COUNCIL staff are too valuable to have their pay docked while they continue to work through the Covid-19 lockdown say Eastern Bay mayors.

Last week, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council leadership team announced they will be donating 10 percent of their salaries for the next six months, however, Eastern Bay mayors have not asked, nor expect, their teams to do the same.

Opotiki Mayor Lyn Riesterer said some staff and councillor households were facing the “same deep uncertainty” as other members of the community.

“I have been very clear with our chief executive and councillors that now is not the time for rushed decisions,” Ms Riesterer said.

“I feel strongly that it is my responsibility to ensure that the decisions we make, especially in the heart of a global pandemic, must be either part of the current work to ensure our essential services continue for our communities, or they must contribute to the strong and sustained recovery of our district.

“As a council, we will continue to talk about how we can take a leadership role and ease the economic burden on our local households, but I will not be asking that they reduce their pay at a time when their households need it most.”

Ms Riesterer said if any staff or councillors wanted to contribute through voluntary donations to charities of their choice, she would encourage them to do so and council could help facilitate that.

“The chief executive has spoken publicly about how proud she is of staff going above and beyond in these unprecedented circumstances and I would like to reiterate that,” Ms Riesterer said.

“Currently staff are very busy keeping our essential services running such as waste, sewerage, water supply and particularly at the moment, additional work managing the Civil Defence response to Covid-19.

“Council staff have had an incredibly busy year and face several more years of hard work to recover from the Covid-19 shock and deliver some large-scale projects including one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Zealand with our harbour entrance.”

Ms Riesterer said the Eastern Bay had millions of dollars of PGF investment coming in the coming months and years and so, as much as possible, she wanted to ensure the council held onto the “incredible people” it had serving the district so the community “can continue to paddle the waka in the same direction and not lose sight of these big goals”.

Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner said Whakatane District Council needed to be a “prudent and wise organisation” that looked at short to long term responsibilities and also needed to be a sound and responsible employer.

“Staff are working hard to present elected members with a range of funding and financing options that will look to reduce the impacts on residents and ratepayers as a result of the Covid-19 impact,” she said.

“However, we need to ensure that we can keep delivering essential services across our district and that our organisation is ready to deliver all of our responsibilities in months to come.

“Central Government is committed to supporting the Whakatane Provincial Growth Fund projects and we need to ensure we have the teams of people to execute these, this is not the time to undermine these legacy projects.”

Mrs Turner said further to this, provincial councils such as those in the Eastern Bay were already at the lowest end of the remuneration scale.

She said council staff were working incredibly hard and she was proud of how they had faced the April 2017 floods, Whakaari eruption and now the Covid-19 response which had only increased the burden.

“Our staff are working at home and will be for some time to come; we need to consider how this impacts on them and their families,” Mrs Turner said.

“We are a significant employer in our district, our staff contribute to the resilience of our district economy through those wages and salaries. We do not want to impair this just as the economy is released into action. Spending in our district right now is critical.

“The councillors and I are incredibly proud of our staff and how hard they work for our community. We want to support and enable them to do their best.”

Kawerau mayor Malcolm Campbell said whether staff were working remotely in their roles or providing essential services such as rubbish collection and disposal their commitment to the council and to the safety of the public needed to be acknowledged.

Mr Campbell said as well as working to provide essential services, staff were assisting the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence group.

Council staff were also working remotely on economic recovery plans that stretched beyond the emergency response phase. This has seen significant collaboration with neighbouring councils and key regional organisations.

Progressing the planning of important capital and infrastructure projects which need to be completed for public safety and asset improvements has been the work for other operations staff based at home.

Another large scope of work will be the Kawerau Putauaki Industrial Development, that central government has reaffirmed its commitment to during the Covid-19 pandemic after its provincial growth funding announcement earlier this year.

Mr Campbell said these projects would provide employment and a key injection of funds into the local economy.

“In addition, like most councils, we will be reviewing our annual plan and priorities post-Covid-19,” he said.

“Our staff are working to provide financially prudent options and plans for the future to sustain the essential operations.

“We are a small district and have a hard-working staff, who we would like to acknowledge during these challenging times.”

THE Bay of Plenty has had only one new case of Covid-19, as the country records its lowest rise of confirmed and probably cases – only five.

The Western Bay now has 46 cases of Covid-19, up from 45 the day before, and there is still only one case in the Eastern Bay, in Opotiki. Thirty-three of those cases have recovered. Countrywide, the number of cases now stands at 1445.

In the Lakes District, there are 16 cases (12 have recovered) including 10 in Rotorua and six in Taupo.

The Ministry of Health has reported another death, a woman in her 70s, from Covid-19.

The woman was one of the six residents from St Margaret’s Hospital and Rest Home in Te Atatu, who had been transferred to Waitakere Hospital on April 17. There are now 1006 reported cases of Covid-19 who have recovered – an increase of 32 on Monday.

Twelve people are in hospital with Covid-19, including three people in ICU – one each in Middlemore, Dunedin and North Shore hospitals. No patients are in a critical condition.

On Monday, 3203 Covid-19 tests were processed, a total tested to date of 89,508.

The Ministry of Health is continuing with community testing this week and is also focusing on testing in Maori and Pacific communities.

Public health testing staff in Tairawhiti started in Gisborne on Monday, and this week will continue throughout the East Coast. They had 53 people in the mobile clinic on Monday and will be running the clinic each day this week around Gisborne.

Tairawhiti is also doing testing around the East Coast starting at Potaka and Hicks Bay on Tuesday, and then Te Araroa, Tikitiki and Ruatoria in the remainder of the week. They estimate that around 50 percent of those being tested are Maori.

Time to reminisce and reconnect

WHEN you are in your 70s and in isolation and lockdown with this horrendous Covid-19 virus that has hit the world (no I have not got it), you have time to think and maybe reminisce about life.

Being a football fan for all my life, my thoughts went back to the 1960s when I lived in Kawerau for four years and played football for the local club.

I test my old teammate Jeff Cannell and his wife, Lee, to see how they were. Then I got on the “blower” to Ken McGregor who still lives in Kawerau. Ken was a stalwart of the old Kawerau Town AFC when we played at Boyce Park. We chatted away for half an hour about the changes in football from our day.

I still think the “W formation” that teams played was the best, at least you had two wingers going down both sides of the pitch and crossing for the centre forward to head in.

Also, old names came flooding back: Dave Kelly, a wee Scotsman; Cyril Cutts, the goalie; Arnold ter Ellen. But to me the most talented was Horst Manthey, so much skill that man had. Well we all hope this Covid-19 will end soon so we can get on with our lives and football as well.

Clive Philip, Rotorua

Travel agents pleasure to deal with

IF I may, I should like to add a few words to travel agent Donella Buttimore’s column (Beacon 15/4) on the sad state of the travel/travel agent business due to the coronavirus insanity.

I have been using the services of the Buttimore family travel business since Moses came down off the Mount – first with Robert, then following his death when Donella, his widow, took over. This is a lot of years, and I do a heap of travelling.

I have never, in the time I have been living in the area, used another agency, nor booked tickets online. My satisfaction rate: 110 percent.

Since my type of travel is bare-bones, not a whole lot of profit has the agency made from my bookings.

Dealing with airlines must be unimaginably frustrating for agents as the corporations of the sky so very often change flight times/dates/services without prior notice and, of course, it’s rarely their responsibility to compensate the traveller.

