of each other, there was a no-fly corridor stretching from west Ohope to the Rangitaiki River, within five kilometres of the coastline.

According to Whakatane District Council, CAA regulations also stated that drones could not be flown over people, unless their consent was attained.

The major concern regarding this was that it could be an intrusion of a person’s privacy rights if the drone’s camera captured their image and was publicly broadcast.

The district council website recommended not to “record footage of people who can be clearly identified without their permission”.

But Mr Lowe said that most drone cameras were unable to capture that level of detail unless they were within a metre of a person.

Being properly certified for piloting drones did allow for some relaxation of the law.

“If you can show you can operate safely and mitigate risks, they’ll relax the rules. We don’t necessarily have to get consent from landowners to fly over their property and we can fly over 400 feet or within four kilometres of helipads, ” Mr Lowe said.

It took him 12 months to achieve certification.

“It’s not a small job,” he said.

Another limiting factor was the price of the drones.

“You can spend a lot of money on these things,” he said.

Future of commerce up in the air

DRONES are increasingly being used for tasks that could be considered either too dangerous or menial for humans.

Aside from obviously dangerous activities such as bomb disposal or terrorist eradication, drones can perform duties ranging from the hi-tech to the mundane.

Ohope certified drone pilot Matthew Lowe said the agricultural sector provided some interesting civilian uses.

“The agricultural side is actually quite a big industry for drones. You can use them for surveying, building maps and things,” he said.

Drones can make some day-to-day farm duties easier.

“They can use it for mapping hazards or tracks, or flying to the other side of farms for checking stock,” he said.

Brent Mountford, a Matata dry stock farmer and Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman, said drones held a lot of opportunity, especially for hill country farmers, when it came to spraying.

He said smaller paddocks in steep valleys that were not accessible by ground transport, and too hazardous for manned aircraft, could be sprayed by drones.

Mr Lowe agreed. Depending on the size of the drone, he said, they could be adapted for field spaying.

“They’ll carry up to 10 litres of spray,” he said.

Perhaps one of the most unique uses proposed for drones has been home deliveries.

“Dominos are even looking at using them for delivering pizzas. Whether they get the approval from Civil Aviation Authority to do that or not will be interesting to see,” Mr Lowe said.

Last Thursday, the company held a demonstration flight in Auckland with CAA staff in attendance.

Mr Lowe said there were still a lot of issues to be dealt with before pizza delivery by drone become a reality.

“You still have to be able to fly and see the drone with your own eyes, not using binoculars or anything like that.

“What Dominos wants to do – fully autonomous flight – is obviously well beyond line of sight,” he said.

“There will be a lot of challenges before they get to that point.”

mark.rieder@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

WINNERS: Manawa Tuhaka, of Murupara, react to being named the 2016 winners of the Yeah Nah It’s Not Okay Eastern Bay song quest. Photos Paula Massey D4176-169

THE Yeah Nah It’s Not Okay Eastern Bay song quest has been won again by Murupara school Te Kura Kaupapa Motuhake O Tawhiuau.

Held on Saturday evening, the event featured speeches and music with an anti-violence message, and debuted original songs from groups and individuals aged 13 to 19 at Whakatane’s Liberty Centre.

Manawa Tuhaka, a five-piece all-girl band, comprising Ahurangi Tamahou, Awhina Taramai, Waiata Te Pairi, Taruke Rangawhenua and Mansa Kaio, won with their song Live this Way.

The song conveyed a domestic violence message and was drawn from the personal experience of the girls’ music teacher, Hori Pouwhare.

Mr Pouwhare said he gave the girls a story about domestic violence and they co-wrote the song.

“It’s about domestic violence and how much a person wants to change. It’s a matter of changing our bad ways to not affect our families.”

Their performance was the last of the evening and Mr Pouwhare said the girls were nervous before taking the stage, particularly having seen the competition.

“But when they got on the stage it just all disappeared and they pulled it off.

“They didn’t make any mistakes and I was really, really blown away.”

He said the process of developing the song and performing it helped the girls become aware of violence.

“When they went into this they had no idea about bullying or domestic violence. They got the message and wanted to try and filter out any violence through their music.”

JUDGES’ CHOICE: Judges’ choice winner Jackson Martin, of Edgecumbe College, performing his rap song Blast to tha Days. D4176-115

A contingent from Murupara travelled to Whakatane to support the girls and performed a haka when they won.

Their prize is eight hours of studio time to record the song and time to make a music video, sponsored by Outlet Productions.

The CD will be aired on radio stations and the video posted on Facebook and YouTube.

Manawa Toa, from the same school, won the very first Yeh Nah song quest in 2013.

