KING Street resident Hillena Parsons woke up on Tuesday morning to find a chunk of rat poison on her front lawn.

The poison had been wrapped in sliced ham and was clearly intended to be eaten by her German shepherd, Rocco.

Luckily for Rocco, Ms Parsons keeps her dog indoors at night at their Whakatane-south home, however, she couldn’t be certain he hadn’t come across any when she let him out for his morning run.

“I don’t think he ate any of the poison. If he had, I’m sure he would have eaten the ham as well.”

However, she wasn’t taking any chances with her pet and took him to the veterinarian, just to be on the safe side.

“I have a friend whose dog died from rat poison and apparently it is a horrible way for a dog to die. It can take three days for them to die and by the time they start showing symptoms it is usually too late to do anything.

“The vet gave Rocco a pill to make him vomit, just in case he had swallowed some of the poison.”

Ms Parsons’ first thought was that someone had targeted Rocco, however, after posting on Facebook about what happened she received a response from Whakatane woman Bianca Lee, which led her to believe he was not the only intended victim.

Ms Lee had, that same morning, been warned that someone was poisoning dogs around the Awatapu-Churchill Street area.

“Yesterday, when I was out on my walk with my dog, a lady yelled out to me warning me about people putting rat poison in ham,” Ms Lee said.

She said it was an older woman who warned her that someone was putting poison out to kill stray dogs.

Ms Parsons said she often walked her dog around that area of town, and she wasn’t aware of any stray dogs around there. She had contacted the police about the incident but said she hadn’t heard back from them at the time we spoke to her. She said she expected they were very busy at this time.

AN electric wire placed across at blockade on Maraetotara Road at Ohope this week has shocked users but Ngati Awa Farms says it was just there to allow stock to be moved.

Last week a barricade was erected on the road, a popular route with cyclists and walkers, stating it was closed due to Covid-19.

Earlier this week, an electric wire was added to this barricade.

It is understood the barricade is to prevent people from accessing the Ngati Awa Farm, which many tracks cross through, during this lockdown period.

Ngati Awa Group Holdings chief executive Tracey Hook said the group had support from police when placing the signs and that an “unmanageable” amount of people had crossed the farm during lockdown.

However, a doctor, who didn’t want to be named, took down the electric wire on Monday night concerned that if a vulnerable person accidentally touched it, there could be serious consequences.

“Given that it’s an open road and a public road, it is a walk or cycle which would be recommended because of its open situation; not surrounded by trees and bush to be contaminated by any virus as with some of the other bushwalks either from Whakatane or Ohope,” he said.

“Therefore, it should be open and available to the public to continue to be able to exercise without having to go too far from their homes.”

He said a number of people had continued to bypass the cones regardless of the closure and the addition of the electric wire raised serious concerns about safety.

“I should imagine that is not only stupid in the sense that it could injure children, or if someone elderly with a heart condition accidentally touched it there could be a significant issue which would require an ambulance call-out. In addition, surely it is illegal to do something like that,” he said.

The doctor said neighbours had alerted him to the electric wire because they were worried about their children potentially touching it while biking.

Cyclist Lex Williams understood why access to the farm should be stopped during lockdown but was bemused as why public access to a public road should also be stopped.

Mr Williams said he had a five-year-old grandson staying during lockdown and they enjoyed cycling up the gravel road away from traffic on the main thoroughfares.

“I’m a little miffed at being denied access to the public road,” Mr Williams said.

“Why can’t we be allowed up to the intersection where you go left to the farm and right through the bush to the old dump. Block off access there if you’re going to block it off.”

Mr Williams said most walkers and cyclists he had seen were simply ignoring the sign and carrying on through regardless.

“It is nonsense, there is more than enough room on that road so that you don’t come into contact with anyone else.

“We have a legal right to exercise, do they have a legal right to block the road?”

Mr Williams said he would like the council to work something out with Ngati Awa to move the blockade further back to the entrance of their own land.

“I’m going to keep using the road, there is more than enough room to ensure a good social distance and to remain within your own bubble,” he said.

Ms Hook said the road, which only provided access to working farmland, was closed in order to protect the farmworkers from an increased amount of visitors to the area who were using the land and cycle pathways during lockdown.

“A number of the pathways across the farmland are narrow and it is not possible to maintain physical distancing of two metres if passing,” she said.

“Visitors were also using the same gates as those used by our farm workers increasing the possibility of transmission or infection for both parties.”

Ms Hook said their desire to protect farmworkers and members of the public had been supported by police and the Whakatane District Council as everyone needed to take steps to protect themselves and their communities during the lockdown.

She said police and the council – not the farm – had selected the sites of the warning signs and road closure locations.

“Electric fences have been placed beyond the road boundary by not only our farmer but also the neighbouring farmer,” Ms Hook said.

