WHAKATANE councillor Victor Luca believes the tidal pool created at the Wairaka Centennial Park in Muriwai Drive has moved from an accident waiting to happen to the site of a serious accident.
Dr Luca made the comment at last week’s Whakatane District Council project and services committee meeting.
The tidal pool has long been a topic of discussion around the council table due to the community’s worries that the steps are too steep, and the water is dirty and stagnant.
Dr Luca’s comments came as the tidal pool was back on the agenda as the council has engaged environmental and planning consultancy Boffa Miskell to assist with “progressing a review on the safe swimming area”.
“It is no longer an accident waiting to happen; an accident has already happened,” Dr Luca said.
He said in October last year a woman fell down the steps while trying to avoid “rats the size of cats” and her fall resulted in a hospital visit.
“She is still suffering from the effects of this fall now,” he said.
Committee chairperson Gerard van Beek said the council could not consider the matter as it was currently a rumour.
“To add weight, this needs to be turned into a complaint,” Mr van Beek said.
“Council is quite aware of what is going on down there.”
The Beacon has viewed photos of injuries which are allegedly linked to the incident. The photos show extensive bruising to a woman’s leg. The woman allegedly involved has been approached for comment.
While Dr Luca was concerned about the safety aspect of the pool, councillor Lesley Immink felt not enough had been done to inform the public of progress with the issue.
“Have the iwi been advised we will be coming back to speak with them?” Mrs Immink asked.
“It would be great to have a timeline to advise them of.”
Chief executive Stephanie O’Sullivan said staff met with Ngati Awa at least once a fortnight to “discuss a whole range of issues”.
“Their little ones are still enjoying the space and they still want to be able to access the river,” she said.
Mrs Immink said it would be a good idea for the council’s communications team to ensure there was adequate communication around the issue as, currently, “no one knows anything”.
“They need to reassure people that something is happening and that it isn’t going to take until next winter,” she said.
“If we could be more proactive it would diffuse council and councillors being the target. A lot of people still have major concerns over what is happening.”
Ms O’Sullivan said the communications team would do this when there were particular dates around wider community consultation.
As part of its review on the tidal pool, Boffa Miskell will develop and implement an iwi and community engagement plan, undertake a technical review of the tidal pool safety and amenity and provide an assessment of issues and options.
It is expected Boffa Miskell will have this draft programme ready by mid-February with the programme to commence by late February and into March.
Any options will be presented to a future meeting for consideration.
A CLANDESTINE methamphetamine lab – “the largest seen for some time” – has been uncovered in Whakatane, resulting in two arrests.
The Armed Offenders Squad surrounded the Alexander Avenue property just after 5am on Thursday, as police executed a search warrant that was the result of an extended investigation targeting organised crime and the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine in Whakatane and the wider Bay of Plenty.
Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said police were assisted by the AOS to mitigate any risks involved in the bust.
Two neighbours at the scene said they suspected something “dodgy” had been going on at the residence for quite some time.
Yesterday afternoon, police had recovered cannabis, methamphetamine, “a whole lot of pistols” and other handguns at the property as well as the elaborate lab set-up with extensive manufacturing gear.
However, Mr Fenwick believes there may be more to recover.
“We need to preserve the integrity of the scene and there were a number of handguns recovered at the address, but again the whole house still hasn’t been searched yet so who knows what we’ll find [today],” he said.
ON GOING: Police staff wear protective suits and masks while recovering evidence from the Alexander Avenue address. Photo Troy Baker D9576-17
Mr Fenwick said the raid was a major logistical operation. Police were questioning multiple people from the house in relation to the bust but knew who their target was prior to executing the warrant.
Two people were arrested and are expected to appear in the Whakatane District Court this morning,
Police staff as well as the several offenders apprehended at the scene had to be decontaminated by showers after entering the residence due to the toxicity of the chemicals present.
“The priority was to make everything safe for our staff because of all of the carcinogenic chemicals and other things that could go wrong at a meth lab,” Mr Fenwick said.
He said there were no children in the house at the time of the bust.
Specialist police staff remained at the property yesterday, processing the scene, collecting evidence, and carrying out decontamination work.
It was guarded overnight to ensure no tampering with evidence or the crime scene occurred, with enquiries ongoing today.
Mr Fenwick said this was a major moment for the Whakatane police who dealt with meth-related crime daily.
“A lot of the work police do is dealing with social harm caused by meth … kids who don’t get enough food or shoes on their feet and clothes because the money is going on other things.
“For us it’s great to get any meth off the street let alone a lab that’s manufacturing the stuff. We can be rightly proud that we’ve had an effect of the flow of methamphetamine on the community.”
Mr Fenwick said a major focus for police was the quenching of organised crime and the distribution of drugs in the Eastern Bay so finding a significant site where meth was being manufactured was a step in reducing meth-related harm.
“We’ve stopped someone who is manufacturing it [meth] and have got that off the street with all of the associated evils it brings to the community and the social harm it does.
Anyone affected by methamphetamine addiction is urged to seek help through the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787797, or free text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor.
Police ask anyone with information regarding organised crime or drug-related offending to call 105 to report it, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A 27-year-old Whakatane man has been charged with manufacturing methamphetamine following the bust of a clandestine meth lab on Thursday morning.
Calebh Jesse Simpson appeared on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, two counts of unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing equipment for the manufacture of methamphetamine and possession of the drug itself.
Simpson also faces active charges in the Manukau District Court, one charge each of possessing methamphetamine for supply and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Court documents outline an extensive list of toxic chemicals, materials and equipment that were allegedly found at the Alexander Avenue address.
Police found one kilogram of ephedrine as well as hydrochloric acid, acetone, sodium hydroxide, iodine and phosphorus acid during their search of the property.