This is the fourth year the quest has been held and first- time judge John Pullar, a Whakatane district councillor, said he was blown away by the level of talent.

“I became involved because I think that the young people of our district deserve a chance and if they can express themselves through music as an art form, then let’s do it.

“The experience was moving because I have never had to live in situations that some performers described as personal.”

Mr Pullar said Manawa Tuhaka “were outstanding and their support group just reinforced that with their response”.

White Ribbon Riders director Aaron Morrison, also a judge, was also amazed at the performers’ talent and the anti-violence messages.

“The kaupapa is outstanding … . It’s a good forum for our youth to get their message out there, and their messages hit the spot.”

Awards:

• Outstanding lyrics: Pania Edwardson, 16, Trident High School, with her song, Judgment.
• Outstanding performance: Smorgasbord Experience, comprising Keegan Armstrong, Benjamin Jackson, Irimako Knez, Darwin Lambourne and Matthew Lloyd, from Trident High School, with their song, Behind Closed Doors.
• Judges’ choice: BDUBZit, Jackson Martin, Edgecumbe College.

haylee.king@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

Update, 3.50pm: Rangitaiki residents can now drink water without having to boil it after the Whakatane District Council has given the all clear.

People in the Rangitaiki Plains were urged to boil this water following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake this morning. However Public affairs manager Ross Boreham said the precautionary ‘boil water notice’ for the plains water supply had been lifted.

"Tests undertaken throughout the Plains reticulation system have confirmed that the effects on water quality from this morning’s East Cape earthquake did not create any health risk. The Whakatāne District Council thanks Plains water consumers for their patience and advises that they can now resume their normal usage."

1.10pm: Horizon Energy says that following a car accident this morning a power cut on Matata Road from Edgecumbe to Awaiti Road, including Awaiti Road North and Sutherlands Road, will now not be repaired until 3pm. Following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake at 4,39am Horizon has also received further reports of outages and remaining faults are expected to be restored by 3pm.

12.20pm: New Zealand Transport agency is warning drivers to in the Eastern Bay to be aware of the risk of rock-falls and slips after the earthquake and aftershocks this morning.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty region media manager Natalie Mankelow said contractors had been out monitoring and surveying the highway network in the area but no damage or rock-falls had been reported.

However she warned drivers to remain vigilant with aftershocks increasing the risk of rock-fall and slips on SH2 Waioeka Gorge, SH2 Waimana Gorge, SH35 Maraenui, SH35 Motu Bluffs and SH35 Hawai to Te Kaha.

10am - People in the Rangitaiki Plains area are being warned to boil water before consuming it but power is expected to be restored to 58 houses in the White Pine Bush Road following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake this morning.

Civil Defence has cancelled the tsunami warning following this morning's earthquake but advised some areas on the coastline may still experience unusual, strong currents and sea level fluctuations.

Whakatane District Council public relations manager Ross Boreham said those in the Rangitaiki Plains area were advised to boil water before consuming it until further notice.

He said it was is a precautionary advisory due to high amounts of sediment in the aquifers as result of the earthquake

“The plains water supply was effected by turbidity where sediment was stirred up as a result of the earthquake.”

Mr Boreham said those in Te Teko were asked to conserve water because of low levels in the reservoir. He said the council was working on identifying the cause of the problem, which occurred after the earthquake.

Initially 1000 homes were without power following the earthquake but the majority of the houses had power restored by 5am. A Horizon Energy spokesman said power to the remaining 58 houses was expected to be restored by 10am.

Additionally a car accident this morning also resulted in 47 houses on in Matata Road from Edgecumbe to Awaiti Road including Awaiti Road North and Sutherlands Road will be without power until approximately 2pm.

PEST INCURSION: An infestation of pea weevils, like the one emerging from a pea in this photo, has been discovered in the Wairarapa and has been allowed to spread because MPI banned publicity about it, Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers arable chairman Colin MacKinnon says.
Photo supplied

SECRECY around biosecurity issues put the entire pea industry at risk because farmers could not take steps to stop pea weevil, says Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers arable chairman Colin MacKinnon.

He said Federated Farmers was notified of the potential risk in early April but confidentiality laws forbade the organisation from alerting farmers.

“So, instead of us farmers leaping into the fray and shutting it down, we weren’t given the opportunity.

“It’s a $160 million industry that’s been put at risk,” he said.

Last week, New Zealand First biosecurity spokesman Richard Prosser said delays caused by the ministry of primary industries (MPI) allowed the pea weevil to spread.

“MPI took an unbelievable 119 days to impose a growing ban after confirming the presence of pea weevil. In that time 80,000 bales of pea straw have been sent all over the North Island,” he said.