“This is normal farming practice to separate stock (bulls from cows) from neighbouring farms. The electric fence is in place when stock are being moved or grazed and removed at night when stock are moved to fenced paddocks.

“As members of the public should not be accessing the road beyond the road closure then we do not envisage that this is likely to cause problems.”

Council manager transportation Martin Taylor said the road closures were requested by Ngati Awa and supported by police and if people were sticking to lockdown rules there should not be an issue.

“The reality is that if people were really listening to the very strong guidance provided by the Government, the New Zealand Police, Department of Conservation and emergency services, they would be staying much closer to their homes and not venturing out this far beyond their immediate neighbourhood,” he said.

“Yes, these roads are public roads, but Covid-19 restrictions are in place and people should be thinking of the wider welfare of the community and country rather than their own desires to be able to ‘go wherever they want to’ for their recreation.”

Eight Whakatane roads closed

SEVERAL public roads are now closed as traffic volumes and people converging continue to increase.

Police, in partnership with Whakatane District Council and local iwi, have closed the following roads: Maraetotara Road; Burma Road; Harbour Road east of Te Taiawatea Drive;

West End carpark; Bunyan Road east; Carrington Lane; Kohi Point Road, past the last residence; and Muriwai Drive northern carpark, past the last residence.

Senior Sergeant Tristan Murray said the road closures were a direct result of people clearly flouting the rules imposed by the alert level four.

“The reality is that if people were really listening to the very strong guidance from the government, they would not venture this far beyond their immediate neighbourhood,” he said.

“Yes, these roads are public roads, but Covid-19 restrictions are in place and people should be thinking of the wider welfare of our communities, rather than being able to ‘go wherever they want to’ for recreation.”

While Mr Murray appreciates people are keen for fresh air and exercise, it needs to be within their immediate neighbourhoods.

“The only time you should be driving is to get essential supplies, and there should only be one person in the vehicle,” he says.

“We are taking extraordinary measures, but these are extraordinary circumstances. Stay home. Save lives. It’s as simple as that.”

WHAKATANE’S Flight Centre closed its doors on Wednesday afternoon until further notice and its staff have been stood down.

The travel agent is one of 58 Flight Centre stores countrywide that are shutting because of the impact travel restrictions around Covid-19 are having on the industry. Three hundred staff nationally have been stood down although the company said they would be supported by the Government’s wage subsidy.

There was also hope the stores could resume trading once the travel industry picked up again post-Covid-19.

Flight Centre managing director David Coombes said the company was determined to ensure the closures were a temporary measure.

“Our people who are stepping down remain a very important part of our whanau, and of our future. We will welcome them back with open arms when restrictions are lifted and demand for travel starts to improve.”

He said Flight Centre was also working hard to find alternative income sources for employees while they are stood down and had set up Project Remedy to tackle this.

“We have been thrilled with the response so far from New Zealand businesses. We are still welcoming employment prospects, any companies in a position to do so can email projectremedy@flightcentre.co.nz.”

The manager of Whakatane’s Flight Centre, Paula Roberts, notified clients on Wednesday about the imminent closure. She said in her email to clients it had happened very quickly and she had been notified only at midday on Tuesday.

“I’m absolutely, completely and utterly heartbroken to say the least.”

The Whakatane store has four travel agents employed including Ms Roberts.

Mr Coombes said customers with outstanding bookings or enquiries would be contacted after Easter weekend by the nearest contact. For Whakatane clients this will be the Bayfair Flight Centre.

However, clients might have to wait for refunds as it has been indicated that any refunds will take months to obtain from suppliers in the current environment.

Whakatane Library staff have been busy during the lockdown, rolling out a new opportunity for all library members to access free audio books. Collections and content coordinator Christine Whalley said it was important for library members to know they could still access some of the same services – just in different ways.

“For some of our members, visiting the library is a real focal point for their week and we didn’t want that change during Alert Level 4,” she says. “We can still provide books to borrowers; if you take a look at the Whakatane Library website, there is a huge range of audio books and e-books available.”

For example, Ulverscroft is a British book supplier that has been providing large print books to libraries for over 50 years. During the worldwide pandemic, the company decided ‘the escapism provided by literature is needed more than ever’ and has offered its customer libraries – including Whakatane – free access to audiobooks until July 31.

The books are suitable for all ages and reading stages, with a wide variety of genres.

Ulverscroft enables simultaneous loans, meaning that more than one person can borrow the same title at the same time. Mrs Whalley suggests this offers a great opportunity for library members to set up an online book club or discover and discuss the same book with friends and whanau over Skype.

Joining ULibrary is easy. Simply download the app from either Google Play or the app store and follow the instructions that will be emailed to you. More information on ULibrary and the link can be found by following Whakatane Library on Facebook.

Mrs Whalley said following Whakatane Library on social media was an excellent way to keep up with all library-related news and events, and some hilarious content posted by library staff.