I know Donella, and her ever-so-competent agent Christine Buddle, have fought any number of pitched battles with the airlines, and greedy travel insurance companies, on my behalf.

It has indeed been a pleasure to deal with these two women over the many years.

Barry Rosenberg

Sweep the street, do your part

THE Sullivan Lake Care Group’s steering group applauds the message from Whakatane District Council’s 3 Waters infrastructure nanager, Tomasz Krawczyk in the Beacon on March 25.

Mr Krawczyk was imploring residents, with autumn approaching, to sweep up the leaves from our gutters and stormwater grates to prevent flooding.

Our care group agrees totally with this request and for Sullivan Lake there are other benefits as well.

There are 10 stormwater pipes that enter Sullivan Lake as the lake’s purpose now, since the building of the stop banks, is as a stormwater holding area in times of flood.

The lake is an intermediary receiving environment for stormwater runoff before it enters the Whakatane River. The streets that feed into the lake include Douglas, King, Mary Henry, Fred Judd, Martin, Te Tahi, Olympic, Lakeview, Valley and Alexander.

All the leaves left in the gutters eventually enter the lake through these pipes, adding to the degradation of the water, build up of debris in the lake and the resultant high cynobacteria levels and botulism in the summer, a danger to humans and animals and killing many ducks on the lake, a distressing situation for children and adults alike.

Unfortunately it is not only the leaves that enter the lake but pollutants from the road, people’s homes, at times industrial areas, rubbish that is dropped on our streets and dog faeces from roaming dogs and owners who do not pick up their dog’s droppings while exercising. To make the problem more disturbing is that much of the debris including plastics and pollutants enter the river from the lake and then the ocean.

Members of our care group have been carrying out weekly water clarity readings of water in the lake. The clarity readings have been significantly clearer during the dry weather especially in the area where the lake was dredged last year and the fresh water enters the lake which reinforces our opinion that the debris from our streets is a significant reason for the poor quality of the water in the lake.

Sullivan Lake was once regarded as “the jewel in Whakatane’s crown”, a community asset to be valued and cared for. Since the Covid-19 lockdown the number of people walking the reserve has increased significantly – appreciating and enjoying this treasure in our community.

We implore everyone to please sweep your part of the street from leaves, don’t litter and pick up your dog’s droppings. It will also save our rates as any work on the lake is at a significant monetary cost to us all.

Lynore Craig
(for Sullivan Lake Care Group Steering Group)

Call to set the right example

I NOTE that MPs, and well-paid mayors and chief executive officers of district councils elsewhere are accepting reductions in salaries for the duration of the Covid-19 emergency, and beyond.

I look forward to an announcement by our mayor or council chief executive that we will follow that excellent example.

Staff elsewhere earning more than $100,000 pa are facing salary drops of 20 to 30 percent.

Whakatane District Council’s chief executive earns almost $300,000 a year and many of her staff earn well over $100,000. Mayor Judy Turner earns over $130,000.

I trust that our mayor and chief executive won’t set a wrong example.

On another Covid 19-related matter, I have signed a national petition calling for councils to cancel any plans for rates rises this year.

I would welcome a clear statement that our council has no plan to increase rates this our year or next.

The damage the new virus is inflicting on our economy and businesses won’t disappear when our alert level drops below one; it will take years to recover.

I and others will be keeping an eye on council’s spending from now on. Our councillors must be mindful of this as they plan to spend ratepayers’ money.

Alexander (Sandy) Milne

Drip fed and brainwashed

I BELIEVE we are all getting brainwashed each day by the prime minister and Dr Bloomfield concerning the Covid-19 virus.

They usually start the update praising the Government for going hard and going early, which I believe is not true. They then like to tell us how well we are coping comparing us to Sweden and other parts of the world.

After the daily death toll is given and the Covid-19 numbers update, we are told to expect more deaths from the Rosewood Rest Home in Christchurch.

Could this mean the Rosewood resident who have a “do not resuscitate” clause added to their medical file?

The Government said they had ventilators available but only two were being used. I believe most of the elderly who have a do not resuscitate clause on their medical file that contract Covid-10 will die because they will not be put on a ventilator.

Why did the Rosewood Rest Home care workers only just receive their new updated protective equipment (April 15).

While the World Health Organisation condones China’s wet markets re-opening and says face masks are not needed to give protection from Covid-19, we will have to learn to live with it.

I believe the Government could be doing a lot more by making face masks and hand cleaners freely available to everyone in New Zealand, not just the essential workers.

All public toilets should have automatic taps to wash your hands. Banks, cafes, all shops in the future should be required to have handwashing facilities. All of our airports, rest homes and workplaces should have temperature sensors to help control the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

I believe nobody has been prosecuted for driving outside their bubble on Easter Weekend.
Level 4 is a joke concerning alcohol, cycling, fishing, banking, postage, butchers, supply of face masks, lack of testing, and saying airports are closed when they are not.

D Dawson

•  Keeping Covid-19 financial impact to a minimum

EASTERN Bay Chamber of Commerce and Toi-EDA have been working together with a host of other key partners to assure financial impacts of Covid-19 are kept to a minimum.

Chamber of Commerce general manager Lucy Devany said the Eastern Bay Covid Business Support Hub had already helped one local business that had been considering closing its doors permanently.

“We have had to put aside restricting our services to our own membership base at this time.

“We urge any Eastern Bay business affected by Covid-19 to get in touch with us as we have tools and resources to help you get through,” she said.

“Whether it is help with making funding applications, applying for wage subsidies or one-on-one business mentoring.”

Key among these resources is the delivery of free one-on-one business support through its Regional Business Support Partnership, which includes Tauranga Chamber of Commerce and Rotorua Business Chamber.

Ms Devany said it was important that people understood that this was free for all businesses, not just Chamber of Commerce members.

Through its website, the chamber has also been running free web seminars with local, regional and national speakers, as well as providing access to seminars hosted by other groups in its partnership.

Training organisations, accounting firms and business advisers speak on a range of topics from “radical transformation for survival” to “what the Government Business Financial Guarantee Scheme means for your business”.

The chamber has also provided a Covid-19 Information Hub page on its website where all the relevant information for business is collated, with links to helpful websites providing more in-depth knowledge on a variety of subjects.

“There is such a lot of information out there that a lot of our local businesses rely on us to filter out all the irrelevant stuff.”

Ms Devany said local businesses were starting to feel the pinch with some really struggling to survive.

“A local retail business we assisted this week was on the brink of closing and liquidating.

However, after some sound advice from our Covid-19 business advisers they have decided to pivot and push through.

“Here are some quick takeaways on what we worked with them on:

• Moving their business online to e-commerce
• Reduce their current significant overheads of bricks and mortar
• Build a vibrant social media presence to engage customers and drive online sales
• Build strategic relationships with trade customers and share their stories / success to build brand awareness
• Think about having a mobile shop to attend markets/events and visit trade customers
• Diversify their offering (within their existing skill-set) to provide specific solutions to businesses who will have to operate differently in the post Covid-19 world.

“Another distressed local hospitality business considering closing down talked to our Covid-19 business advisers on what options they had. We assisted them with their wage subsidy and worked with them on seeing the bigger picture long-term.