Mr MacKinnon said his experience with MPI was that its concern seemed to be primarily to protect commerce.

“You get an incursion anywhere and MPI denies it or says it’s commercially sensitive. Eventually, we prise it out of them and it’s usually too late,” he said.

He said the attitude was part of a system-wide failure.

“They always seem to do this; at the first instance they go into lockdown and it’s all confidential and you can’t tell anybody.”

He said MPI’s biosecurity protocol was flawed.

“The first thing they want to do is find out whether or not the incursion is serious and would it really cause damage to the industry.

“We think what they should do is shut the place down, then try and work out what to do and then do it,” he said.

Because the weevil was allowed to spread, MPI would end up compensating more farmers than they otherwise would have to.

“MPI, I understand, is likely to pay compensation to growers because they are not allowed to grow any peas in Wairarapa for the next two years,” he said.

As a result, he said the New Zealand pea industry was in question.

“We were one of only three countries in the world who were pea weevil free. It will definitely handicap future sales of peas,” he said.

mark.rieder@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

DESPITE some claiming they would block demolition of the Aniwaniwa visitor centre at Waikaremoana, the Department of Conservation says work began yesterday without any disturbance.

The 41-year-old building had been condemned due to weather tightness and stability issues. In 2010 the estimated cost to bring the building up to current building standards and refit it for use was around $3 million.

Prior to its closure in 2008 the Department of Conservation had spent a substantial amount of money trying to maintain the building, including re-roofing and re-cladding it, which was unsuccessful.

The Department of Conservation begins the dismantling and removal of the old Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre next week.

Operations director Meirene Hardy-Birch said DoC had considered all practical options for the old building since Wairoa District Council condemned it.

“This has been a difficult decision as so many parties have an interest in the building. We have had to balance those interests and it hasn’t been easy.

“We have explored a number of options over the years. We even sought proposals from parties interested in repurposing the building, without success.”

She said DoC was working with Tuhoe’s tribal organisation, Te Uru Taumatua, on a new Te Wharehou o Waikaremoana, with visitor information, located at Home Bay adjacent to the Waikaremoana Holiday Park.

Tamati Kruger, chairman of Te Urewera Board and Te Uru Taumatua, said Waikaremoana people, as designers of the new build, would be free to express their world in their own way.

“Timber from the old visitor centre will be used in the new wharehou. This will be a foundation upon which the visitors will come, and collaboration will occur. We all have a wish for the collective memory, or wairua, forged from relationships that have occurred through the old whare [to be] an endowment in the new wharehou.”

Institute of Architects president Christina van Bohemen had earlier urged DoC to repair and renovate the building, rather than demolish it.

She said it was designed in the 1970s by the late John Scott, a pioneering Maori architect who was one of the outstanding figures in New Zealand’s twentieth century architecture.

“What sort of example is this? The only thing that can be said about the Department of Conservation’s decision to demolish the Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre is that it is entirely consistent with the department’s long neglect of the building.

“This Category One listed building, paid for by all New Zealanders, should have official protectors. What does Heritage New Zealand have to say about this issue? Why has Maggie Barry, who is minister of both conservation and culture and heritage, been silent about the threat to the visitor centre?”

An Auckland company started the process of making the site and building safe yesterday ahead of its dismantling. The cost of dismantling the building, transferring the timber, removing, salvaging and disposing of any material at an approved landfill, and restoration of the site has been put at $180,000.

Before the work began yesterday, a small group, which included family members of the late John Scott were taken on site to carry out a farewell.

A karakia had been performed earlier in the morning by the Waikaremoana Tribal Authority, clearing the way for the work that would continue over the next six to eight weeks.

FLY TIPPING: This rubbish was photographed beside State Highway 30 near lake Rotoma. Photo supplied

IF one had any remaining thoughts that New Zealand is ‘clean and green,’ or ‘100 percent pure,’ the above photo of this rubbish, including a freezer with food, dumped beside State Highway 30 in the Rotomas, should dispel them.

Someone has even gone to the trouble of flattening out the bank that had been created beside the road to prevent this type of activity.

The amount of rubbish dumped in almost every available place beside SH30 in the Rotomas is appalling and the general litter beside the whole road is a very poor advertisement for this country.

It is high time that more energy and thought is given to preventing fly-tipping of this sort. Finding the culprits is a forlorn task. Perhaps the fees for the disposal of waste and recyclables needs to be re-examined?

Perhaps this could form part of the platforms of aspiring councillors? Yeah right.

A tidy Kiwi

A 24-YEAR-OLD male was transported to hospital with a stab wound to his lower leg on Sunday morning.