“We’d love to connect with all our customers, and potential customers – then we can let you know exactly what we are up to during the lockdown,” she says. “Just because you can’t come into your local library, doesn’t mean we’re not hard at work making reading a wonderful experience for everyone.”

KAWERAU District Council says it will need to make some tough and urgent discussions in the wake of Covid-19.

Already the council is adapting to the pandemic and the regulatory and services committee will meet via Zoom video call on Tuesday to discuss the burden of rates on residents at this time and the upcoming annual plan.

Council chief executive Russell George said the decisions and challenges facing Kawerau council were the same as those facing many other councils in New Zealand.

He said the network between council chief executives had provided a good forum for discussion and potential solutions.

Some of these decisions include the timeframe for the annual planning process and the level of community consultation.

Under the Local Government Act, if an annual plan does not differ significantly from its long-term plan, a council is not required to consult the community on its annual plan.

Mr George said given the amount of stress and uncertainty facing Kawerau residents, the council wanted to balance the opportunity for residents to have input into the annual plan with the burden and safety restrictions of the Covid-19 level 4 alert status.

Another important item to be discussed in the short-term is next month’s upcoming rate bill coupled with the longer-term issue of next year’s rates.

Mr George said, as a small district, the Kawerau council relied on rates payments to provide services to the community. The council would need to consider options to assist those facing financial difficulty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kawerau Mayor Malcolm Campbell said while the Covid-19 pandemic was an evolving situation, face to face consultation on the annual plan would be “out of the question”.

He said there would be many probable solutions to the rates issue and people who might be financially impacted by Covid-19, but these would need to be talked through with the council first.

Some options other councils have approved include zero rates increases and rates holidays.

Mr Campbell said every council was in the same boat.

“We need to keep the work going and the momentum on the projects we have already started. That’s what will help the town recover. We are luckier than most in that we still have significant funds in the bank.”

Some of these projects, such as the lifestyle village in Porritt Glade, have been stalled by the month-long lockdown, but Mr Campbell said council would recommence with those as soon as it was able.

In the meantime, he reminds Kawerau residents that the best option to protect themselves and their whanau is to stay home.

“We appreciate it is an uncertain time and the road ahead is uncharted,” he said.

“But, for the safety of our people, many of whom are older, please do stay home and socialise only with those within your bubble.

“Kawerau people are resilient and strong and we can unite against this disease if we work together.”

OHOPE Beach School is among 29 projects shortlisted in the 2020 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture Awards.

The shortlisted projects were selected from entries in the awards programme of the Waikato / Bay of Plenty branch of Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects.

The shortlist was compiled by a jury led by Tauranga architect John Henderson, and including Wellington architect Sharon Jansen, Taupo architect Fraser Cameron and lay juror Alice Hutchison.

“Making the shortlist is a significant achievement,” said jury convenor John Henderson, “and it’s great to see what a difference good architecture is making in the communities of our region.”

“The shortlist includes outstanding examples of the wide range of buildings that architects design, from schools, offices and public buildings to houses and baches,” he said.

As well as Ohope Beach School, the jury shortlisted a university campus and airport in Tauranga, a convent chapel and commercial buildings in Hamilton, the large Temple View urban design project, and 19 houses around the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region.

The Covid-19 lockdown has meant that site visits to shortlisted projects by juries around the country have been put on hold.

Ohope Beach School completed a $13.5 million revamp last year which saw its damp, leaky buildings replaced with a modern, open-plan and eco-friendly design.

PRODUCING an important message from a bevy of Kiwi musicians in a matter of days was tough, Whakatane martial artist, drummer and music producer Brad Kora says.

“There were no real meetings, no face-to-face contact, but it was all done through a camera,” he said.

“It was a hard-out project, the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Stay is a Covid-19 message driven home by more than 20 Kiwi musicians, each working from their homes after government consultant Anaru Mill had a brainwave.

The wave travelled on and it wasn’t long before Te Manga Paho music co-ordinator Nadia Marsh contacted Loop founder Mikee Tucker about a project to enthuse Kiwis about staying home in lockdown by a musical message from the stars.

“It was easier than expected to pull together 20 musicians – that’s because they were all at home for once,” Mr Tucker said.

“It’s been great to get such a positive message out.”

Hence, Kora received a call from his record company on Monday last week, engaging him as the overall music producer of the project, with L.A.B. bassist Ara Tamatea-Adams and Loop’s Scott Tindale as co-producers of the collectively written tune.

As all the singers abided by the lockdown, recording their waiata from their home or backyard, Kora soon received 230 vocal tracks he needed to blend.

And unlike how it would have been in Germany or Sweden, where the first task would have been devising a naming standard for the files the artist would send in, well…

“When L.A.B. are producing albums, Ara and I work in shifts – he’s methodical and organised,” Kora said.