Equipment found at the address included lab glassware, steam distillers, electric hot plates and PH metres.
All equipment and chemicals are believed to be linked to the manufacturing of methamphetamine, a drug that causes extreme harm to those in vulnerable positions.
Defence lawyer Gene Tomlinson had received instructions from Simpson’s Auckland based attorney, outlining that neither counsel found applying for bail appropriate due to the circumstances of his offending.
Simpson had been bailed to the Alexander Avenue address while awaiting an appearance in the Manukau District Court scheduled for May 13.
Mr Tomlinson advocated for a remand without plea due to the extensive degree of examination that will be needed to be undertaken by specialist police staff.
Simpson was remanded in custody to reappear on April 1 via audio visual link.
Anyone who may be affected by methamphetamine addiction is urged to seek help through the Alcohol and Drug Helpline on 0800 787 797, or free text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor.
Police ask anyone with information regarding organised crime or drug-related offending to call the non-emergency police number 105 or contact CRIMESTOPPERS anonymously on 0800 555 111.
CONTAMINATION of kerbside recycling bins is “getting worse and worse” and Whakatane District Council staff will now be undertaking an audit of bins across the district.
Council solid waste manager Nigel Clarke told the project and services committee there had been a large increase in non-recyclables being added to recycling bins as well as a large increase of waste over the Christmas-New Year period.
“Contamination is getting worse and worse,” he said. “Kerbside recycling in the King Street, Whakatane South area was 53 percent waste last Thursday. We also had issues with the last load from Murupara.”
Other recent highly contaminated loads have come from Ohope and Matata with the last load rejected by the recycling centre and sent to landfill.
Contaminated loads have included towels, nappies, green waste, wood, carpet, food scraps, bags of household rubbish, kids’ toys, an airbed and plastics that were not grades one or two.
Yellow lid recycling bins should only contain, paper, cardboard, plastics one and two, tins and cans.
Mr Clarke said council staff would now be walking the streets, checking recycling bins and placing stickers on any that were non-compliant. The sticker would state which items in the bin were non-compliant.
Stickered bins will not be collected by Waste Management and the owner will have to remove the non-compliant items then remove the sticker and place the bin back on the kerb for the next recycling collection.
“The public sees the recycling bin as a second refuse bin,” said Mr Clarke.
“We are hoping the audit will target the ones who don’t understand what can and can’t be recycled and those who simply don’t care.”
Mr Clarke also said the Christmas-New Year period saw a much larger volume of rubbish than in previous years.
A typical Ohope kerbside collection would be around 10 tonnes of rubbish, however one New Year collection resulted in 18.5 tonnes of waste.
Mayor Judy Turner said it was a seasonal issue with many people having families staying and producing more waste.
She said she had trouble ensuring her recycling bin was not contaminated as family from out of town were placing unrecyclables in it not realising the rules.
A RING worth upwards of $100,000 was among the trove of valuables seized by police following the bust of a methamphetamine lab in Whakatane last Thursday.
Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said police found large quantities of assets and cash at the Alexander Avenue property on Friday.
Mr Fenwick said the volume of cash found at the property was so significant that Armourguard, a high-value cash transportation agency, had been tasked with counting the final amount.
A substantial amount of gold, silver and other valuable items were found at the property, including a ring worth more than $100,000.
From the extent of the assets seized, Mr Fenwick said it was clear that the production of methamphetamine had been occurring at the property for some time.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the methamphetamine manufacturing operation, one of whom has appeared in court.
The police investigation is continuing and further charges are possible.
HEREPURU Road resident Cliff Cairn says he and his neighbours are not getting their money’s worth for rates as their rural road remains unsealed more than eight years after the Whakatane District Council reprioritised spending.
Mr Cairn said the road “got to number three” on the list of roads prioritised for tarsealing before the council abandoned it in order to address more urgent needs.
Mr Cairn said he and others on the road had been waiting 33 years for a safer road.
“I have lived here for 33 years and previously the council had promised to tarseal the road,” said Mr Cairn.
“It started out okay, with tarsealing done at either end of the road, then our road went down the list. Our rates continue to increase and so does the population of Herepuru Road.
Despite an increase in rates we see little for it, we don’t even get a rubbish collection here.”
While there are concerns with safety regarding the at times narrow gravel road, Mr Cairn also said there were issues with maintenance and water running off the road and through his farm, which was lower than the road.
When grading was done, Mr Cairn said it wasn’t done correctly as ruts soon appeared on the road.
“We’ve had head-ons and I don’t know how many near misses, as people drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid the ruts,” he said.
“These usually appear within two days of them doing the grading.”
Water running through his farm is also a problem.
A dam was installed on his farm to prevent this happening, but Mr Cairn said during heavy rainfall water often overflowed from the dam and flowed through to a stream, which eventually went out to sea.
“Not only is it eroding my land it’s washing pollution out to sea,” said Mr Cairn.
“Come on council, look after us rural ratepayers. You seem to find money for other projects.”
Council transportation manager Martin Taylor said the council did have a policy to seal sections of its 200 kilometre network of unsealed roads but reprioritised its work programmes in 2012 for “urgently required” stormwater improvements throughout the district.
“However, the council-elected members have indicated to staff that they may want to review the seal extension policy through the upcoming 2021-31 long term plan process and consider whether or not to restart the seal extension programme,” said Mr Taylor.
“A report on the seal extension policy is likely to go to council later this year for consideration. When the seal extension programme was discontinued in 2012, Herepuru Road was one of the roads near the top of the list for re-sealing.”
Mr Taylor said maintenance on the road was a mix of scheduled maintenance work which occurred on a regular basis and emergency works in response to events.
“A significant programme of drainage upgrades have been carried out along Herepuru Road over the last 10 years, with an upcoming culvert renewal the last of this planned package of work,” he said.