St John Eastern Bay territory manager Richard Waterson described the injuries as minor and said the man also suffered a laceration to the back of his head.

Whakatane police Senior Sergeant Mark van der Kley said the injury occurred during a confrontation at a function in Poroporo.

A WHAKATANE man has been sentenced to community work after ripping off a sports club to the tune of $10,000.

Johnathon Brett Smith appeared for sentence in the Whakatane District Court last Wednesday on a charge of obtaining by deception.

In 15 transactions between January and March this year, Smith stole $9999.55 from a Whakatane sports club, which was granted name suppression following a restorative justice conference.

“You ripped off a club to the extent of $10,000. As a sport player you will appreciate it is difficult to cater for the local community to make ends meet and to be ripped off is something that is felt through the club and the community,” Judge Louis Bidois said.

Smith was sentenced to 300 hours community work and ordered to repay the money stolen at $50 a week.

Other court appearances

To plead

WHAKATANE woman Ramona Zelda Thomas was remanded in custody when she appeared in the Whakatane District Court last week until September 7 for pleas to be entered to charges of burglary, theft and obtaining by deception.

Judge Louis Bidois said the 37-year-old had not been in trouble for 10 years.

She faces 14 charges – two counts of burglary, two counts of obtaining by deception ($500-$1000), three counts of theft under $500, three counts of obtain by deception (under $500), three counts of obtaining by deception (more than $1000) and theft ex-dwelling (more than $1000).

Remain in custody

JOANNE Thelma Barron was similarly remanded in custody until September 7 for pleas to be entered to charges of burglary, theft and obtaining by deception.

Judge Bidois said Barron had a number of charges including burglary, eight counts of obtaining by deception and four counts of theft.

The offending was allegedly committed between February and August with a co-offender.

Illegally used a document

KIPA Rangi Edwards, of Whakatane, pleaded guilty to using a document for pecuniary advantage.

The 33-year-old also pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaching community work.

The fraud charge related to the use of an ANZ bank cheque.

Edwards was remanded on bail until October 19 for a case review hearing on the charge he denied, and sentence on the charge he pleaded guilty to.

Reckless disregard

Tamatoanui King-Hazel pleaded guilty to injuring with reckless disregard.

Judge Bidois said the injury involved throwing a bottle.

King-Hazel was remanded on bail until October 12 for a restorative justice conference to take place.

Conviction outweighs offending

A 65-year-old man was discharged without conviction on a charge of threatening behaviour involving a firearm.

Judge Bidois said the impact of a conviction on Francis Gordon Pryor, who was of high standing in the community and had never appeared in court before, would outweigh the severity of the offending.

The charges came after Pryor threatened to put bullets in his gun and shoot two victims involved in a heated argument.

However, he was not holding a gun when he made the threat and at no stage did he have possession of a weapon.

Judge Bidois said the threat caused fear and when the victims noticed firearms inside the dwelling, the police were called and Pryor moved the firearms to another address.

“The offending was in some way provoked as there was unlawful entry on your property.

“At the end of the day, you never touched the gun and you didn’t go near them.”

Judge Bidois said Pryor made a huge mistake on this particular day but nobody was hurt.

He was discharged without conviction and ordered to pay $400 emotional harm reparation to both victims.

Error of judgement

A LOW level of alcohol in Bobby James Pickles’ breath saw him notch up his third drink drive conviction.

Lawyer Gene Tomlinson said 477 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath was detected on this occasion and Pickles had prior convictions in 2010 and 2015.

Judge Bidois said Pickles had no criminal convictions whatsoever but drinking and driving was a problem.

He described the low reading as an “error of judgement”.

After receiving fines for his previous offending, Pickles was this time sentenced to 200 hours community work, nine months supervision and was disqualified from driving for 12 months and one day.

Near completion not good enough

SIX months ago Roman Te Horohau Tapiki was told to complete 100 community work hours before his next court appearance.

When he appeared on a charge of breaching community work, his lawyer, Rebecca Plunket, said he had completed 95.5 hours.

He had 174.5 hours remaining and was progressing well with a new probation officer.

Judge Bidois cancelled the remaining hours and re-imposed a new sentence of 220 hours, which incorporated the outstanding hours.

“You nearly completed the time you were supposed to.

“Complete the sentence with the same enthusiasm you have the past few months.”

Graffiti vandalism at Whakatane buildings

VANDALISM graffiti at the Whakatane Rowing Club and The Hub was administered by Anaru Watson with the aid of some stolen shoe polish.

Watson pleaded guilty to two charges of wilful damage and shoplifting.

The cost of reparation for the damage to the buildings was $240 collectively.