“So, he set out to tidy up and rename all the files so they made sense.”

Now faced with a “wall of sound”, Kora worked 16 to 18-hour days, bringing it all together.

“The individuality of all the different artists had to be retained – and yet, all their work needed to be blended into something cohesive,” Kora said.

“It also needed to be a commercial, poppy song.”

Needing the final product to have a “studio vibe”, Kora was unable to mix the final product at his home studio, but had to send the files to a professional studio with outboard gear for getting the right sparkle and authenticity in the sound.

“I sent the files to Lee Prebble in Wellington and we had to mix it over Zoom,” Kora said.

“The Zoom audio quality is terrible.”

Listening to the music being mixed, supervising the process over Zoom was “brutal”.

“There were a thousand notes, this has to come up, this has to come down and this needs to be wider,” Kora said.

“I don’t know how we did it, but we did.”

Kora said the project was lucky to have so many talented Kiwi musicians onboard, including Stan Walker and Tiki Tane.

“The song isn’t my style of music, but it’s a type of music suitable for the message,” he said.

“I had to remind myself that I needed to surrender my ego for the message.”

The tune then had to be mastered and then the video had to be completed, lining up the name of the artist against the time code.

“Being on this project has aged me,” Kora said.

However, the validity of the message, working with so many amazing people, and the fact that the project got across the goal line was most rewarding.

“In 12 hours, Stay got more than 500,000 views,” Kora said.

AN Auckland man who hitched a ride to Whakatane during lockdown and threatened police with a glass bottle is the Eastern Bay’s first Covid-related arrest.

David Colin Sadler, 54, appeared in the Whakatane District Court yesterday morning and was sentenced to three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to breaching lockdown rules and assaulting a police officer.

He had traveled approximately 279 kilometres from his home in Auckland, hitching rides down the North Island before finding his way to the Eastern Bay.

Police apprehended Sadler on Wednesday after they found him tampering with a commercial property in Whakatane.

Sadler, who has a history of disorderly behaviour dating back over 30 years, advanced on police with a glass bottle, threatening violence.

Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said it was clear Sadler suffered from antisocial behaviour and mental health-related issues, as he told police he didn’t believe in Covid-19 and Jesus would guide and protect him.

The man had received multiple warnings from police between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty including his most recent warning in Papakura where he had also become aggressive towards police.

Mr Fenwick said it was clear the man had been travelling around the country as he pleased.

He urged Eastern Bay people to stay vigilant and stick to the rules.

“We can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, let’s not ruin it now.”

THOUGH Anzac Day ceremonies cannot take place as usual this year, the Whakatane branch of the Returned and Services Association has found a way for people to commemorate the occasion together while remaining within their bubbles.

In partnership with Radio 1XX, the Whakatane RSA will commemorate Anzac Day over the airwaves on Saturday, April 25.

“Anzac Day 2020 will be remembered for many different reasons around the world,” Whakatane RSA president Karen Collings said. “This will not be the ‘normal’ for many of us.

To many, Anzac Day is a time to pay our respects and to remember those who served our country faithfully and, for many, with their lives.

“Not being able to gather at our respective marae, district council halls, cenotaphs or RSAs will be, in a way, another loss for a lot of our whanau.”

However, Mrs Collings encourages people to tune in to Radio 1XX from 6am on Anzac Day where the usual services, beginning with a powhiri, karakia and most of the usual aspects of an Anzac Day service, including a speech by Mayor Judy Turner, will be broadcast.

“Our Eastern Bay community is encouraged to observe the service being broadcast from 1XX,” Mrs Collings said.

“The Whakatane RSA would like to thank 1XX, the Beacon, the Mayor Judy Turner, participants within the service and the Eastern Bay community for commemorating Anzac Day 2020 with us.”

Keep an eye out in next week’s Beacon for a full programme of the service.

The Whakatane RSA is also running a photo competition, called “How you commemorated Anzac Day”. Photos can be taken anywhere within your bubble – standing at your letterbox, in front of your house, in your living room – it’s up to you. Photos can be emailed to whkrsa.newletter@hotmail.com.

AIR Chathams is hopeful of a return of its regular domestic services in coming months as the country emerges from Covid-19 restrictions.

The airline has had to halt its 120 flights a week, which included return flights from Auckland to Whakatane, Whanganui and the Kapiti Coast, to six essential return flights only to the Chatham Islands because of restrictions on air travel.

It has drawn hundreds of messages of support and encouragement on Facebook after owner Craig Emeny posted a message saying although Air Chathams had not escaped the chaos which had hit the aviation industry particularly hard it had maintained its workforce, thanks to the wage subsidy scheme.

He said they were “all eager and available to provide charter flights nationally and into the South Pacific at limited notice while of course adhering to the current Government health guidelines”.