“By planning for level three around contactless delivery and pre-orders with their existing commercial clients, working with staff around hours and contracts.

As a result, they are now shifting their operation to remote order gathering and delivery to larger clients – which in the long-term will build their brand and sales, placing them in a better position as the lockdown levels reduce.

“If you are a business affected by Covid-19 in the Eastern Bay, please get in touch with us as we have tools and resources to help you get through.”

The Chamber of Commerce have set up a special email address for those seeking help with Covid-19 related issues, covidsupport@ebopchamber.co.nz. It can also be contacted via its website, ebopchamber.co.nz or the Facebook page @easternbaychamberofcommerce.

Fallen soldiers remembered

A DAY of remembrance honouring the lives of soldiers who died and fought valiantly for their country and man, will be commemorated with a special home service this Anzac Day.

Traditionally many attend civic and dawn parades, however, this year with the Covid-19 level four lockdown restrictions Anzac services will take on a different look and feel.

Many from across the district will observe their tipuna (ancestors) from their bubbles, listening to the dawn service being broadcast on Radio 1XX, and some will congregate at the end of the driveway to pay homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Veteran Clifford Waaka said even though it was a disappointment for veterans and whanau alike, it was important to still remember whose who served in the wars.

“We can’t commemorate as we normally would, Mr Waaka said, “however, we can still hold our own service.

“One way we can do that is by creating shrines in our living rooms, decks, garages or tents with photographs of our koro and whanau members alongside some flowers.

“If people can have their birthdays or weddings within the confines of their own home with neighbours participating from their homes, why can’t we do the same for Anzac?”

Mr Waaka said a good practice was to get the tamariki involved by creating pictures or paintings related to a member of their whanau and place memorabilia in and around the home.

“We will begin with a karakia, followed by a brief explanation of what Anzac Day means for us.

“We will also read the ode and share in a meal together in our home.

“Let us all keep the wairua of Te Hokowhitu a Tumatauenga alive,” he said.

Anzac service on radio

BECAUSE Anzac Day ceremonies are not able to take place due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the Anzac Day dawn service that would normally have been held at Wairaka Marae will be broadcast on Rado 1XX starting at 6am.

The broadcast is a combined effort by Radio 1XX and the Whakatane RSA, with input from local iwi, churches, civic leaders and veterans.

The commemorative service will begin with an introduction by MC William Stewart from Wairaka Marae.

This will be followed by an opening karakia by Mac Kingi, also from Wairaka Marae.

Minister Wiremu Hataraka, will give an address followed by Whakatane Mayor Judy Turner.

A dedication will be delivered by returned veteran Steffan Wanoa.

National anthems of New Zealand and Australia will be played.

Whakatane RSA president Karen Collings will deliver the ode For the Fallen in English, followed by the Maori version by former Whakatane RSA president John Bluett.

The Last Post will be followed by one minute’s silence broken by Reveille.

A benediction will be given by Reverend Hataraka, followed by a closing karakia by Mr Kingi.

Mr Stewart will then close the ceremony.

The radio station will be repeating the service at 10am for the benefit of those who would normally have attended the Civic ceremony at the Whakatane War Memorial Centre.

Radio announcer Colin Magee who is organising the broadcast said the speakers would have to record their speeches via phone, but under the circumstances it was the closest they could get to a normal service.

Blue Smoke composed on the way to war

MAORI Television is treating us to a spot of wartime-and-musical history on Anzac Day – by telling the story of Blue Smoke and other tunes from the cradle of New Zealand’s music industry.

In 1940, a musician travelling to war on one of the world’s largest ships was inspired by an off-the-cuff remark by a fellow soldier.

The AudioCulture website reports that Ruru Karaitiana was a dance-band pianist born near Dannevirke in 1909.

“In May 1940, he was with the 28th Maori Battalion on board the Aquitania, which was taking New Zealand soldiers to World War II.

One day Karaitiana was sunbathing on the deck – “halfway across the Indian Ocean” – when a sergeant came along, stopped beside him and looked up.

“Look at that bloody smoke,” he said, pointing to the smoke trailing from the funnels.

“It’s going the right way – back to New Zealand – and we’re steaming farther from home.”

“It was pure luck,” Karaitiana said.

“He put the song in my lap. It was a natural.”

The image of the blue smoke drifting back to their loved ones was sad and evocative.

Within half an hour he had written the lyrics “in his head” to a melody he’d already composed. He called the song Blue Smoke.

Maori Television spokeswoman Kasia Jillings said a new documentary would air on the channel on Saturday.

Called Pixie: The Voice of Blue Smoke, the documentary explores the birth of New Zealand’s commercial music industry in 1949 and how a song written on a war troop ship by a relatively unknown Maori became the first wholly processed record in the country and a hit that stayed at number one for weeks.

“Blue Smoke, written by then 17-year-old soldier Karaitiana as he left for war, has become the unofficial Anzac Day anthem but there’s so much more to the song,” Ms Jillings said.

“When Ruru found out his song was going to be the first record he became obsessed with Pixie Williams being the one to voice it.”

Pixie was a completely unknown and untrained Maori woman from Mohaka who had a reputation for singing beautifully around the piano at the women’s hostel where she lived in Wellington.

She refused Karaitiana’s offer several times but eventually relented and went on to become New Zealand’s first pop star, voicing many other hits.

“As part of the documentary some of Ruru and Pixie’s songs were re-recorded including some by Kiwi soul queen, Whakatane’s Whirimako Black.”

Pixie: The Voice of Blue Smoke will screen on Maori Television at 8am and 3.30pm on Saturday. It will also be available on maoritelevision.com.

Making jam instead of jamming

SINGER Whirimako Black says she enjoyed the recording session for the documentary, which took place about one year ago in a recording studio in Wellington.

“It was a project organised by one of Pixie Williams’ daughters – in memory of her mother.”

Black said she had sung Blue Smoke before, but this wasn’t the song she was given for the documentary.

“I sang another Pixie Williams song, which was called Ain’t it a Shame,” she said.

“We were given one song each,” Black said.

Spending the lockdown in Ruatoki, Black said she was happy to be by the river and with the animals.

“It’s feijoa season and it’s chutney and jam-making times,” she said.

Although social media commentators have suggested she should “sing more than you cook”.

For her, being in lockdown has also been a “great time to catch up on Maori issues”.

“How to keep the kids occupied, and how to keep men and women occupied, “ Black said.

“The best will come out – and we’ll keep the worst private.”

Black said she hoped the Covid-19 lockdown experience would lead to a kinder society.

“We need family, we need the people in the shops and the people who grow the food – and perhaps some of the people who have become unemployed now will stop looking down on them.”

A MATATA family that has taken a gap year to travel has had its adventure cut short by Covid-19.

Mike Mokai, principal at Otakiri School, and his wife, Marama, an IT technician at Edgecumbe College, are sitting out the global Covid-19 lockdown in Rarotonga, which has no cases of the illness.

They said this week they were only five days into the overseas part of their family gap year “when it all came crashing down”.

But they said despite being gutted that their plans had been ruined, “we realise in the big scheme of things they we are very lucky in these tumultuous times”.

“We feel blessed to be here in paradise.”

Mr and Mrs Mokai said the original plan was to take a year off work and travel with the whanau, including eldest daughter, Michaela, 18, who finished school last year, and Mia, seven.