Watson was charged with shoplifting a $13 singlet from Kmart and $5.50 shoe polish from Number One Shoes.

Judge Bidois sentenced Watson to 160 hours community work and ordered him to pay reparation for the damage and stolen property.

Changed man sentenced

LAWYER Gene Tomlinson said a change of environment meant his client Joseph Steven Rogers had a new attitude and was a new man.

Rogers appeared for sentence on 10 charges including possession of a firearm and offensive weapon, possession of cannabis, possession of drug utensils for cannabis and methamphetamine and driving while disqualified.

Charging documents said Rogers was found with more than 60 rifle bullets and a bolt action .22 rifle.

Now living in Northland, Mr Tomlinson said Rogers’ address was not suitable for home detention as GPS tracking was required.

However, it was suitable for community detention, which required radio frequency.

Judge Bidois sentenced Rogers to four months community detention with an 8am to 7pm curfew, 240 hours community work, nine months supervision and 10 months disqualification from driving.

“Your life was out of control. With the loss of a loved one, I understand that people’s lives spiral out of control.

“At the end of the day no one was hurt.”

Knocked unconscious

CHRISTOPHER James Robinson pleaded guilty to assault and trespass and was sentenced to 120 hours community work and $300 emotional harm reparation

Lawyer Cate Andersen said her client was drunk at the time of the assault and thought the victim was coming at him.

Judge Bidois said the victim was “knocked unconscious by a [coward’s punch]” and needed stitches.

Bail for restorative justice

WAIMANA man Gavin John Redmond pleaded guilty to assault with intent to injure.

Judge Bidois remanded him on bail until October 5 for a restorative justice conference to take place and a pre-sentence report to be completed.

Keep sober

STANDING in the dock, Thomas Joseph Merito told Judge Bidois he no longer consumed alcohol or drugs.

Merito was before the court on charges of common assault and breach of protection order, to which he pleaded guilty.

Judge Bidois sentenced him to 180 hours community work for breaching the protection order and remanded him on bail until November 9 on the remaining charge to allow him to demonstrate his compliance.

Merito was told to continue his sobriety and not to behave violently towards the victim. He would also have to undergo passive breath tests to prove himself.

PEOPLE who suffered damage to their home, land or contents from earthquakes off the North Island’s east coast have three months – until December 2 – to lodge their claim with the Earthquake Commission (EQC).

EQC customer and claims general manager Trish Keith said people had plenty of time to make a claim.

“It can take some time for the picture regarding claims to emerge as people take stock of how their properties have fared,” Mrs Keith said.

EQC’s website has more information about what to do after an earthquake at: www.eqc.govt.nz/claims/after-natural-disaster.

If you have taken out a home or contents fire insurance policy, EQC covers you against physical loss and damage to your home (usually up to $100,000 + gst), contents (usually up to $20,000 + gst) and a defined area of residential land from:

• an earthquake
• a natural landslip
• a volcanic eruption
• hydrothermal activity
• a tsunami

EQC also insures residential land (within limits) against storm and flood damage, and insures you for fire resulting from any of these natural disasters.
If your property isn’t damaged after one of these disasters but damage is imminent as a direct result of one of them, EQC may also provide cover.

I SAW on the television news recently a bit about the serious willow bug problem we are having here in Whakatane and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s response to solve it.

I have written to Television One telling them to save the footage as this problem comes around every 10 years and the regional council solution is the same every 10 years, so if they just replay this footage in 2026 and 2036 then they will save some money.

When the first bug appeared some 10 years ago I rang the regional council for information and they said the same as last night: they were doing research with scientists to find a solution. I was given the number of this scientist and I called him.

When I asked him for information about the research the guy just about wet himself with mirth. I took this to be a “no”, so I did a bit of research myself and came to the conclusion that maybe we plant another species among the willows that would be unaffected by the bug.

We went out, bought the new plants and fired up the digger and did it. Several years later the person who peer reviewed the Whakatane River and stated that it was a mining enterprise and not a river management exercise that the regional council was undertaking with their gravel extraction, visited our section of the river to see how progress on the rebuilding of the river was going. The first thing he said was “that’s good what you have done; we are planting the same trees in our area”. After 30-odd years of the same management of these river systems and some major expensive mistakes along the way, I think it about time we either took back management control ourselves or made sure we employ the very best as problems don’t get solved by standing around and looking at them.

Richard Holmes

HOME COMING: Carole Pavelka, who found this Australisian bittern injured on Wainui Road, is reunited with the bird just before its release back into the Ohiwa Harbour area. Photo supplied

AFTER finding an injured Australasian bittern on Wainui Road, Carole Pavelka carefully wrapped the bird and drove it to Bird Rescue in Whakatane.