General manager Duane Emeny told the Beacon the timing of the reinstatement of its services would be crucial.

“We are now diverting our attention to what a recovery looks like and how we would be able to resume services in a smart way. I think a big part of that will be engaging with local government because at the end of the day for an economic development point of view it is really vital to have that direct connectivity, in the case of Whakatane, into Auckland, which is the centre of commerce.”

Mr Emeny said the airline would be working with Whakatane District Council, as it had done in the past, to discuss how they could restart the service.

“I think the key for us is to make sure we get that timing right because we don’t want to be in a position where we are trying to restart multiple air service routes and not have the working capital to support that.”

Mr Emeny said it was quite likely that from Thursday next week there might be a downgrade from alert level four back to alert level three.

“However, from an Air Chathams point of view it is probably unlikely that we will be able to operate with any level of effectiveness until alert levels one or two, ideally alert level one.”

He said this was because under levels two and three there was still a requirement for a high level of social distancing and that would affect demand for services.

“It is really going to be only essential people travelling.”

“As we have seen in the lead up to the lockdown, the demand just plummeted, and we had huge cancellations. There were a number of flights that showed as a full flight and then not even a third of the passengers would actually show for it.

“I think you would have to be very careful about the timing of any reinstatement of services.”

Mr Emeny said as a result of the travel restrictions around Covid-19, New Zealand had become a domestic market for almost everything.

“In terms of tourism, for example, … we are diverting all the international promotion and trade development into domestic markets to try support what tourism entities are remaining.”

Mr Emeny said when New Zealand reached the point of being Covid-19 free, domestically they would be able to ramp up significantly.

“I think after that it will be a case of each international partner, Australia being the obvious one, if they get to a similar stage in their Covid recovery, opening up the borders to that destination only.

“So, from an Air Chathams point of view, the majority of our international travel, which links to our domestic services, would be to Australia so that would be a big portion of our market coming back potentially later this year or early next year.”

In the meantime, Air Chathams is providing an essential air freight service to the Chatham Islands.

“Fortunately, there are no coronavirus cases on the Chathams and so want to keep it that way but if there were, we could help with sending out samples and test kits and things like that.”

As one of the few sources of hot food during lock down, the demand for pies from a Whakatane dairy has tripled.

Bawik Patel, who owns and runs Allandale Superette with his wife, Marshi, said he would normally sell around 500 pies a week, but last week he sold 1800 and his suppliers, Goodman Fielder, were struggling to keep up with demand.

“They have only been able to fill about 20 percent of their orders. I had ordered another 300 to be delivered today, but only received 45.”

He said one of the superette’s most popular items was the Tauranga-made Raymons Pies brand, which had a more “home-made” appeal.

Mr Patel said one difference during lock down was that pies had to be sold in their packaging, which had confused some customers, who felt it took away from that home-made look.

He has had to assure them that they are the same pies, he just isn’t taking them out of their packaging.

Other items in higher demand than usual are bread, milk and cream.

“Business has doubled,” he said. “We are getting a lot of unusual requests. A lot of people are really struggling with the lockdown. We have had to extend a lot of credit to many of our regular customers who are having a hard time. We are also putting together a lot of deliveries for people who can’t get out. The Beacon has been very popular. We have had to get more dropped off, and we have a standing order of about 120 that we deliver to the rest homes. People don’t have anything else to do.”

However, he is aware that the upsurge in business is only temporary.

“As soon as all the other businesses can start up again, it will stop.”

Whakatane Pak’n Save also reports good sales of takeaways alternatives.

“With restaurant takeaway options not available right now, customers have been gravitating toward our hot chicken and chips to get their KFC fix,” owner Andrew Soutar said.

BEACON staff can’t deliver their newspaper to homes during the Covid-19 lock down, but Eastern Bay Villages can.

The community networking organisation founded by Ruth Gerzon is breaking the boredom for its members during the lockdown, by distributing newspapers, magazines, crossword books and friendly faces. Now, extra funding from BayTrust has allowed it to reach out to others in the community.

Ms Gerzon said most of their members were in the over-70 age group most vulnerable to Covid-19.

“We have been deemed an essential service. We are helping to making sure people can stay at home. Thanks to BayTrust we are now able to help other members of the community.”

She said whether people needed shopping done, medicines collected, or just a friendly face or a phone call, their staff and adult volunteers were happy to provide it, and now people didn’t need to be a member.

“We started last week, putting out flyers and visiting units for seniors in Whakatane and Edgecumbe, giving out fruit and Easter eggs. The main thing we are finding is that people are bored.

“A lot of older people are not online, so there’s not much for them to do.

“We have been collecting fruit from our gardens, people have donated books and magazines and thanks to Harry from Hello Banana we have lots of crossword puzzle books and we are taking them around to people.”

