Whakatane councillors are facing a problem – how to give the community everything it wants while keeping rates down.

The issue was roundly debated during Whakatane District Council's long-term plan deliberations on Monday.

Many in the community submitted requests for funding or projects in addition to the projects the council had identified.

These included bike trails, lake and lagoon maintenance, and the eradication of female phoenix palms.
Councillors are concerned that if they include everything in the long-term plan that the community wants, the average rate rise will top seven per cent.

Councillor Victor Luca says he isn't happy with the original indicated rate and there are savings to be had if the council looks for them.

Councillor Nandor Tanczos says it's always easy to find things to spend money on, but the council has to be disciplined.

Councillor Lesley Immink describes the situation as 'sobering”.

In the end, councillors cut some of the community's requests and decided to use money from reserve funds to offset rates.

These reserve funds – roading, general disaster and stormwater – will each provide $300,000 over the next 10 years to bring rates down.

Staff are now packaging-up the councillors' indicative decisions and will, today, present a final draft of the long-term plan, including an indicative rates' rise.

The package will include options for the refurbishment of the Civic Centre which the community and councillors have struggled to agree on.

The long-term plan will not be adopted until July and any decisions made, could still change.

Deliberations on the Whakatane district's long-term plan continued this week with councillors making indicative decisions on everything from the control of phoenix palms to increased funding for the arts.

Local democracy reporter Charlotte Jones was there for the discussions.

Walking and cycling

Consultation with the community has revealed many people are keen to see the council spend more on walking and cycling activities.

Three main themes were identified: commuter transport through Active Whakatane; tourism and recreation through cycle trails; and mountain biking facilities.

Mayor Judy Turner says no other issue in the long-term plan is so 'emphatically supported”.

Councillors have voted to support the Active Whakatane initiative, which aims to make it easier to walk, cycle and use mobility scooters in the district.

They are also supporting the establishment of a Whakatane Trails Trust to establish a network of cycling and walking trails across the district.

Councillors voted to help the Whakatane Mountain Bike Club help itself by partnering with it to further opportunities.

This will allow access to a partnership seed fund currently worth $50,000. However, at the suggestion of councillor Julie Jukes, council voted to up this seed fund to $100,000 in the next financial year.

GROWING SPORT: Whakatane District Council has signalled it is committed to working with the Whakatane Mountain Bike Club to help it develop more facilities for the sport. D9818-07

Sustainability and biodiversity

Many in the community have raised issues around the health of waterways and pest plants in the district.

Others have asked for support for projects to enhance sustainability and biodiversity within the district.

They include Forest and Bird, which has asked the council to support the eradication of phoenix palms within the district. This request was denied by councillors.

Forest and Bird requested $150,000 over the next 10 years to remove female phoenix palms from both public and private property. The funding would have enabled it to ramp up the programme it has already started.

Councillor Lesley Immink supports the programme and says she appreciates Forest and Bird coming with a solution-based request.

Councillor Julie Jukes says she will like to see the council remove the palms from its property.

However, councillor Gerard van Beek says the council needs to 'draw a line in the sand” and the phoenix palm problem is the Bay of Plenty Regional Council's not the Whakatane council's.

Councillor Gavin Dennis says he will rather see the council deal with privet than phoenix palms.

The council is working on a tree strategy and councillor Nandor Tanczos prefers to wait for this to be completed before making any funding decisions regarding trees.

Councillors also voted not to fund the Waiariki Park Region initiative and instead forwarded its request for $90,000 to the community grants process.

Councillors decided to review the areas mowed by the council and see if they could be planted to reduce mowing in the district.

They voted to provide Sustainable Bay of Plenty with $6000 a year to run sustainability events in Whakatane.

PEST PLANTS: Forest and Bird's request for help removing female phoenix palms from public and private land was denied by council. Large phoenix palm pic

Lagoons and Lakes

The council will be addressing the degraded quality of Awatapu and Matata lagoons and Sullivan Lake through a dedicated fund.

It will spend $100,000 for strategic, scientific advice on the three waterways to ensure whatever maintenance plans are put in place will work in the long term.