Notorious for being low-flyers, it was assumed the bird had been clipped by a car – which is one of the reasons fewer than 1000 bitterns remain in New Zealand.

The low numbers have resulted in them being listed as critically endangered and bittern expert Emma Williams, a Massey University doctorate student, said the status was linked to the damage caused by humans to the birds’ habitat, and other factors.

“Australasian bitterns have recently been upgraded to nationally critical, which puts them in the same category as species like kakapo. It has been shown that only 10 percent of wetland habitat, critical to species like the bittern, now remains, and what we have left is severely degraded.”

Volunteers from Bird Rescue Whakatane and Department of Conservation staff decided to take the bird found on Wainui Road to an experienced bittern rehabilitator in Hamilton, Bill Smith.

Three months later, the bird was returned to the Eastern Bay ready to be released back to its home in the Ohiwa Harbour.

Last week, a small group of people gathered to take part in the bird’s release. DoC ranger Mithuna Sothieson said it was a special day.

“The release of this bittern back to the wild was special for all those who have been involved, including Carole, Bird Rescue Whakatane volunteers, and those who work hard locally to protect the habitat of wetland birds like the Nukuhou Saltmarsh Care Group.”

Nukuhou Saltmarsh Care Group co-ordinators Stuart and Margaret Slade also attended the release. Mr Slade said they had developed an understanding of bitterns in the Wainui area through observations and bird counts conducted in the saltmarsh over the years.

“There are so few bittern left in the harbour so it is great to see this one survive and be released back to Ohiwa Harbour.”

Very little is known about the Australasian bittern’s habitat use, especially in the coastal wetlands, so a backpack transmitter had been attached to the bird to monitor its movements and survival over the next year.

STUDENT VISIT: Tarawera High School and Waikato University students mingle at the Kawerau school. Photo supplied

TARAWERA High School hosted a group of Waikato University students for an afternoon recently.

The group of 16 were part of the Te Ahurutanga Maori Leadership programme for students who show leadership skills and qualities.

On Wednesday, August 24, the university students arrived at the school during lunch time and were quick to mingle with the high school students, senior manager Matt Melvin said.

“The visit was a wonderful window into the wider world for our students, who learned first-hand about the journey facing them after they leave Tarawera High School.

“The modern learning environment and integrated curriculum made quite an impression on the visitors, as did the manaakitanga shown by our students as they proudly showed off what Tarawera High School has to offer students in Kawerau,” Mr Melvin said.

Te Ahurutanga Maori Leadership programme co-ordinator Matangaro Paerau said those involved in the programme wanted to spend time in the regions of New Zealand to see what was happening in small towns.

When the group saw Tarawera featured on Maori Television, they thought the school was inspiring and wanted to see it for themselves.

“[The group] was actually inspired by the school itself and the students who wanted to be at school, wanting to learn and the teachers wanting to teach,” she said.

The group was in the Eastern Bay from Tuesday to Thursday and stayed at Wairaka Marae.

They met with Waikato University alumni, Tuhoe’s Patrick McGarvey and Tame Iti, and visited Wairaka Marae.

Miss Paerau said visiting Tarawera was the students’ favourite activity and they would return to the Eastern Bay again in the future.

HORSE RIDES: Te Kauvinui Sebo Mika, 2, enjoys a ride. Photos Paula Massey D4177-54

AN animal amnesty day at Ruatoki on August 28 aimed at rebuilding relationships between the SPCA and Tuhoe has been hailed a huge success.

More than 270 horses, cats and dogs attended the Sunday event, organised by SPCA inspector Liisa Jones and Tuhoe Hauora.

Hauora spokeswoman Nimita Nohotima said they were only expecting about 50 animals but the attending vets carried out health checks, including flea and worm treatments.

People could register to have animals de-sexed or gelded and farriers were on hand to provide advice about horse hoof and dental care.

Free drenching was also available.

“We didn’t realise how big it was going to be, or how fantastic the community would be in getting on board.”

SPLASH ATTACK: Rafting hi-jinks is a common occurrence during the Matata Blue Light Raft Race, organised this year for November 13. File photo

TWELVE minutes is the time to beat at this year’s third annual Matata Blue Light raft race, set by Whakatane Intermediate’s Room 21 Pirates during the 2015 race.

Organiser Kevin Raynes said the race along the Whakatane River on November 13 would feature a new school category, adding to the existing emergency services, business house and community divisions.

The event attracted 30 teams last year and raised $1000 for coastguard.

Proceeds from this year’s event would be donated to St John.

The raft race was introduced in 2014 to promote water safety.