“We decided it was now or never to have a once-in-a-lifetime family holiday. We were fortunate that our employers gave both Mike and me a year’s leave.”

The couple are due back at work in January 2021.

The family spent summer exploring New Zealand, including the Coromandel and the East Cape, before heading to Los Angeles for a trip to Disneyland, on March 10.

They said they just managed to take in Disneyland before it was shut.

“From there we were due to head to the Dominican Republic for a week before boarding a 19-day cruise that would take us through the Caribbean and then across the Atlantic and disembarking in Barcelona.

The idea was to spend five months in Europe before heading to South East Asia for another four months, with a two-week stop in Australia on the way home.

“Obviously, as Covid-19 began to take hold across Europe, our plans changed rapidly, and we decided we needed to head towards New Zealand.

“On the 14th we made the call to leave America, asap, as things were getting worse in California and the rest of the world was starting to panic,” they say on their blog. “We booked a flight that day, five hours before the flight to Rarotonga.”

The Mokais said they were not ready to come home, after only just leaving New Zealand.

“We have been to Raro before and liked it and it wasn’t too far from home if things got really bad and we had to get home quick.”

Like others leaving the States as it rapidly shut its borders, they managed to catch one of the last flights from America.

After a month in Rarotonga, they are in no hurry to head back to New Zealand unless they have to.

“As the saying goes; ‘when life gives you lemons make lemonade’. I guess Rarotonga is our lemonade. We’ll wait things out for a bit longer and see how things continue to unfold in New Zealand and around the world.

“We’re thinking that until a vaccine is created, international borders will be pretty much closed.”

The family said they had not got jobs to come back to at present and their house in Matata was rented out.

“We feel very safe here in Rarotonga, both because there are currently no cases of Covid- 19 on the island and also because the Rarotonga people have been welcoming and accommodating.

“From what we have seen, the Cook Island Government along with the local Puna have been very proactive in ensuring that the Cook Islands remain Covid-19 free, as well as having systems in place should it arrive here.

“The Cook Islands are in Code Yellow, which is similar to New Zealand’s Level 3.

“The Rarotongan people have remained very calm throughout this time and we’ve seen no signs of panic buying or any escalated anxiety.

“Bars, churches, and public gatherings have been closed or banned, and there is an expectation to stay home. Most shops and takeaways remain open and the ones that have closed is likely to be due to the lack of tourists.

“In reality, with virtually no tourist left on the island it’s very easy to find a beach all to yourself.

“We keep ourselves busy with swimming, kayaking, walks along the beach, paddle-boarding, movies, arts and crafts and of course ‘device time.’ Although, this is limited as the price of data is a bit prohibitive.”

THE Bay of Plenty’s first triplets had planned to celebrate their 40th birthday with a big bash in Ohope this weekend, but thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown, they will be celebrating separately.

Born on April 26 at National Women’s Hospital, in Auckland, Taneatua triplets Craig, Donna and Jodie Kyle were famous in the Eastern Bay, featuring in two stories in the Beacon, one in June 1980, when they first came home from hospital, and again on their first day of school in 1985.

“They were the first triplets to be born in the Bay of Plenty,” their mother, Gael Clark, told the Beacon.

“There have been plenty born since, but back then it was quite unusual.”

The triplets have come a long way since their first day at Taneatua School, which was followed by two years at Whakatane Intermediate before moving on to Trident High School.

The first born, Craig, has spent many years living in England before moving back to New Zealand. He now lives in Long Bay, in Auckland’s North Shore and works as a contracts manager for Fletcher Construction.

Second born, is now Donna Sparrow, the only one of the triplets who stayed living locally. She and her husband are contract milkers in Thornton and Mrs Sparrow also works at the Whakatane District Council.

Youngest, Jodie Ancliff, also lived in England for some years but now works for the New Zealand Defence Force at Devonport Naval Base, in Auckland.

Their mother, Gael Clark, said though they were not identical twins, they had always been very close.

At the time they were born, they had a six-year-old sister, Carley, and an 18-month-old brother, Shaune, so it was “a hectic time”.

She said the triplets were always a handful, mostly led astray by Craig, who was nicknamed “Bam Bam” after the Flintstone’s character because he was quite a bit bigger than the two girls.

“In fact, people often thought I had two sets of twins, the boys, Craig and Shaune, and the two girls, Donna and Jodie.

“I’ll never forget going to get them out of bed one morning when they were about 18 months and finding I couldn’t get their bedroom door open.

Craig had gotten himself out of his cot, then helped the two girls out, then tipped the cots over so all the sheets and blankets were all over the floor, then pulled the drawers out of the dresser and all the clothes out of the drawers.

“I cleaned it all up, but the next day the same thing happened, and the next and so on.

“One morning we found that Craig had opened the window and helped his sisters climb out.

It was pouring with rain and we found them all sitting together in the sand pit.

“He was a bit of a ringleader. I guess if you’re going to get in trouble, you want company.”

It didn’t put Mrs Clark off having children, however. After remarrying, she had another child, a younger brother for the children, when she was 40. The family still got together whenever possible.

Mrs Clark said they were all a bit disappointed about not being able to have the party this weekend. It had been going to be held at the Ohope Golf Club. A lot of people had been coming from Australia and were going to stay at the Surf and Sand, but that’s just not possible now.

AS the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions begin to take their toll on the economy, a large boatbuilding company in Whakatane has had to lay off 30 percent of its workforce.

A Bangladeshi man says he is one of about 21 employees, including four foreign workers, made redundant by Extreme Boats as the family-run company cuts back staff as a result of the impact of Covid-19.

Extreme Boats, which is owned by Glenn and Diane Shaw and based in Thornton, declined to comment on the restructuring to the Beacon, but an employee said he had been notified on April 14 via email that he had lost his job.

“I think about 21 people are laid off,” Nassir Uddin, pictured right, said.

“Four Bangladeshi and 17 New Zealanders, [Pakeha] and Maori, have lost their jobs.”

An email to employees says, “the conclusion we have come to is harsh but necessary.

Hours of planning and forward thinking have gone in over the last couple of weeks and it has become very clear that in order for Extreme Boats continuity we are going to have to reduce staff numbers across the board by 30 percent, as well as a large number of the employees staying on reducing their hours significantly in the early stages of the re-start.

“If work does pick up again, I would like to be in a position to talk about that at the time with you,” the email to staff says.

Mr Uddin, a carpenter, welder and fabricator, said he had enjoyed his work and was paid well, and he hoped with his skills he could find another position in Whakatane.

“Whakatane is better for me but if I cannot get a job in Whakatane I will move to another place [in New Zealand].

“I have been with [Extreme Boats] one year and four months.”

Mr Uddin said he had received redundancy, leave pay that was owed as well as three weeks’ wage subsidy.

Mr Uddin had come from Singapore, where he had trained and worked in boatbuilding for a decade. He said his work at Extreme Boats involved the construction and installation of interior fittings of a boat, including cabinetry, windows, doors and more.

Extreme Boats has received wage subsidies totalling $418,946.40 for 60 employees on April 14, according to the Inland Revenue Department website.

Meanwhile another Whakatane boatbuilder, Surtees Boats, is sitting out the lockdown and expects to get back to work as soon as the restrictions are lifted.

Surtees Boats operations manager Cliff Schick said the company was not going through any restructuring as a result of Covid-19.

