
Urgent dredging work
The Whakatāne District Council is to undertake urgent dredging work in three locations in the Whakatāne Harbour between 18 and 29 September.
The dredging work will involve the barge “JKL” and tugboat “Tumeke” and will only be undertaken on weekdays between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm, and only on outgoing tides.
The areas to be dredged include:
— The berthage areas at the Otuawhaki Wharf and the channel close to the Whakatāne i-SITE
— The channel alongside the Yacht Club marina
— The extremities of the Opihi Spit on the western side of the Harbour entrance, where a build-up of sand has narrowed the channel to a point where it is creating safety issues for vessels entering and leaving the harbour.
Whakatāne District Council Capital Projects Manager Jim Finlay says that generally there should be minimal disruption to navigation. “The 50-metre rule will apply when the digger on the barge is working. If the tug is towing the barge, vessel operators are required to give way, given the slower operating speed of the tug. The Senior Maritime Officer and/or the tug operator will inform the Coast Guard by radio when movements which could affect other vessels are to occur.”
The timing of the work is designed to minimise impacts on whitebaiters and harbour users and has been approved by a Bay of Plenty Regional Council resource consent. Completion of the necessary works will be weather-dependent.

Poll: Is your nearest emergency department up to scratch?
Concerns have been raised about Nelson Hospital with complaints of lack of staffing and excessive wait times. Do you have confidence in your local emergency department?

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36.1% Yes, it serves us well
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63.2% No, I have concerns
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0.8% Other - I'll share below

Reminder: Tomorrow is our national walk-in adoption day with 50% off adoption fees
That’s right – if you’re ready to adopt, you can swing by your nearest SPCA Centre tomorrow (Saturday 5 April) to meet the animals without an appointment ?
It’s our goal to Clear the Shelters, so we’re offering 50% off all adoption fees until Sunday 13 April. With 1,100 animals currently available for adoption across the country, we’d love for you to come along tomorrow and meet those waiting. ?
You can also head over to our website to check out their profiles, and register your interest early if there’s a particular cutie who catches your eye – this will speed things up on the day.
To keep the experience as calm and positive as possible for our animals and staff, we kindly ask that only those seriously considering adoption attend.
See you tomorrow!


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