However, Mr Taylor said most of Mr Cairn’s issues related to land management and the council had done “as much as it can” for him in relation to the road boundary.
A video provided by Mr Cairn during heavy rainfall in 2017 shows multiple streams of water flowing through his property from the road cutouts, which Mr Taylor said was how they were supposed to operate.
“The issue for Mr Cairn is when water from various sources converges at the bottom of his gully,” Mr Taylor said.
“Mr Cairn owns land, some of which is lower than surrounding land and therefore collects water from higher catchments. This is a matter Mr Cairn needs to discuss with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and has been doing so for some time.”
Mr Taylor said most councils were similar to Whakatane in that they serviced large, sparsely populated rural areas which generally had a corresponding network of unsealed roads that they managed “as prudently as they can”.
“This usually involves general maintenance and renewals, chipping away at improvement programmes over time as budgets and competing priorities across the council allow.”
Mr Taylor said the best way people could influence the council’s seal extension policy and programme was through the long term plan process when budgets were set.
Submissions through this process help the council gauge community support and priorities.
MORE people suffering mental health crises are calling on St John for assistance, according to new data from the ambulance service.
Eastern Bay ambulance officers have experienced a significant increase in their workload with mental health call-outs nearly four times the national average.
Recent statistics released by St John show a 76 percent increase in psychiatric or suicide related call-outs in the Eastern Bay, rising from 46 incidents in 2018 to 81 in 2019.
The reason for this increase is unclear, according to St John Eastern Bay territory manager Richard Waterson.
However, he said it did indicate a rise in individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
“The growing emergency ambulance workload is indicative of population growth, an aging population and more complex health issues and it is likely that the need for ambulance services will continue to rise,” Mr Waterson said.
In 2019 St John responded to 6212 emergency calls in the Eastern Bay, up from 5207 in 2018.
Christine Macfarlane, president of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, said the increase could be due to the reduction of community health access not only in the Eastern Bay, but nationally.
“Even though we like to think the stigma has been reduced there is still stigma around calling a mental health service.
“Especially if people have been knocked back before or think ‘I’m not as bad as that, I’m not that high risk’.”
She said if a patient was at risk of self-harm or suicide, mental health teams were unable to enter the property and needed to be assisted by police. This could deter patients and steer them towards calling St John for assistance.
“A lot of the time with mental health services if there is concern or risk the police have to come too, the mental health team can’t go into the house if they aren’t invited.
“That can create some hesitation with people saying that they don’t want the police there,” Ms Macfarlane said.
The statistics show numbers from Whakatane, Kawerau, Opotiki, Te Kaha and Waihau Bay, with all St John staff working hard to meet the continual increase.
St John Whakatane station manager Michelle Sattler said being a part of a trusted organisation did have a lot to do with why they might be the first port of call for Eastern Bay residents.
“I do believe as the most trusted organisation that is part of it; they identify we’re there to help.
“The system [mental health system] itself is quite difficult to get into and it has changed quite a bit. You can’t just walk up to the ward anymore, which they used to be able to do historically.
“So, where do they go? What they do is dial 111 and we send an ambulance out there,” Mrs Sattler said.
Ms Macfarlane acknowledged the tragedy of Whakaari/White Island and said sometimes even if people were not directly affected by the tragedy, it could take a toll on the community as a whole.
“What happens when tragedy and trauma happens, is it increases everybody’s stress levels and anxiety levels and their coping skills are reduced,” Ms Macfarlane said.
Mr Waterson said St John in the Eastern Bay was working hard to meet the increase in demand, however, if a patient’s condition was not critical there might be a delay in ambulance response.
St John is in year three of a four-year project to double crew all ambulances to improve outcomes for patients and safety of ambulance officers with crew numbers doubling in the past three years.
Mrs Sattler said often it was a family member that initiated the call to St John because they were unsure how to approach a mental health crisis of a loved one.
“Many people who have family members that been seen by the crisis team and aren’t admitted to a ward call us because they just can’t cope at home. We step in as health professionals and pass our opinions onto another health professional about what we’ve seen.
“Every single job we go to, we have to have the empathy and the sympathy. I’d like to think that our staff consider, ‘that could be us’ – there’s not a single person alive that can’t guarantee they’re not going to have a mental health issue next week.
“We see it as this person is in crisis today and let’s do whatever we need to do to assist them to get them the help they require.”
WHAKATANE District Council staff have met with Local Government minister Nanaia Mahuta to discuss the district’s ongoing recovery from last year’s eruption at Whakaari/White Island and the Awatarariki managed retreat process.
Council chief executive Stephanie O’Sullivan told the risk and assurance committee last week that the eruption continued to impact the council’s “business as usual” particularly in some key teams.
She said the council had suffered financial, personal and work-related impacts through its assistance with response and recovery which by law it had to do.
Councillor Lesley Immink asked if the council had business interruption insurance and said it might be time to reconsider its level of involvement.
She said while social impacts might continue to be felt for some time, ongoing economic impacts were likely only to be felt by White Island Tours, not the wider community.
Ms O’Sullivan said the council could only claim insurance if it had damaged assets, which it did not.
“This is a unique situation,” she said. “Typically to claim insurance a council would need damaged assets, but we do not have that. The issues we are facing are the soft, invisible things and this is something we will be pursuing with Nanaia (Mahuta).
“We will also be asking her, as she is the territorial authority for White Island, to take responsibility for the island.
“We will be briefing Nanaia this afternoon on the unique set of challenges we are facing.”
Deputy mayor Andrew Iles asked what the council would be doing to improve its communication to ratepayers on the challenges it was facing in meeting its legal obligations while responding to the disaster.
Ms O’Sullivan said there would be some community engagement and communication put out soon through avenues such as the free Eastern Bay Life newspaper.