“We did a restructure in 2008 with the GFC [Global Financial Crisis] and that is the last thing we want to put the staff through again so we are doing everything we possibly can to prevent it,” he said. “It is definitely not something that we are looking at.

“We have been impacted, lost a couple of sales but we have got a good two-and-a-half to three months solid work ahead of us so we are hoping after three months, or even two months, that things will let us pick up again.

“As soon as Jacinda gives us the green light we are full steam ahead because we have a lot of customers’ boats; they are ringing me up saying, ‘I really want my boat’.

Mr Schick said most of their work was New Zealand orders.

“Overseas orders [have been] impacted slightly, [they have] probably dropped about 5 or 6 percent over the last 12 months; it has been doing it quite hard over the last 12 months.”

Surtees Boats has also applied for wage subsidies for 57 of its staff.

SOME rural Opotiki ratepayers can look forward to a small drop in rates for the coming year but urban ratepayers may be in for a rise.

Opotiki District Council’s long-term plan signalled an average 5.06 percent rates increase but staff have found savings to reduce the average rise to 4.25 percent.

“We have asked council to look closely at where we can see savings and how we can trim that further in light of the economic pressure that may be felt by some in the community,” Mayor Lyn Riesterer said during the council’s first virtual meeting this week.

“We are also asking the community for their thoughts and feedback and together that will impact what we adopt in the annual plan in June.

“Recovery will be a marathon and not a sprint. We don’t want to make a decision now that slows our growth or delays a necessary piece of infrastructure that may be a vital component in the strong and sustained recovery of our district.

“This is not the time to hit pause and retrench on vital community assets that build growth and create jobs,” Ms Riesterer said.

Finance and corporate services group manager Bevan Gray said there had been discussion within the local government sector on freezing rates and postponing instalments.

Other councils might have staff unable to work, other sources of revenue or large cash reserves from years of over-rating or savings but none of these situations applied to the Opotiki council, he said.

The reduction of the uniform annual general charge from $436 to $352 might see those living rurally experiencing a rates reduction while others in the Opotiki township might see their rates increase from between $50 to $90.

Ms Riesterer said the council had extensively discussed ways it could support anyone facing difficulty paying their rates.

She said on the other hand there were still some unknowns about things like targeted rates from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

The regional council had indicated there would be a zero-rate increase on the general rates but had not yet indicated a decision on targeted rates.

“Certainly, the decision from regional council that there will be a zero rate-rise for the general rate was well received, but the big costs for our community are the river rates so we will wait to see what those hold for the township as well,” Ms Riesterer said.

At the meeting on Tuesday, the council adopted its information document on the 2020-21 Annual Plan for public feedback. This document shows what rates are expected to be and explains how council plans to progress major projects for the coming financial year.

Ms Riesterer said it was an unusual time to be going through an annual planning process and there was still a lot to work through with the community before the document was finalised in June.

She said although the council did not need to consult with the public on the annual plan it would be trying to get as much public feedback as possible.

“In the past people have dropped in handwritten letters to council offices which won’t be able to happen this year,” Ms Riesterer said.

“This time most of the feedback process will need to happen online.”

Ms Riesterer said this might cause some issues for those who did not have access to the internet but it felt like the level four lockdown had “pushed” some, like the elderly, into becoming more competent online.

As well as discussing rates, the council was given an update on the Opotiki Harbour Development.

Ms Riesterer said this project might be delayed by one month, but staff were continuing to work on resource consents and making sure the paperwork was correct and ready to go.

She said following this, work could commence quickly on the strengthening of Snell Road, the rock stockpile and the gabions.

“This will be neat because it is work for our locals,” she said.

The council has also received a “favourable” annual community survey result.

Holding the council’s first virtual meeting put some councillors “out of their comfort zone” but Ms Riesterer said overall it went well.

She said once the council was more familiar with the technology involved it would consider how it could make its next meeting open to the public.

A copy of the information document and a link to an online feedback form can be found at www.odc.govt.nz/draftannualplan.

The 2020-21 Annual Plan will be adopted by June 30 and become operative from 1 July 2020.

Council is not holding a formal hearing and submission process for the 2020-21 Annual Plan but are still keen to receive feedback from the community.

The Opotiki District Council 2020-21 Annual Plan numbers:

• $24.3 million – Debt – A decrease of $8 million from the $32.3 million forecast in long-term plan
• $15.0 million – Operating Funding – minor change to $15.3 million forecast in long-term plan
• $28.2 million – Capital expenditure – $2M higher than long-term plan
• $16.6 million – Operating expenditure – minor change from $16.2 million as forecast in long-term plan

THE number of Covid-19 cases in the Bay of Plenty remains constant at 47, while nationally it has risen by six.

The Bay total includes one case in Opotiki. Thirty-three people have recovered from the illness in this region.

The New Zealand total of Covid-19 cases is now 1451 as the country sits out its last week at alert level four before shifting to alert level three from April 28.

In the Lakes district, 10 cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Rotorua and six in Taupo.

The Ministry of Health said all of the six new cases were linked to existing clusters or overseas travel.

Another death has been recorded, a woman in her 80s who was one of the residents of Rosewood rest home who was transferred to Burwood Hospital. The woman had underlying health conditions.
There are now 1036 people who have recovered, meaning there are now 401 active cases in New Zealand.

Eleven people are in hospital with Covid-19. The total includes two people in ICU – in Middlemore and Dunedin hospitals. They are both reported as being in a stable condition.

There are still 16 significant clusters. Five more cases have been connected to clusters.

Laboratories have processed a record number of tests for a single day, with 5289 tests completed on Tuesday. That brings the total number tested to 94,797.

The ministry is developing a visitor policy for district health boards under alert level three.

Testing in our communities continues, with a particular focus on ensuring we reach Maori and Pacific communities, including on the East Cape.

The ministry says people do not need a Covid-19 test to go back to work.

New regulations mean that businesses will be able to do work ahead of the move to alert level three to prepare their workplaces.

The amended order allows work such as cleaning, making changes to their workplace to meet physical distancing requirements, acquire stock and all the necessary work businesses may need to carry out ahead of the move to alert level three.

AN expansion of the Hukutaia reticulation network is at the top of the Opotiki District Council’s wishlist for Government funding.

Opotiki mayor Lyn Riesterer said the expansion of the network could unleash potential development in the Woodlands area.

The council has applied for Government funding for six key projects to the tune of $58.2 million.

The projects are expected to supply 717 jobs at a time when the community needs them most.

Included on the wishlist is tourism infrastructure, roading projects, infrastructure upgrades, surface flooding mitigation, an improvement to the central business district, the Hukutaia network expansion and a joint cycleway project with Whakatane and Kawerau district councils.

Ms Riesterer said she was optimistic all the projects would be selected for funding but even if the council could get “one or two” over the line it would make a big difference in the Opotiki district.

Not only would the projects provide jobs at a time of economic uncertainty they would also provide rate relief for residents as they would not have to fund them themselves.

“At the top of my wishlist is the Hukutaia reticulation network expansion,” Ms Riesterer said.

“This would open up a huge amount of developable land for housing and enable us to future-proof against climate change by allowing us to build on higher land. It ticks a lot of boxes.”

Ms Riesterer said local iwi Whakatohea own land in the area and it could present an opportunity for it to develop something like kaumatua housing.