Jo Tahuri works for Eastern Bay Villages in the position of pou arahe, co-ordinating volunteers and making deliveries in the Whakatane district. She is helped by Paula Hocken in Edgecumbe, Honey Thrupp in Taneatua and Ms Gerzon in Ohope.

Ms Tahuri said they had so many requests for the Beacon, which is still in shops on Wednesdays and Fridays but due to Covid -19 restrictions is not allowed to be delivered to homes during lockdown, they were buying up any unsold copies they could find in the shops and distributing them.

She said for this week’s issue on Wednesday and Friday they had 170 orders.

“Older people really miss getting their Beacon.

She said the dynamics had changed since the lockdown started.

“During the first couple of weeks people were reluctant to ask for help, as many older people can be and just trying to be careful and protect themselves. These last two weeks, people are really bored and craving company.”

Ms Gerzon said another way the group was tackling the boredom and isolation was by trialling Zoom coffee mornings.

“We normally have twice-weekly coffee mornings, so we are replacing these using Zoom. Apparently, you can take part in this just with a phone, so it doesn’t matter if you are not online.”

Ms Gerzon said the Eastern Bay Villages group was growing and was in need of more volunteers.

“All our staff and volunteers have to be police background checked and reference checked.”

Anyone who is over 70 or in poor health wanting Eastern Bay Villages to help brighten their day or would like to become a volunteer can make contact by phoning 0800 EBV 2020 (0800 3282020),or email easternbayvillages@gmail.com or phone or text 020 41615887.

A SPIKE in abuse cases and an increase in calls for help from both men and women in the Eastern Bay debunks the notion that lockdown is a wonderful life-changing experience.

For some, it’s a time of financial strain and as the pressure builds, frustration looms and many families are left struggling and anxious about the future.

The level 4 Covid-19 state of emergency has resulted in job losses for many in the region and Man Up facilitator Dean Davis said following the challenges and difficulties many were facing, he’d seen an increase in abuse cases.

“We’ve had an increase in calls for help from men who have lost their means of providing for their whanau and are struggling with their emotions. It’s been a difficult time for many,” he said.

Man Up – Tu Tangata is a nationwide programme that helps men to identify, expose and understand any core root issues that cause dysfunction. It provides a platform for men to open up in a safe space in order to heal and restore their mauri (life essence) and enable them to become better men and fathers.

Following the Government directive to remain at home, Mr Davis said the organisation had to hold its weekly meetings through Zoom and Facebook Messenger.

“It allows men to communicate how they’re feeling and that is the main priority for us right now.

“We give them an opportunity to talk through any issues and ask them to refrain from taking it out on their loved ones. We allow them to express the way they are feeling,” he said.

Whakatane Women’s Refuge – Whanau Awhina manager Wini Te Are said although they hadn’t seen an increase in calls for help, calls of another nature had increased.

“Our women are feeling anxious right now. Previous women we’ve worked with and assisted are reconnecting with us because they’re feeling isolated, vulnerable and alone.

“Many women aren’t in their own rohe (area) and are far away from their support network and whanau.”

Mrs Te Are said everyone was aware of the family violence statistics in the region and those stats were already high before the lockdown. The virus crisis was the “perfect storm”.

“There’s a lot korero about looking after our elderly, and I appreciate that given my age, but we also have whanau living next door to us who are on their own, with three or more kids to look after. We have different levels of vulnerable, but we’ve forgotten that everyone is feeling scared. Think about who’s over the fence from you.

“We’re all responsible for each other,” she said, “and that’s how we break the cycle of violence.

“It takes a whanau and a hapu to protect the whakapapa.”

Mrs Te Are said, following the new Ministry of Health rules they’d had to transfer some of their families to their “sister refuge” in the Waikato.

“We only have the capacity to house two families because of the measures put in place, so we need everyone to reach out and stay connected,” she said.

Fundraising and communications manager Susan Barker said nationally within Women’s Refuge, increases were being seen in pockets of the country with 62 percent of refuges reporting an increase in demand. Others were reporting a small drop off in calls for help – but this didn’t mean the level of violence had reduced.

“We are asking communities to watch out for each other, for neighbours, friends, and family to check in on each other and do not hesitate to call the police if they feel someone is in immediate danger,” she said.

“Most importantly, if you are worried about abuse from a partner, please reach out for help at any time either through the police or our crisis line.