Mr Iles said the council would need to look at other avenues too as not everyone in the district received the Eastern Bay Life.
“This was clear when we began installing the water meters in Taneatua,” Mr Iles said.
“Everyone thought we were after more money but were appeased after I went around and spoke with them one-on-one.”
Mrs Immink asked for a “ballpark figure” on what the Whakaari disaster had cost the council.
Ms O’Sullivan said she estimated it would be “in excess of half a million”.
“This is both direct and indirect costs,” she said. “The cost to date is ongoing.”
Following the committee meeting Ms O’Sullivan, Mayor Judy Turner and senior council staff met with Ms Mahuta.
Council communications and engagement manager Alexandra Pickles said the group spoke with the minister on a range of matters pertaining to the Whakaari response and ongoing recovery project.
“The minister was also briefed on the Awatarariki managed retreat process, for which the
Department of Internal Affairs is a key funding partner,” Mrs Pickles said.
“Council is very grateful for her (Nanaia Mahuta) ongoing leadership and commitment of time.”
THE timeframe for objections to be lodged against the removal of reserve status from Stoneham Park has been extended for a second time.
The Kawerau District Council originally allowed a month, from the end of November 2019, for the public to lodge objections but has extended this after it became clear that many people did not know what they were objecting to.
The council had already extended the timeframe to January 24 due to the original period’s proximity to the Christmas holiday period.
The proposal is to remove the reserve status from Stoneham Park so it can be used for residential development to address Kawerau’s housing shortage.
In order to remove reserve status from a piece of land that status must then be transferred to another piece of land. In this case the council has proposed the Stock Pound on Fenton Mill Road be given reserve status instead.
It was clear from the 90 objections received that many people did not understand exactly what they were objecting against.
Many were under the impression it would mean the stock pound would be moved to Stoneham Park while others thought the proposal was for Stoneham Walk rather than Stoneham Park.
Councillor Berice Julian said at yesterday’s regulatory and services committee meeting that a lot more information needed to go out to the community before they could close the objection period.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” Mrs Julian said.
“People think they will be losing all their green space, but we need to let them know if the residential development goes ahead there will likely still be a sports field and a playground.”
While many were confused about the proposal there were also those with valid concerns about the loss of greenspace, unaffordability of the proposed homes, loss of peace and tranquility or would like to see the space developed in other ways.
Councillor Rex Savage said some of these people could be swayed if information about how much it cost ratepayers to mow and maintain Stoneham Park was released.
Mayor Malcolm Campbell said the community often complained about the cost of rates but the only way to reduce them would be to get more people to move to the town to spread the burden.
“All the land around Kawerau is privately owned and development is not happening, which is why we’re taking it into our own hands,” Mr Campbell said.
“I’ve been here for too long to let it go backwards.”
Chairperson Carolyn Ion said it was time for the town to look to the future not in the rear vision mirror.
Councillor Sela Kingi said despite some people’s misinformation, it was good to see the community getting out and having their say on council matters and they should be congratulated for getting involved.
In addition to the 90 objections, council received 14 submissions supporting the proposal and a further seven which were not clear or did not state a position.
Under the Reserves Act the council can only accept objections and work to mitigate them as much as possible.
The council will now conduct a comprehensive public information campaign followed by a fuller community engagement process that still meets the requirements of the Reserves Act.
THE Bay of Plenty Regional Council will be making a second request to the Ministry for the Environment for funding to remediate the contaminated Kopeopeo canal after its first request was refused.
The council is seeking funding from the ministry’s Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund to bring the ministry’s contribution to the Kopeopeo Canal Remediation Project up to 50 percent.
To date, the project has cost $22 million of which the ministry has contributed $8 million.
Dredging and validation of the 5.1 kilometre canal project was completed in August last year and the council has now moved into the bioremediation phase of the contaminated sediment.
Sediment has been inoculated with fungus and 400 trees have been planted with a further 1400 due for planting this winter.
The council asked the ministry for further funding in March 2019 but it was refused because the remediation fund was oversubscribed.
The council’s risk and assurance committee has decided to reapply in this year’s funding round.
Chairman David Love said the letter the council received from the ministry implied that it would have been successful in gaining funding had the fund not already been exhausted.
Applications for this funding round close at the end of March. If successful, the ministry would then have contributed half of the overall cost.
As well as the funding issue there was also concern raised at the committee meeting about what would happen with the remediation of the canal on private property.
Staff in charge of the project said they would prefer to have the funding issue sorted for the first project before beginning another but said it would need to be a joint effort between the council, the ministry and the private land owners.
The council has remediated a 5.1km stretch of the canal. The two privately-owned sections yet to be remediated total 4.1km.
Staff noted that there was a chance eels from the unremediated section could migrate into the remediated section during a flood and give the false impression that the remediation had not been successful.
To mitigate this, project manager Brendon Love has recommended passive in-situ sampling devices that can measure dioxins available in the food chain.
This will be used alongside baseline tissue sampling of eels which staff believe will provide public assurance that the remediation has been successful.
While eel sampling, groundwater and salt marsh monitoring is expected to continue for some years, the canal is now safe for water recreational activities such as kayaking and swimming.
A karakia will be performed on Saturday after which public access to the water will be reinstated.
Kopeopeo Canal Remediation project
The KOPEOPEO Canal was contaminated between the 1950s and late 1980s as a result of stormwater discharges from the old Whakatane Board Mill which treated timber using Pentachlorophenol.
The Kopeopeo Canal Remedia-tion Project has moved 35,000 cubic metres of dioxin contaminated sediment from the canal to containment sites for bioremediation.
Bioremediation of the sediment is expected to take 15 years and will use two different types of fungi and bacteria consortium to break down the dioxins and clean the contaminated sediment.