She said the Government had shown it was willing to invest in the regions through the Provincial Growth Fund and the proposed projects built on the foundations of Opotiki’s successful applications to this fund.

“We tried to pick projects to put forward that would cover the whole of the district,” she said.

“We also tried to pick projects which would have space for unskilled workers and would provide good earnings for them for at least two to three years.

“These people would then have more opportunities open for them.”

Ms Riesterer said although the projects selected would provide for many jobs directly there were a lot of indirect jobs that would also be supported by them.

She said it was time for councils to adapt to the new normal and that things were unlikely to be the same as they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

ALTHOUGH there are two new confirmed cases, and one new probable case of Covid-19 in New Zealand, there is no change to the total number of cases, which remains at 1451 – the same as Wednesday.

This is because the three cases reported on Wednesday that had returned from Uruguay have been reclassified as under investigation. They are laboratory confirmed cases of Covid-19, but they were possibly already counted in Uruguay’s case total. They have been deducted from New Zealand’s total while this is confirmed, to prevent double counting of the cases by the World Health Organisation.

In the Bay of Plenty, the number of cases remains at 47 – with one in the Eastern Bay and the remainder in the Western Bay. Rotorua still has 10 cases and Taupo six.

Health authorities say there are two more deaths.

A patient has died who has been very unwell in the Intensive Care Unit in Dunedin hospital with Covid-19 since April 7. She was in her 60s and had underlying health conditions.

The second is the death of a resident of the Rosewood rest home in Christchurch.

New Zealand laboratories processed another new record number of tests on Wednesday – 6480. They have now processed 101,277 Covid-19 tests in total.

Of the three confirmed and probable cases reported Thursday [today], all are linked to existing cases. There are another 29 people who have today recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total number of people who have recovered to 1065.

Eight people remain in hospital with Covid-19 – one person is in the ICU in Middlemore.

There are still 16 significant clusters – with four cases newly attributed to clusters.

Ahead of moving into Alert Level 3 next week, authorities have outlined the health and disability services that will be available next week.

Hospitals remain open for emergency care, and some planned care, including elective surgery and radiology, will be provided. More detail will follow.

General practices will be open, but appointments will still be conducted online or by phone where possible. People can still see a doctor or nurse face-to-face if required. It is important to still contact your health professional or Healthline as you normally would, regardless of what alert level New Zealand is in.

Community pharmacies remain open, but medicine management services will be provided over the phone where possible.

Dental services may provide face-to-face appointments for urgent or emergency care. Routine dental care will not be provided in Alert Level 3.

Community midwives will provide services in a variety of ways, including face-to-face and online appointments.

Appointments for services such as physiotherapy, podiatry and optometry will continue to be mainly online or over the phone. Some face-to-face appointments for those services may be provided for urgent appointments only, so long as professionals can take the appropriate measures to manage public health risks.

Disability residential care will continue as usual.

Community mental health service appointments will be online or by phone where possible – there may be some face-to-face appointments. Urgent and crisis mental health services will continue as usual, as will inpatient and residential mental health and addiction services, although there may be fewer beds available. There is a range of welfare, mental health and wellbeing programmes underway to provide support.

THE Bay of Plenty has the third highest rates of meningococcal disease in New Zealand – according to latest figures.

New research shows many Kiwi parents are unaware of their child’s vaccination status and latest data shows an 82 percent rise in meningococcal disease cases in infants under one on the previous year in New Zealand.

Vaccinologist and Associate Professor at Auckland University, Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, said while the focus was on Covid-19 we could not afford to overlook that we are heading into the traditional peak season for meningococcal disease.

Her comments come as health authorities raise awareness of the disease today, World Meningococcal Day.

Health experts say more needs to be done to raise awareness among Kiwi parents of the risks of meningococcal disease with new research showing many lack understanding of the need to vaccinate and are unaware of whether their children have been immunised against this disease.

The call comes as latest figures show a 16 percent increase in the number of reported cases of invasive meningococcal disease last year.

“The common misconception with meningococcal disease is that because it’s reasonably rare people can be inclined to think that it won’t happen to them or a family member, but it does,” Dr Petousis-Harris said.

A FOAM mattress lying against a hot bulb caused toxic smoke to engulf the top storey of a Whakatane property this week.

On Monday, the Whakatane Volunteer Fire Brigade were called to a house in Hikurangi Street.

Considering the circumstances, fire officer in charge Ken Clark said the occupants were lucky it wasn’t a more serious outcome.

The family were having a day of organising, when they decided to store a foam mattress in their walk-in water heater cupboard.

The heat of the lamp burned through the foam mattress, creating a significant amount of toxic smoke that permeated a terrible smell, and caused smoke damage to the entire top floor.

Mr Clark said dealing with a situation like this was difficult in lockdown as many trades were not available to help the family. In the meantime, the occupants have had their windows open trying to air out the home.

A GROUP of six young men found staying in the Lions Hut in Te Urewera were asked to move along by Eastern Bay police earlier this week.

Senior Sergeant Al Fenwick said he and another police officer spoke to two of the six, who claimed they had been occupying the hut and hunting in the surrounding areas since the commencement of alert level four.

Police gave the group a warning and told them they would be back to check if they had moved along, as the group were in direct violation of lockdown guidelines.

When police returned to the hut on Wednesday afternoon, the dishes were done, the floor was swept, and the hut was locked and empty.

Mr Fenwick said the group must have realised leaving the Tuhoe-owned hut behind was better than being locked up and charged.

“They did the right thing in leaving, given that we are still in level four right now, nobody should be in the bush,” Mr Fenwick said.

“It’s all closed up now, and no longer an issue.”

Mr Fenwick said a firearm, which was stored on a bed in the hut, was seized by police when neither of the men spoken to claimed responsibility for it.

He said if the owner did come forward, and had a firearms licence, it would most likely be revoked because of the way it was stored and handled.

Te Urewera Board announced last week that its huts, campgrounds, boat ramps, walks and freedom camping areas would remain locked down when the country moved to alert level three next week.

Board chairman Tamati Kruger said hunting and fishing would not be permitted to resume in Te Urewera.

“We know that many keen hunters want to head in to Te Urewera, but we are asking them for patience,” he said.

THE Whakatane Volunteer Fire Service has seen a significant decrease in call-outs during alert level four, going from one call-out a day before lockdown to just nine call-outs in four weeks.

Fire officer in charge Ken Clark said the region should be commended for the decline, which was keeping volunteers safe.

“When it comes down to it, we need to thank the region … people are more aware of what they are doing, and the fact of the matter is we are only volunteers and are putting ours and our family’s safety at risk to assist the community.”

Although people in the Eastern Bay are keeping safe in their bubbles, there is always a minority who choose to participate in risky activity.

Mr Clark said most of the few call-outs the brigade had responded to were avoidable rubbish fires, as people have taken to setting their waste alight rather than waiting for the transfer station to reopen.

“It’s just silly people burning rubbish either because the transfer station is closed, and they don’t want to store the rubbish while they wait, or can’t afford to pay to get rid of it,” Mr Clark said.

The region is still under a restricted fire season and surrounding areas both rurally and towards the region’s centres are dry, according to Mr Clark.

“We are still in a restricted fire season and burning rubbish at all hours of the night is just silly.

“I have one word of advice for those people – don’t. We don’t mind turning up, we just don’t want people being unsafe.”