“We have had a few deaths in the water. We don’t want our kids to be scared of the water, we want them to respect it,” Mr Raynes said.

The trophy and race were dedicated to the memory of Lance Tikitere Fitzgerald, a 13-year-old who drowned swimming under the Landing Road Bridge in 2013.

The school category was added to attract more children to be involved in the event that Mr Raynes said had grown every year.

“There is a focus for prizes to be given to the kids [competing].

“We are in the process of securing a major prize for the first school across the finish line.”

Introduced last year, the emergency service race was won by the fire service after weeks of sledging and banter between the various services.

Mr Raynes said the fire service raft was “very impressive” and in the end, “[police] got smoked”, including being tipped over by fire service crew 100 metres before the finish line.

“Whakatane police have already started building our raft,” he said.

Each raft must include at least one team member aged between 10 and 14, and must have a minimum of four and a maximum of six crew members.

Raft rules indicate no polystyrene or powered devices can be used.

Registrations cost $50 per raft.

Registration forms can be collected from the Whakatane Police Station, Whakatane District Council, 1XX reception and Sport Bay of Plenty.

haylee.king@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

BRIGHT SPARKY: Theo Tunley recently achieved his electrical inspector and metering technician level 4 certifications. Photo supplied

EASTBAY Metering and Electrical employee Theo Tunley has joined the ranks of a select group of technicians after gaining two new electrical qualifications.

Eastbay Metering and Electrical manager Derrick Crosby said Mr Tunley’s achievement was a boon for the company.

“It means he can handle any electrical metering job that comes up and he’s fully entitled to do electricity inspections. It makes him a much more versatile employee,” he said.

Mr Tunley became fully registered as an electrical inspector and completed his NZQA electricity supply metering technician level 4 certification.

“This one is quite hard to get and involves quite a bit of study and field work with already qualified people, which we have.

“There is only a small handful of such qualified technicians in New Zealand,” Mr Crosby said.

Mr Tunley said working at Eastbay Metering and Electrical increased his knowledge of electrical systems because the company employed inspectors who helped with his mentoring.

“It really depends on how much on-the-job training you’ve had and the amount of time you’ve put into it previously,” he said.

He said the level 4 metering technician certificate was the more difficult qualification to take.

“Rather than a step up, it’s more a broadening of horizons. And many sparkies just give up on it because it’s so much theory.”

IT is with some trepidation that I read in an article in the Beacon last month one of the safety ‘improvements’ suggested to reduce the accident rate on Wainui Road is the installation of rumble strips. As a cyclist, one of a large number who regularly cycle Wainui Road, this idea fills me with dismay.

To cycle this road safely now and keep out of the traffic I cycle on the white side line mostly and where possible on the inside of this line. This means we are clear of the traffic and out of the way as much as possible, and I know that most motorists appreciate this as it is not easy to pass on this road.

Having cycled many other roads with rumble strips on the inside, the cyclist is left with only one place to ride, about 450mm outside the white line, I would like to say that on the Wainui Road, being forced to cycle out this far will put me right in the traffic and not only will it make it impossible for cars to pass me in a lot of places, it will only be a matter of time until a cyclist is killed, or seriously injured, if this plan of installing rumble strips is implemented. I implore the council and NZ Transport Agency – please for the sake of cyclists, consider this carefully before installing rumble strips.

Noel Hutchings
Ohope

• Whakatane District Council transportation manager Martin Taylor responds:

THE work referred to is a Safe Roads Alliance (SRA) initiative. The SRA has been established to progress state highway safety improvements across the country.

Its focus is improving routes, rather than focusing on individual high-risk crash locations. In the Eastern Bay, the SRA is progressing three projects – one on SH30 between the Kawerau turnoff west of Te Teko and Awakeri; and another on SH34, the route into Kawerau.

The third project was initially going to be SH2 between Matekerepu and Opotiki, but on realising the “route” to consider was actually between Ohope and Opotiki, the Alliance offered to include Wainui Road (a local road and not a state highway) in this safe roads project.

The Whakatane and Opotiki district councils support of this “route treatment” concept and the third SRA project in our region, the route between Ohope and Opotiki.

The safety treatments the SRA considers for any route depend on a wide range of factors including traffic volumes, pedestrian and cycle use, road alignment and roadside hazards (drop-offs etc).

Improvements can include road realignment, road widening, guard-railing and improved signs and line marking, including the installation of edgeline “rumble strips”.

Not all of these options are appropriate for all road sections, and the council’s view is that rumble strips would not be appropriate for Wainui Road without the associated road widening to enable safe cycling. Cyclists have as much right to a safe journey on our roads as any other mode of travel and Whakatane District Council would therefore not support or propose the installation of “rumble strips” on a cycle route without road widening.