The project won Best Regional Remediation Project at last year’s Australian Land and Groundwater Association awards ceremony.
FOLLOWING legal advice that its district plan “has holes in it”, Whakatane District Council will be seeking public feedback on more than 20 proposed changes.
The Whakatane District Plan was made operational in 2017. However, since then, staff have encountered “some holes”, which impact on their ability to manage some resource consent applications.
Senior policy planner Glenda Spackman told the council’s strategy and policy committee yesterday that after staff encountered the holes they then checked and found more “small gaps”.
“The legal advice we received is that we would have to fix these holes because if we were to face a legal challenge, we wouldn’t have a leg to stand on,” Ms Spackman said.
The holes concern 11 activities that currently have no matters of control or discretionary restricted assessment criteria; five that lack matters of control or assessment but that can be referenced to appropriate controls elsewhere in the district plan, and two activities in the subdivision zone that contain some assessment criteria but lack criteria to assess the impact of these activities on environmental outcomes.
Ms Spackman said the holes created uncertainty for people applying for resource consent and limited the council’s legal ability to control the effects of the activities.
Under the Resource Management Act the council is required to consult with the public in this process.
Groups which must be consulted with include Minister for the Environment, adjoining district councils and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, tangata whenua in the district, community boards, the development industry, the business community and emergency service providers.
The draft district plan will be made publicly available for 20 working days.
Public consultation will take place from April 1 to 30.
CONCERNS have been raised by councillors that “yet again” ratepayers will be expected to pick up the tab for new policies district councils will have to put in place at the behest of central Government.
The comments were made at yesterday’s Whakatane District Council Strategy and Policy Committee meeting as councillors received a report on the Government’s proposed National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity.
The Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation are responsible for the proposed policy which would require local government to “maintain, protect, enhance and restore indigenous biodiversity from the impacts of human land use activities”.
Mayor Judy Turner said although the aim of the policy was worthwhile, she was concerned at the costs of implementing it, which would then be picked up by ratepayers.
It is expected implementation of the policy will cost the council $795,000 to $1,4 million over 30 years, with much of this cost being upfront.
“This is an example, yet again, of central Government putting in place policies which impact local government with no support and an expectation that ratepayers will meet the cost,” said Mrs Turner.
“The idea to protect biodiversity is commendable, but I expect this will cost far more that we realise.”
Senior policy planner Deborah Ganley said once the policy was enacted the council would be required to review all significant indigenous biodiversity sites, on public and private land, and implement an ongoing monitoring process to ensure there was no loss of biodiversity in the district.
Ms Ganley said the council had already done work to identify significant indigenous biodiversity sites, but she was unsure exactly what the council expected from councils when it asked them to “enhance and restore” these sites.
“The issue when we look at restoring these sites is, to what point are we restoring them back to?” she said.
“It is not clarified; I would expect we would need to restore the native ecology and ensure they are pest and predator free. We would probably need to enhance the environment for eel to survive and for whitebait to swim freely. I expect to enhance it back to pre-European times would be a step too far.”
There were also questions on how the council could enforce the policy on private land or who would meet the cost of enhancing sites on private land.
Ms Ganley said the Bay of Plenty Regional Council had already indicated it would work with the district council and share some of the costs.
Her report to councillors noted there could be frustration in the community as the proposed plan could infringe private ownership and use rights. It was noted that during the development of the district plan, which has provisions for land management with native vegetation, there was some opposition, particularly in areas where native firewood is harvested.
Councillor John Pullar asked if Government was likely to listen to the council “bleating” about costs.
Ms Ganley said Whakatane council’s concerns were shared by many other councils across the country and so its concerns would be echoed.
Councillors voted to support in part the proposed policy but to also formally raise concerns at the cost this would place upon the district’s ratepayers and that the requirement to review every two years be amended to 10 with the hope Government would settle on five-yearly reviews.
The council’s submission will also seek clarification on the level of restoration expected and how to manage migratory native birds.
The consultation period for the proposed policy closes on March 14 and is publicly available on the Ministry for the Environment website.
While the council is making its own submission, all interested parties can make separate submissions.
The policy can be reviewed, and submissions made at www.mfe.govt.nz/consultations/nps-indigenous-biodiversity
A BEAUTIFUL kaikaranga led by kuia TeArani Barrett and Norma Crapp heralding the dawn of a new era called forth manuhiri, whanau and friends to the swearing in ceremony of Judge Rachel Paul at Wairaka Marae.
For the first time in New Zealand history, Ms Paul and Judge Eddie Paul, are the first brother and sister duo to sit on the bench in the country’s district courts, but the day most certainly belonged to her.
The bells chimed and a himene (prayer) by Father Gerard Boyce opened a special sitting where more than 12 judges lined the marae bench, including chief district court judge Heemi Taumaunu, executive judge for the Bay of Plenty, Christopher Harding, judges Louis Bidois, Jacquelyn Moran and Eddie Paul alongside judicial colleagues from Tauranga, Hamilton and Rotorua.
Surrounded by family and friends, including JudgePaul’s husband and daughter, father Maanu Paul, who has fought long and hard for justice, Gwenda Paul (mother) and police officials and lawyers, principal family court judge Moran administered the judicial oaths, where Judge Paul took the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office to the Queen.
At the heart of Judge Paul’s 27-year long career, is the Bay of Plenty region, home to the tribal people of Ngati Hokopu, a subtribe of Ngati Awa, and where she has spent years serving clients and the region’s people.
Honour: Judge Rachel Paul.
She began her career practising as a solicitor for Opotiki law firm, Potts and Hodgson, working in the family and criminal jurisdictions. She also represented Ngati Hei in the Waitangi Tribunal hearings and in 2002 became head of litigation for Potts and Hodgson and undertook Maori land work and further Treaty negotiations.