Mr Clark said he had also seen fireworks set off in the Coastlands area.

This type of behaviour was unacceptable, no matter how bored people were during lockdown.

• Beacon reporter Delilah Whaitiri shares her story on what life for her and her family was like before the Covid-19 lockdown, and what she has learned having survived the alert level four.

THE pandemic that has abruptly infiltrated our lives, is like an intruder, unwelcome and volatile.

It has ripped through our lives, our homes, our habits, our families, our relationships, and tested our character.

It’s disrupted daily routines, the economy, business practices, traditions and cultural activities, and tested my faith in mankind.

The mantra, not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path, though cliche, could it be true.

Who remembers what life was like before the virus. Though it’s only been 26 days in isolation, it feels like it’s been months.

Each morning, like clock work, I’d get the kids out of bed, rush around making lunches, rush to get ready, put on my acceptable work attire, grab lunch for myself – if I had time, and take the busy state highway to work, a 30-kilometre drive from my residence.

On arrival, if I had time, I’d make a quick cup of tea or coffee, otherwise it would have to wait.

My morning was filled with phone calls, meetings and interviews, and the afternoon was dedicated to writing news stories. I looked forward to reporting Maori affairs, and I still do.

Everyday, I feel blessed because I do what I love.

So, that was life before the storm, but, what about during the storm, what has life been like for you and me?.

Well, if I’m honest, at times, terrifying.

Rushing to the doctors because your children are experiencing flu-like symptoms, including a 40 degree temperature, tooth aches, ulcers, coughing, sneezing, a runny nose and tiredness, only to arrive at the medical centre and be greeted by your family doctor heavily draped in PPE gear.

I have to say though, the medical staff at Riverslea Mall in Edgecumbe handled my children with the utmost care and aroha, which I won’t forget in a hurry.

Each room was scrubbed down with disinfectant. Watching the nurses carefully wipe down every nook and cranny really hit home just how dangerous the virus is.

Nurses and doctors who put their life at risk, treating each patient professionally and with caution. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

I went from leading a life with little disruption to chaos in a matter of days, however, we’ve survived the worst of it, touch wood.

My children were tested for Covid-19, and I’m pleased to say, the results were negative.

That phone call from the medical centre and the staff at the Kawerau Pop-up Testing Station, to date, has been the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

I can’t thank the staff at the centre’s enough for the manaakitanga and aroha extended.

In a few days we will all move to alert level three so it’s too early to say what life will be like, or how quickly we will surrender to our old habits or how quickly we will rush back to the tried and tested.

How was that working for you?

Well, I’ll let you all decide for yourselves what was working and what wasn’t, and I challenge you all to discard what wasn’t.

If that sugar, that addiction, that relationship or that job wasn’t working, think long and hard before running back to it.

So, to sum up, here’s what I have learnt from this pandemic.

Time is a precious commodity, my children are my greatest blessing and life is a gift.

Value your love ones and treasure life, for you never know when life might cease to exist.

Your indigenous reporter.

RONGOA Maori, a traditional Maori healing practice has seen a slight resurgence following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

Kawerau practitioner Davina Thompson has been working diligently behind the scenes making more than 400 kete (Maori baskets), following a request for her product from kaumatua and kuia in the Nga Puhi (Northland) region.

A ritual which has been handed down through the generations to a select few, rongoa Maori is highly valued within hapu and iwi and serves to treat various minor illnesses and encompasses a holistic healing, including karakia, from the time of harvest through to completion.

“I have karakia before I harvest, while I’m preparing the rongoa and when I’ve finished,” Ms Thompson said, “and my young son helps with the karakia.”

Before rongoa is harvested, practitioners carefully select trees and plants. Time of harvesting is another important factor and tikanga (protocols) are followed, much like that of the Maori weaver who gives thanks before carefully cutting flax from the harakeke bush.

The kete containing panipani, a herbal skin balm that helps with body aches, wairakau (decoctions), a tonic containing spring water and kumarahou, a native shrub harvested and prepared for use for those with respiratory diseases which affect the lungs, and rongoa, a traditional Maori medicine made from natural resources such as kawakawa and honey to aid in healing, were delivered yesterday to elderly in the Auckland region.

After Te Mahurehure Marae in Auckland opened its database, Ms Thompson said kuia and kaumatua in the Tamaki Makaurau region reached out for help and her coveted rongoa. A collective of wahine harvested more ingredients to produce a further 500 kete for taonga kaumatua over the age of 80.

Many of the region’s older population is at risk of contracting the potentially deadly virus, which has claimed the lives of thousands around the world, and rongoa is believed to provide protection for many Maori living in Aotearoa who have underlying health concerns, including respiratory diseases.

“We need to look after our vulnerable elderly,” she said.

Te Maruheruhe Marae second in charge Te Kou o Rehua Panapa said another 500 rongoa Maori packs were delivered to kaumatua and kuia yesterday, along with food parcels to whanau living across the region.

“Our team were working until 4.30 in the morning making up the rest of the orders and a team of 20 delivery drivers were on the road from early morning.

“Seeing the smiles on their faces, or the tears streaming down their faces, is what drives us all to keep going.

“One thing I’ve realised is there’s a real need out there and many of the elderly are actually doing it quite hard and are quite lonely, so it’s nice for them to see a familiar face too,” he said.

“In the past two weeks, we’ve serviced over 2500 people in the region and this week we’ve added rongoa Maori to our kete.

“I’m really proud of our people and team and how we’ve all come together as an iwi and nation to conquer Covid-19. It’s a proud moment for Maori,” he said.

Ms Thompson said she wanted to say a big mihi to the wahine collective who helped make this possible.

“We couldn’t have done this without you,” she said.

The EPIC Whakatane business revitalisation group has struggled to prove its worth in a first year full of disasters.

After becoming fully operational, EPIC Whakatane Town Centre, which seeks to bring more people into Whakatane’s central business district, has struggled to make a difference amidst disasters such as the Whakaari eruption and the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

Local businesses affected by the committee’s targeted rate are split on whether it has been money well spent.

Retailers are either positive or neutral on the committee’s performance while service-type businesses are more negative in their reviews.

However, EPIC said it had been doing work during the lockdown to support and link businesses.

The EPIC committee is a group of retailers seeking to enhance the CBD to attract more people to stay longer and spend more.

One business owner, who didn’t want to be named, said EPIC had done “absolutely nothing as far as I am aware”.

“I haven’t heard from them,” he said.

“In fact, I haven’t heard from them at all since they took my money, other than when I harassed them about taking it and they failed to follow up my complaints. Useless.”

A salon owner who also didn’t want to be named said the EPIC scheme had done little to help her business and the late-night Christmas event had no impact on her business.

“The additional rates have yielded no positive outcome, the return is unnoticeable,” she said.

“Frankly EPIC should be doing more if they are going to demand this much money.”

When rung, Jahn Iseri, owner of Ataturk Cafe, said he had no idea who EPIC were and was not aware he was paying them any money in targeted rates.

“I haven’t heard from them, I haven’t seen them so whatever they are doing, it’s not working,” Mr Iseri said.

Mr Iseri said EPIC should consider bringing a market into the town centre every Sunday to encourage foot traffic but believed there were some problems nobody could solve.

“There are a lot of homeless people on The Strand and they bring a bad vibe,” he said.