We will be making our views on this matter known to the SRA.

Photo Louis Klaassen D4205-2

WHILE in Whakatane the Government’s environment minister, Nick Smith, (second from right) caught up with Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne, East Coast MP Anne Tolley, Opotiki

Mayor John Forbes and Kawerau Mayor Malcolm Campbell. Mr Smith was in Whakatane to attend a meeting with the National party’s auxillary group in Whakatane to discuss the Bluegreens, an environmental issues advisory group.

Dr Smith met with the three mayors beforehand and discussed a number of issues impacting on the Eastern Bay, including housing pressures and wastewater matters.

LEGAL EAGLE: Ciska De Rijk’s law firm Essence helps companies in the nutrition, food supplement and cosmetic industries navigate the law. Photo supplied

ENTREPRENUERS looking to break into the food and nutrition industry have a lot of red tape to deal with, especially if they are considering taking their product international.

Essence, a new legal compliance business in Whakatane, helps food and nutrition-based businesses achieve success with a better understanding of the laws governing the industry.

Ciska De Rijk, a lawyer specialising in all aspects of the nutrition marketing industry and owner of Essence, said there were many legal requirements that modern-day food businesses had to deal with.

One of the top issues was product additives, which were highly regulated.

“Say a person is developing a food product, maybe it’s a cereal or a drink, something like that. They need to understand what ingredients can go in the product,” she said.

Nutritional claims and labelling laws also played a significant role.

“They need to understand what must go on the label and what claims they can or can’t make. For example, if they want to say their product contains fibre, they need to have a certain amount of fibre per serving,” she said.

Quite often a business could begin small, selling their products at local markets, where incorrect labelling or nutritional claims could be overlooked.

“Walking around markets, I see a lot of people actually breaching the law because they don’t realise they can’t actually say that,” she said.

Ms De Rijk was able to help these businesses move to the next level by advising what changes they needed to make to break into bigger markets.

There were few attorneys that dealt with legislation in the food supplement, nutrition and cosmetics industries.

“There are only five lawyers who do this across Australia and New Zealand, which is very small,” she said.

Her interest in the field resulted from a scientific background.

“I have a science degree as well and I sort of fell into it when I first started [practising law],” she said.

With Australia as New Zealand’s largest trading partner, Ms De Rijk said there were similarities in legislation making it easier for domestic companies to break into the market.

“You basically have one code that governs labelling and what can go in the product, and it’s exactly the same.

“It’s a mutual code between the two countries,” she said.

Despite a growing trend for Australians to buy products made locally, New Zealand still had a respectable reputation.

“I would say Australian consumers look at New Zealand products and think it’s safe and pure and natural,” she said.

Her expertise also included helping businesses that operate in smaller markets.

“In terms of restaurants and cafes, there are laws changing under the Food Act 2014. A lot of cafes will be under what’s called a food-control plan.

“There are different requirements I can advise them on,” she said.

A company’s online presence could be their best public forum but there were also situations where the advertising platform could backfire for a business.

“Cyber bullying is a big [issue] now and social media posts – whether you’re liable for what someone else says on your Facebook page, which you can be, depending on what it is,” she said.

mark.rieder@whakatanebeacon.co.nz

FUTURE development is planned for the mall area outside Te Koputu, Whakatane’s library and exhibition centre.

Whakatane District Council has instigated initial discussions with property owners.

Infrastructure general manager Tomasz Krawczyk said as part of the project mall owners would upgrade the main sign on The Strand and work with the team to improve the maintenance of the public space and amenity plantings.

Resource consent sought

WHAKATANE District Council is applying for resource consent to dredge Sullivan Lake.

Council infrastructure general manager Tomasz Krawczyk said lake bed soil samples had been sent to Hills Laboratory for testing and depth readings of the lake bed had been taken to calculate the volume of material that needed to be extracted.

Staff were discussing dredging options with various operators to ensure the works were completed with the least disturbance and damage to the reserve and the natural environment.

Cannabis head found

WHEN police searched Marie Rose Harlick’s property, cannabis was found.

On Wednesday in the Whakatane District Court last week she pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis for supply.

Judge Bidois said 1.6 kilograms of cannabis head was found at the property.

Harlick was sentenced to eight months home detention and 140 hours community work.

NICHOLSON United Autos will officially open its new car dealership premises on Commerce Street tomorrow.

The dealership’s new business plan focuses on offering a high-end experience for clients.

The new location boasts a purpose-built sales and service department with an eight-bay workshop and five-car showroom.

A special event will be held after closing by invitation only. It will include a silent auction, the proceeds going to Eastern Bay Hospice.