In 2006 she joined Judge Frances Eivers’ law firm, an all-female firm in Whakatane and a company which can only be described “as sisters doing it for themselves”, Judge Moran said.
By 2009 Judge Paul created her own company, Rachel Paul Barristers and Solicitors, where she represented the region’s most vulnerable and acted as lawyer for the child and youth advocate. She also sat on several teams including, the Domestic Violence Committee and The Law Society and has been an active member of St Peter Chanel Church and the Ohope Golf Club.
Coming from a whanau steeped in tikanga Maori and with a strong commitment to social justice, she takes up the mantel as leader for her people and following in the footsteps of her father, the man of justice himself said, “he’s incredibly proud of his daughter”.
Mr Paul said there were different ways to achieve justice and there were many paths.
“I’ve walked one path and they’ve walked another path, but all of them are due respect,” he said.
“She has always had the passion to achieve and she’s had to work very hard. Academically she isn’t brilliant, but her tenacity trickled down into her career and today she’s been recognised for doing the hard yards.
“My wife Gwenda and I never said anything to our children about the law, but admit my life has been about encouraging the governments of the day to ensure that Maori receive justice for the wrongs that have been done after the Treaty was signed.
“I suppose this has rubbed off on all our children, including our daughter. They’ve chosen to go into the law without any pressure from us and it has made my wife and I extremely proud,” he said.
Judge Paul joins 12 family court judges, the biggest injection of new blood in the court’s history, and with the recent changes to Oranga Tamariki and the Care of Children Act the new appointments will reinvigorate the bench, Judge Moran said.
Towards the end of last year more than 9000 applications were awaiting hearing, a record number, according to Judge Moran, and the new bench, “where over half are women represents sorely needed reinforcements who will support record backlogs in care of children applications.
“I am delighted that your appointment, Judge Paul, helps the bench become more diverse and culturally competent.”
With five times the population of Whakatane, Judge Paul will sit as a family court judge and will join a common room of 10 judges in the Hamilton District Court from mid-March.
Judge Paul thanked her husband in Hungarian and thanked her daughter for being the best thing that ever happened to her. She also acknowledged her parents, to whom she was thankful to for their full love and support.
A SIGNIFICANT team effort from fire and emergency staff helped free a man whose arm was crushed beneath a milk delivery truck when it crashed at Ohope yesterday.
The Anchor milk truck was travelling down the Ohope Hill at about 8.30am when it failed to take the bend at the bottom of the hill and crashed through bollards into Mahy Reserve, toppling onto its left side.
While the driver managed to escape the vehicle unaided, his passenger was trapped by his arm, which was caught between the ground and the cab.
Fire crews from Whakatane and Ohope attended the crash, along with St John ambulance and police.
A crowd of onlookers watched as volunteer firefighters smashed the truck windscreen to get to the trapped man.
Ohope brigade officer in charge Mike Christini said when crews arrived a woman who witnessed the crash was comforting the injured passenger.
“A member of the public was lying down and had reached underneath to hold the person’s hand and was talking to him when we got there, so she was doing a great job.”
The Ohope brigade were assisted by a team from Whakatane as emergency personnel dug underneath the cab to make room for the air bags that would free the man’s arm.
“We removed the windscreen first so that the medical team could have access to the patient and administer treatment and pain relief,” Whakatane station officer Chris Hands said.
“And we dug airbags under the cab of the truck and used the airbags to lift the truck off the patient’s arm,”
Mr Hands said it was a lengthy process, taking around an hour to extract the man from the truck due to the airbags only expanding six inches at a time, and needing to reset the devices multiple times.
While they were working, one of the youngest, and smallest, Whakatane firefighters climbed into the truck to comfort the passenger, keep him calm and advise him of what they were doing.
Mr Christini said St John staff assisted with helping the man out of the truck to ensure he suffered no further harm.
“It was a real team effort and lots of people were involved.”
Branch debris and grass were torn up as the truck, which was carrying a large load of milk bound for local shops, hit the reserve.
A bystander told the Beacon that this corner at the bottom of the hill near the West End turn-off was a hazard with people not wanting to slow down for the sharp turn.
Eastern Bay road policing manager Senior Sergeant Chris Howard said police spoke with three eyewitnesses at the scene and had begun an investigation into the cause of the crash.
“We don’t know the cause of the crash at this stage, we’re investigating this now. The truck is being examined for any faults, none of the milk fell out and the council has been informed of the damage made to the bollards,” Mr Howard said.
Mr Howard said police would examine forensics on the road and investigate any environmental, physical or driver issues that might have caused the crash.
“It was lucky nobody was seriously injured,” he said.
The injured passenger was first taken to Whakatane Hospital by ambulance and then transferred to Waikato Hospital for treatment.
A Waikato District Health Board spokesperson said today the 28-year-old man remains in a stable condition after suffering severe arm injuries.
AN increase in the Whakatane district’s rate debt has been attributed to the Whakaari/White Island disaster.
Whakatane District Council’s rate debt has increased by 1.47 percent from last year, which the manager responsible says is in part caused by the eruption.
Corporate services manager Helen Barnes told the organisational performance committee last week the increase was “negligible”.
“We lost a significant amount of staff to the Whakaari response and that is now shown in these stats,” she said.
“We didn’t meet our targets and that’s because staff weren’t on the job, they weren’t ringing people to remind them, they weren’t able to follow up.”
The council estimates the December response phase to the eruption cost it $87,000.
The majority of this, $73,000, is for staff time, with the Emergency Operations Centre operating for two weeks.
The recovery phase, which the council is in now, is estimated have cost in excess of $900,000 so far.
Half of this, $550,000, is for staff time for those directly involved in the recovery process.