“Sadly, reaching out undetected by an abuser will be even more challenging in lockdown and we have multiple ways to contact us in addition to the crisis line – through Facebook, email, and our shielded site.” she said

CONCERN was raised at today’s extraordinary Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting that Maori consultation was “window dressing” and “nice words” with no meaningful action.
Maori constituency councillors, Matemoana McDonald, Toi Kai Rakau Iti and Te Taru White emphatically told staff more needed to be done to ensure meaningful Maori consultation and participation in council planning.
The regional council had met virtually to discuss its economic recovery plan to Covid-19.
The report to the regional council from general manager strategy and science Namouta Poutasi outlined the expected impacts of Covid-19 on industry in the Bay of Plenty, the essential services regional council was still providing and how the regional council could drive economic stimulus to increase employment.
Ms Poutasi said tourism, forestry, accomodation, food and beverage and iwi organisations and land trusts were most likely to be negatively impacted by Covid-19.
She said Treasury had predicted unemployment to rise to between 13 and 26 percent. A large number of those affected would be Maori.
She said within the next six months it would be key for the regional council to begin its Crown Infrastructure Projects which had been submitted for Government funding, its potential Regional Green Works, regional transport projects and Maori economic development to keep as many people employed as possible.
The regional council could then build on this initial work with more aspirational projects.
However, a line in Ms Poutasi’s report stating: “Council and staff recognise and are cognisant of not adding undue pressure through consultation and engagement processes, particularly at a time when the limited resources of iwi-Maori are further drawn on by COVID-19 response and recovery” was described as “patronising” by Kohi constituency councillor Toi Kai Rakau Iti.
Mr Iti said he was aware the report was prepared in “short order” but he felt paragraphs concerning Maori participation were “window dressing”.
“The words are there but to be honest our track record involving Maori isn’t fantastic,” he said.
“Yes, they are also running checkpoints and delivery food but I have spoken to iwi leadership and they want to participate.
“This reads to me as patronising.”
Mr Iti said the Maori constituency councillors had a duty to advocate for Maori.
He said he wanted to see action not “pretty words”.
Mr Iti called for a change to the report’s recommendations.
He asked that “iwi partners” be removed from the recommendation stating:”agrees to seek expressions of interest from iwi partners and community stakeholders on other Green Projects that could be considered for central government funding and regional delivery” and that a new recommendation be created stating staff will seek advice from constituency councillors on how to engage with iwi on the regional recovery.
Mauao constituency councillor Matemoana McDonald said neither she, nor any other Maori constituency councillor had been contacted by staff during the lockdown on how to engage with iwi on the regional recovery as they said they would.
“If we correct the report it starts to correct the way that we act and work together moving forward,” she said.
All councillors voted to change and move the recommendations.

A CLAIM of possible Covid-19 has delayed the court appearance of two Whakatane women arrested on methamphetamine charges on Saturday.

Carrie Moana Harris, 30, and Holley Rahipere, 32, were taken into custody after police executed a search warrant at a Hotene Street property on Saturday where they found methamphetamine and utensils used for the consumption of the drug, as well as evidence of dealing.

The women were due to appear in court this morning until one of them told police she believed she had Covid-19.

Court proceedings were halted while the women were tested, and they are now awaiting the results.

Harris faces charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply, possessing utensils for the consumption of the drug, using a document for pecuniary advantage and receiving property.

Rahipere faces charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply, receiving property, possessing utensils for the consumption of the drug and breaching home detention conditions.

Both women were remanded in custody and will reappear in court on Wednesday.

Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said police staff who came into contact with the women would be tested and staff would be using the appropriate PPE and following Covid-19 protocol when interacting with Harris and Rahipere.

KAWERAU District Council has applied for over $17 million in Government funding to ensure its people stay employed following Covid-19.

The council has put forward 10 “shovel ready” construction projects to the Infrastructure Industry Reference Group (IIRG) to be considered for funding.

The IIRG is seeking “shovel ready” construction projects from the private and public sector in the regions to address New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit as well as create jobs and buoy the economy.

Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell said he was optimistic all Kawerau’s projects would be funded and said, while $17.5 million might seem a lot, it was small change to the Government.

The 10 projects put forward by the council include a rebuild of the netball clubrooms which were destroyed by an arsonist, a new animal shelter, pool development, town centre redevelopment, stormwater work and water works upgrades.

The three Eastern Bay district councils, Whakatane, Opotiki and Kawerau have also submitted a joint proposal for a cycleway to extend from Opotiki, through Whakatane and on to Kawerau.

All up, the projects are expected to provide 216 full time jobs.

“Once we are out of lockdown there will be people losing their jobs,” Mr Campbell said.

“Right now, we need to ensure we can get those people into work.”

Mr Campbell said the projects applied for had been in the works for at least 12 months and had been held up with consent issues from the Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird.

“We have been working on these for a long time now and they are ready to go,” he said.

“Many of these are essential works, such as the culverts along River Road to allow free flow from the Hilldale subdivision. That flooded in 2016 and has been a real concern for council since.”

Although Mr Campbell believes the IIRG fund will be inundated with requests, he said the Eastern Bay councils were in a good position as they were working together and therefore had a stronger voice.

“That’s a pretty powerful tool,” he said.