“Also, whoever decided it was a good idea to build The Hub outside of town was totally wrong. All that’s done is draw people away from the CBD. That totally screwed the town centre.”

Mr Iseri said he would like to see an “eat street” similar to the one in Rotorua but that there were “old people” in Whakatane who didn’t like change.

Other retailers were more positive in their review of EPIC and said they believed in what the committee was trying to do.

Leigha Mitchell of Stella, Lace and Flora said the committee had been “quite good” and she liked the “whole idea of what they’re trying to do”.

She said she couldn’t name a specific initiative that had helped her business but it was good to see people getting out there and trying to help.

Stacey Murray of Jean & Pete said she had not received any communication from the EPIC team before or during lockdown, but she had not actively sought them out either.

She said EPIC should have created something like the Whakatane Online Retailers Facebook page.

The page was started this week by Michaela Wellauer of Bike Barn Whakatane and Jason Lougher of Legacy Accounting and seeks to promote local businesses and how they can continue to serve customers during level three.

Within 12 hours the page had 600 members and, at the time of going to print, it had nearly 3000.

Ms Murray said she would also like to see EPIC provide courses or advice on how businesses could continue to operate during level three and do promotion work around those who were open.

“It is hard to tell if EPIC has been worth my money because it hasn’t been an average year,” she said.

“We’ve had a few setbacks, but it will be interesting to see what they do in future.”
EPIC board chairman Warren Short said during the level four lockdown, EPIC helped

members access general information on how to keep their businesses Covid-19 safe. He said when specialist advice was needed, EPIC helped to link members to support groups such as the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce and it would continue to offer this support as New Zealand moved into level three.

EPIC was also looking into an innovative web platform to support Whakatane retailers.

“The EPIC board has met with an international online retail platform to assess the viability of building a virtual Whakatane town centre for businesses and shoppers,” Mr Short said.

“This would essentially be an online mall, giving shoppers access to all our CBD businesses via click and collect or delivery as we transition into level three and beyond.

“These are uncharted waters and we are looking at every opportunity to help get our town up and running again across a range of platforms. This online retail platform would provide a mall experience and give retailers the chance to move their business online, with their own e-commerce website being linked to the ‘mall’ but having a unique domain name and feel.

“This will help change the strategic focus of many Whakatane retailers quickly and give them visibility to the public through one portal,” he said.

Mr Short said EPIC had been communicating with its member businesses and had combined resources with the chamber of commerce and Toi-EDA so all organisations could understand the real needs of Whakatane businesses.

“We will continue to communicate with our member businesses to ensure they have the information and support they need,” he said.

“EPIC welcomes businesses who have not been contacted yet to get in touch with us, the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce or Toi-EDA. We’re all in this together and we need to collectively understand the needs of businesses so we can continue to focus on the needs of our EPIC members using our combined resources.”

Mr Short said, in regard to rates relief, EPIC had made a submission to Whakatane District Council and was working with it to determine further ways to support business. He said he could not comment further on this until discussions were complete.

He said EPIC’s work with the chamber to support local businesses included those that were service-based.

“We are working with relevant organisations and businesses on buy local campaigns and reaching out to town centre organisations like EPIC to share and learn,” he said.

“We are also profiling retail and service businesses regularly through our digital channels and assessing the viability of building a virtual town centre.

“The way our retail and hospitality businesses will operate through Covid-19 alert levels two and three mean their business models will need to change.

“EPIC is reassessing its key performance indicators to outline how we can help our members change and succeed in our new world.”

THE move into Covid-19 level three next week will bring with it the ability for real estate agents to start showing houses again, albeit with some restrictions.

Though open homes are still not allowed, private viewings, by appointment only, will be from April 28.

However, Eastern Bay real estate agents have not been taking a holiday during level four. They have been using every resource available to them through social media and websites to reach out to new clients and buyers. There have also been sales to complete on homes that they were showing before lockdown.

Vendors Sandie and Graham Arthur can attest to this, having just got their property sale sorted in the nick of time.

The couple had been selling their home with Harcourts Whakatane through a deadline sale, which closed at 4pm on Wednesday, March 25, the day before New Zealand went into level four lockdown.

They signed the contract on the sale of their Rata Street home that day, so by the time lockdown occurred all the paperwork was done, with only a wait for the sale to go unconditional, which also allowed the purchase of their new home to go through.

Mrs Arthur said it was just a coincidence the deadline was set for that date, so it was lucky for them.

“When it went unconditional there was nothing left for us to do that couldn’t be done by email. The only hitch is that we can’t move until we’ve been at level two for five weeks.

“But everyone else is in the same boat so it isn’t really a problem. It just means we’ve got a long time to pack.

Harcourts Whakatane principal Wayne Pamment said the agency had had properties go unconditional and some new listings during level four lockdown.

“We’ve had a small number. But most of our sales have happened from buyers that had already viewed the property before going into lockdown and had subsequently made that decision.

“We also have lots of buyers booked in to view our properties once lockdown is lifted.

“Through the lockdown, the two biggest hurdles have been the inability to show properties to qualified buyers, and also the lockdown had prevented a lot of conditional contracts from completing due to building inspections and valuations not being able to be carried out.

“These contracts now have variations in them waiting for these things to happen once we can get access.”

Mr Pamment said video tours and other digital tools that enabled buyers to evaluate properties had received great interest.

“Social media and websites are both being used actively during this period. Video messaging and updates are a great way for salespeople and property managers to update the community on activity and any changes.

“We’ve also used this lockdown period to complete lots of online training to ensure we’re fully upskilled across marketing, negotiation and any legislation changes. We’re fit, keen and knowledgeable as we come out of this.

“We will be back working actively once level four lifts.

“This will look a bit different as we’ve been asked to limit the time in the office, but we’re confident we have the tools and structures to get properties sold with great results and our rentals managed well through our property management division.”

Property Brokers sales consultant Kathryn McKay said her agency was also remaining busy during this time and, with online technology, it was possible to get new listings on to the market.

“While we have not been able to show properties personally, we have conducted virtual viewings to enable this to happen.

“Obviously having our listings on a number of websites, many with video, assists the remote, online viewer.

“Despite the challenges there have still been people, albeit a small number, wishing to list their properties and we have been able to achieve this using a digital listing form.

“Admittedly, contact with the vendors of the new listings we took on in the past three weeks had already been made prior to moving to level four, however, using the various methods available it is definitely possible to discuss a new listing with a property owner and get it onto the market during this time using the tools we have access to.

“There may be some agencies that are treating this like a holiday, but we are certainly not.

I am still starting work at 8.30am and finishing at 5pm.

“We have a system something like Zoom and we are still holding meetings and using this time to upskill our team.

“Our agents are still busy reaching out to prospective buyers.”

“Our property managers have worked throughout from their homes, spending many hours on the phone and email, communicating with our landlords and tenants, ensuring that they are kept abreast of the changes that came into the industry on March 26 and looking after the best interests of the investment owners.

“Rather than ignoring routine inspections we dealt with these to the best of our ability with a call to the tenants and a virtual walk through of the property and a report provided to the landlord noting these inspections to be followed up again in due course.

“The lockdown and the restrictions that level four brought with it has added extra challenges, but what we’ve achieved has shown that it is possible to achieve results in lockdown and that while there are few challenges to overcome, the real estate journey is not impossible.”