Some of the cost also relates to additional resources being brought in to cover staff reallocated to the recovery phase.
Councillors at the committee meeting suggested that the rise in rate debt could also be attributed to deprivation within the district.
Communities within the district that have lower incomes carry the most rate debt.
As at December 31, the district owed the council $6,641,196 in unpaid land rates.
Of this, Murupara owed 21 percent, Ruatoki and its surrounds 24 percent, Taneatua five percent, Matata nine percent and Edgecumbe three percent.
Rural areas owed 28 percent, Whakatane and Coastlands 10 percent and Ohope owed nothing.
Councillor Lesley Immink asked whether the 10 percent penalty rate actually functioned as a deterrent or if it simply further punished those unable to afford their rates.
“Our district isn’t the average city-centric council,” she said.
“We have areas of high deprivation and the demographic district split in this report clearly shows it.
“Are we ever really going to collect it, or can we show some generosity to these people and waive it?”
Ms Barnes said a 10 percent penalty was in line with what other councils typically charged but the penalty did “function as a bit of both”.
She also said that penalty payments brought in income for the council and where it didn’t collect penalties it would need to collect rates.
Mayor Judy Turner said there was a possibility that undeveloped, multiple-title, Maori-owned land might not be charged rates until the land was productive.
“Development can be hampered unless we cancel these debts,” she said.
As at December 2019, 47 percent of land rate debt was owed on Maori owned land.
Councillor Gerard van Beek questioned the district’s ability to pay rates upfront and noted that the amount of people paying their years’ worth of rates upfront had decreased.
However, he noted a better time to revisit the rate debt issue would be during the formation of the council’s long term plan.
RECOVERY of the local fishing charter industry will require hard work, improved service and innovative thinking after the beating it has taken.
In the wake of the Whakaari/White Island eruption, Charles Care and Michelle Goodhew, owners of Charlie’s Fishing Charters, have come up with a recovery plan that harkens back to how fishing was done back in the day.
“I believe that there’s a niche market in Whakatane to take families out, not just to fish but to enjoy life and have fun as a family,” Mr Care said.
“We’re going back to where we started – back to what it was like when my dad was fishing.”
The idea grew from the fact that the couple enjoy spending quality time at sea with their own children.
“We love taking our kids fishing and it’s not always about how many fish we put in the bin but about giving them the whole Eastern Bay experience,” Ms Goodhew said.
They point out that this does not rule out providing a day of hard-out fishing for those looking for a week’s worth of fish feeds – and they know where to catch them.
Having operated out of the region for a while, Mr Care has returned to his Eastern Bay roots with his charter service.
“Charlie’s Fishing Charters is new, but I’ve lived here all my life – likewise with my second skipper – we grew up here together and the sea is in our blood,” he said.
Their intention is to offer families a service that can provide a wealth of new memories for children, while being a source of nostalgia for parents – as well as letting them all discover the natural beauty that can be found right here in their own backyard.
“There are so many of our young people who have never even been beyond The Heads,” Ms Goodhew said.
“We live in this magnificent area – with Moutohora and the seals, wonderful snorkeling and one of the biggest marine agriculture farms in the southern hemisphere at our doorstep.
“We know all these places and more that we can visit to make for an action-packed day.”
Mr Care said the beauty of what they offered was they could satisfy anybody’s expectations.
“We can cater to those who want to go out to fish their limit or those who want to limit their fish,” he said.
They said each customer was unique and would want an experience catered to their personal preferences. With their knowledge of what the Bay of Plenty had to offer they could plan voyages that gave customers the best possible value.
“We know about the history of the area and we can put all that into different packages that will suit different families,” Ms Goodhew said.
Mr Care knows that time away from home is time that can’t be replaced and wants to provide a service that helps families bond.
“I used to have to spend time away from my family and what I want to do is promote families being together,” he said.
“I enjoy life and the time I spend at sea because I respect the ocean and I’m at peace there. It’s my happy place and I like to share it with others.”
THOUSANDS of dollars have been saved and carbon emissions reduced through a small change at the Whakatane Aquatic and Fitness Centre.
Over the past year, Whakatane District Council has prioritised the use of heat pumps over natural gas when heating the pools and annual carbon emissions have reduced by 114 tonnes as a result. In doing so the council has also saved $35,000.
The good news was presented to the strategy and policy committee meeting this week as part of an update on the council’s Climate Change Project.
Council staff have been working on establishing an overall understanding of the council’s current operations to highlight opportunities and priority areas to guide future decision making.
Baseline data has also been established through an energy audit, an energy management programme and through the Toitu carbonreduce programme.
The savings at the aquatic centre were undertaken as part of the council’s energy management programme, which has also been implemented at five other council facilities.
Staff have also identified that the vehicle fleet is responsible for more than 12 percent of the council’s carbon emissions. As a result, three fully electric vehicles have been purchased, including the mayoral vehicle.
Electric vehicles will be considered whenever practical.
Councillor Victor Luca noted at the committee meeting that community education would be critical in reducing the district’s carbon footprint.
Dr Luca said when he was campaigning, he asked for a show of hands of who believed in climate change of which around 60 percent of people did.
“When people don’t understand the science, they are not willing to put in the work,” he said.
“An education campaign is critical; I would be willing to give a town hall lecture to combat some of the misinformation from social media.”
While a town hall lecture isn’t necessarily on other councillors’ agendas, most agree that education in this field is critical and council can continue to show leadership in this space.
Councillor Gerard van Beek said he had installed a smart meter in his new home in Taneatua that enabled himself or a tenant to check the home’s energy consumption.
He said as the council installed new switchboards in its Civic Centre it could also look at installing smart meters.
“We had a visit at Tuhoe’s living building and they had a live meter which showed how much energy the building was producing versus how much it was consuming,” Mr van Beek said.