Mr Campbell said the proposed cycleway was a prime example of this co-operation.

As a whole, the, Eastern Bay of Plenty is seeking $257.5m in funding for projects which will provide for 3,164 jobs.

“I’m always an optimistic person and I think we have a good chance of securing this funding,” he said.

“This money is not a lot for the Government but it will mean a lot for a place like Kawerau.

“Our ratepayers are going to need our help in the coming months and jobs like these will really help keep us going. We are going to work alongside out ratepayers and we will get through.”

As New Zealand enters one more week of lockdown under alert level 4, the number of Covid-19 cases has risen by nine to a new combined total of confirmed and probable cases of 1440. In the Bay of Plenty there are 46 confirmed cases, including one case in the Eastern Bay, in Opotiki. Thirty-three people have recovered from Covid-19 in the Bay of Plenty.

In the Lakes district there are 16 cases, including 10 in Rotorua and six in Taupo.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that the lockdown in level 4 will continue until midnight next Monday, after which the country will move into alert level 3 for two weeks.

Ms Ardern said they would then review how they were tracking and making further decisions in Cabinet on May 11.

She cautioned that alert level 3 was a waiting room of sorts that still had many restrictions. It would allow more economic activity but did not allow more social activity.

“This time we now have will be used to prepare on all fronts. This week businesses will be allowed to get ready to open, such as employers re-entering premises to receive stock if necessary. But we ask that in doing so they stick to social distancing and their bubbles.

“This is not an early move out of alerts, it is merely a preparation. The same principle applies for preparing schools and the education system. Schools and early learning centres can be accessed for cleaning maintenance and any other preparations.

“The current plan is for schools to reopen for a teacher-only day on 28 April as part of their preparation and we expect those who need to attend to be able to from 29 April.”

She said it might take a bit longer for schools to be ready.

The Ministry of Health said today there were no additional deaths to report and the total number of Covid-19-related deaths remained at 12. There are now 974 people with Covid-19 who have recovered.

Today, there are 14 people in hospital with Covid-19. The total includes three people in ICU – one each in Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals. Two of these ICU patients are in a critical condition. There are still 16 significant clusters.

On Sunday, 3081 Covid-19 tests were processed.

Over the weekend, there were a number of efforts around wider community testing by public health and primary care in locations in Auckland, Queenstown and across the Waikato.

CYCLEWAYS, roads, an upgraded civic centre and upgraded water facilities in the Whakatane district could soon be paid for by the Government.

Whakatane District Council has submitted nine projects as well as some in conjunction with Opotiki and Kawerau district councils to the Government’s Crown Infrastructure Part-nerships Group.

The aim is to get these “shovel ready” projects off the ground within the next six months to keep people employed post Covid-19.

All up, the projects are estimated to cost nearly $146 million and provide 1792 jobs in the district.

Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner said all the projects submitted were “ready for action” and some had even gone out to tender already.

“As the projects are metered in the jobs they supply, we chose ones to submit that had a good number of jobs attached to them and would require a range of skills to complete,” she said.

“We wanted to provide for a range of people both skilled and unskilled.”

Ms Turner said the potential upgrade of the civic centre to make it fit for purpose was an example of this.

The civic centre is a designated Emergency Operations Centre and as such needs to comply with a higher level in the building code.

The council had been working to rectify this prior to Covid-19, but now sees an opportunity to make the building more habitable for staff.

“The building hasn’t had a tidy up in 30 years and was designed for about half the staff we have now,” Mrs Turner said.

“It’s very crowded and just not fit for purpose.”

The building doesn’t have enough toilets for all the people working there and has no air conditioning making it unbearably hot in summer and freezing in winter.

“We were originally just going to solve the air conditioning problem,” Mrs Turner said.

“But now there is an opportunity to solve all the issues we have with the building and make it a healthy workplace for staff.

“The works would also provide jobs for all kinds of tradies such as plumbers, builders and electricians.”

Mrs Turner said the roading projects, such as the widening and smoothing of corners on Thornton Road, sealing several gravel roads and safety improvements on Wainui Road would have benefits both locally and regionally.

The construction of a cycleway from Opotiki, through Whakatane and on to Kawerau would help diversify a tourism sector that had taken several hits this season.

By requesting the money from Government, the council will free up money for less of a burden on ratepayers.

“Some of our business here are on the brink, we had a quiet summer and now many don’t have that putea in the bank to carry them through the off season,” Mrs Turner said.

“I think this is really going to affect some really successful people in our town, although people are staying optimistic.”

Mrs Turner said she was extremely proud of council staff who worked throughout Easter weekend to ensure the council’s submission was prepared in time.

She is confident most of the projects will be picked up by the Government as it builds on already successful submissions to the Provincial Growth Fund.

“It was a pretty amazing effort,” she said.

“Now we just have to wait and hold our breath.”