“While we won’t be producing any energy, we could look at installing these so staff can measure and see the cost of their actions such as leaving the lights or their laptop on.”
Councillor Gavin Dennis agreed and said it would be a good idea to have one in the customer services area too for the public to view.
The focus for the next stage of the Climate Change Project will be the development of a strategy and action plan.
THE long-awaited container terminal will soon be a reality at Kawerau following a $19.9 million cash injection from the Provincial Growth Fund.
Regional economic development Minister Shane Jones made the announcement at Firmin Lodge in Kawerau yesterday.
Mr Jones said the funding affirmed the commitment he had made to the rohe in providing the financial support it needed to get its initiatives off the ground.
The $19.9 million will be split three ways: $9.6 million will fund the container terminal; $7.5 million will be used to construct the Putauaki industrial roading extension that will connect industrial zoned land owned by the Putauaki Trust by adding a turning bay and roundabout on State Highway 34; and $2.8 million will be used to build a new 1.6 kilometre off-highway road to directly connect the industrial zoned land to the container terminal. This will be used by 100 tonne vehicles that cannot drive down the existing highway.
The project is expected to create 150 jobs in Kawerau.
Mr Jones said without this infrastructure Kawerau would not “realise its potential as an industrial hub”.
“The $19.9 million I’m announcing today will create significant employment opportunities and attract further private sector investment,” he said.
“This is an exceptional example of the Government partnering with Maori, local council, businesses and the community to create a landmark change for the future of Kawerau.
“We back communities such as Kawerau by funding projects that will make a difference to the lives of local people for generations to come, while boosting industries vital to New Zealand’s economic success.”
Mr Jones said the Eastern Bay could expect to see him back soon to make more PGF announcements in the district.
Representatives from Kawerau, Opotiki and Whakatane district councils as well as councillors from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council attended the announcement,
Children from Kawerau Putauaki School welcomed Mr Jones and his companions to Firmin Lodge and later performed waiata with him.
Kawerau Mayor Malcolm Campbell said the announcement gave him hope for the future of the town and its schoolchildren.
He also said it was the culmination of a concerted effort by several key partners, including the Putauaki Trust, and began with the formation of Industrial Symbiosis Kawerau in 2011.
“For so long Kawerau has been at the bottom of the pile,” Mr Campbell said.
“We had the choice of lying down to die or to dust ourselves off and get up again. Recently we had a real resurgence and a turnaround with a real sense of pride. We are building houses again for the first time in 30 years.”
Mr Campbell said his community experienced some of the highest deprivation in the country and it was important to uplift people and ensure they had good jobs and good housing.
“We’re going to have more jobs and better incomes here because of this, it really gives people hope,” he said.
AN Eastern Bay secondary school is breaking the mould and providing free lunch to all students under the new free school lunches’ programme.
Tarawera High School is the first secondary school in the Eastern Bay to participate in the $45 million government-led initiative to fund free lunches for students in need.
The programme is aimed at primary and intermediate students but Tarawera has taken the initiative a step further and is offering every student, from year 7 to 13, a free lunch.
Kawerau Putauaki School, Kawerau South School and Murupara Area School are also part of the programme.
Tarawera deputy principal Marissa Peters said it was important for children’s learning that they were well fed.
“The importance of ensuring that every child is well fed nutritionally throughout the day, means that when we have healthy minds, healthy bodies and we’ve got healthy children at school, we see an increase in attendance.”
Tikanga Maori and the hauora of the students is at the centre of the programme for Tarawera, according to Ms Peters.
“It’s one of our strategic goals this year to improve student hauora (student health), so we can do it through food and educating them, ensuring that we have the right systems in place to support them.
“It’s got tikanga Maori behind it and we remind them that it is kai, that we sit, and we eat.
“Kids are actually eating together and the whanaungatanga that is built through this kaupapa of having lunches in school, it’s remarkable,” Ms Peters said.
Significant feedback from whanau and students has encouraged positive changes in the scheme, which was rolled out on the first day of the school year.
“The initiative was only meant to be for primary and intermediate, but we’re doing it year seven up to year 13, so all of our kids are fed.
Ms Peters said they were still working on portion sizes.
Across the Hawke’s Bay/Tairawhiti and Bay of Plenty/Waiariki regions, 7000 students are benefiting from the programme. It will be extended to up to 21,000 students in about 120 schools by 2021.
Tarawera head boy Majean Rogers acknowledges how important a free, healthy meal is to many students.
“A lot of kids come here and don’t get fed so that plays a big role for our students and they’re able to take some home as well if they don’t have dinner.
“It helps them in their education, and it helps them get through the school day, it gives them that drive they need,” Majean said.
Head girl Destiny Maxwell agreed. She said students were grateful to be part of the programme.
“We’re really grateful for it because it’s free for our students. A lot of students go home hungry, but now that we have free lunches it’s helping them to feel full and to get the energy they need to learn,” she said.
One in 10 children suffer from poverty and thousands go without a well-balanced meal each day.
The process for lunches has been largely initiated by the students themselves, and each student gets to choose from two options.
“Our children are seeing that they can feed themselves good food, so it’s a way of educating them without explicitly implying education … because they have two options there’s still a choice and variety for them,” Ms Peters said.
Student Ocean Klock-Aramoana said it was good that every student was given lunch because it made sure no student felt ashamed about needing the meal.
Ms Peters said canteen staff at the school had played a massive role in the process.
She hopes whanau will continue to support the programme.
“Whanau support with the kaupapa is crucial to ensuring that we’re all doing this together… as long as whanau and students feel like they have a voice in what’s happening and that it matters then we can work on it,” she said.
“No matter where you are, if you’re part of our school you will be fed and that’s important.”