Each year it will spend $50,000 on enhancing the Awatapu Lagoon, $25,000 on Sullivan Lake and $25,000 on the Matata Lagoon.

Mayor Judy Turner says in the past council hadn't done enough to ensure these waterways were maintained.

Councillor Julie Jukes says there has been ongoing problems with the waterways and in spending money on the scientific study, the council could be assured it was getting it right this time.

Councillor Wilson James says he supports spending the money as it will bring a range of benefits to the district.

Councillor John Pullar says the council has said for years it will look after these waterways and never has.

'We need to get on and do it,” he says.

To save rates, the $100,000 scientific study will be done this financial year. Spending on the waterways will follow in the next financial year.

FUTURE POTENTIAL: A scientific study and a dedicated fund should prevent smelly red weed from growing on Awatapu Lagoon's often stagnant water. E0920-02

Youth focus

Many in the community feel the council can do more to support youth in the district and, in response, it will be funding several initiatives.

It plans to increase the Whakatane Youth Council budget from $2000 a year to $5000, spend $10,000 on the development of a youth strategy and increase the Murupara Community Board's budget from $10,000 a year to $15,000 with the board having said it would like to spend more on youth activities.

Councillor Julie Jukes says she's happy to increase the community board's budget as it serviced an area well in need of more youth activities.

Councillors were less supportive of a staff suggestion to provide a youth space within the Civic Centre.

Mayor Judy Turner says it isn't a natural fit.

Councillor Lesley Immink says she doesn't remember the youth council requesting space within the civic centre and feels they would prefer a more 'interactive” space where councillors could drop in and they could host other youth groups.

Arts strategy and funding

Whakatane's thriving arts community will be getting a major boost.

Councillors have voted to spend $30,000 on the development of an arts strategy and have earmarked $10,000 a year for the co-ordination of the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards.

The request for a Community Arts co-ordinator will be forwarded to the annual grants process.

Councillor Lesley Immink says the last Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards had more than 500 entries and the event was well-established on the arts calendar.

'This goes a long way to delivery to a community we don't otherwise engage with,” she says.

Mayor Judy Turner says Whakatane punches well above its weight in the arts including performing arts like kapa haka, theatre and the brass band.

THRIVING COMMUNITY: Last year's winner of the Molly Morpeth Canady Trust Major Award Hannah Ireland with her painting They Laughed, I Cried.

Focus on smaller communities

For years, concerns have been raised by smaller communities in the district that the council focuses its energy on Whakatane and Ohope.

To show its commitment to these communities, councillors have voted to construct a shared-use path from Te Teko to Kokohinau Marae and to increase the budgets of the Murupara and Rangitiaki community boards.

It will also investigate the construction of a toilet near the Rangitaiki River.

The request for the wide shared-use path came from the Te Teko Residents' Association and councillors voted to pay for it through a loan.

Councillor Gavin Dennis says it will enable people to travel around the small town easily and will connect several marae.

Councillor Wilson James says the council needs to look after its smaller towns, many of which had state highways running through them.

A second bridge

As in previous years, the community has asked for a second bridge, however, this looks unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Councillor Lesley Immink says she thinks a second bridge from Coastlands to Whakatane will be a priority despite costs and river activity issues.

'Hard things in life are hard for a reason,” she says.

'We need to be aspirational; we need to think big. This will connect our communities.”

Mayor Judy Turner says she believes due to the marina, which will be built next to the existing Whakatane Bridge, a second bridge downstream will be nearly impossible as it will need to be built extremely high to allow yachts to pass underneath.

Immink says there are other options such as a bridge that opened and closed.

Councillor Nandor Tanczos says he isn't sure he will support investing further money into a second bridge idea downstream of the existing bridge.

The community has suggested a pedestrian and cycle bridge from Poroporo to Awatapu as well.
Councillor Gerard van Beek said this idea shouldn't be 'dismissed out of hand”.

van Beek says land by Titoki and Butler Roads will be perfect for development and this area might soon grow in population thereby justifying the new bridge.

Seal extensions

Councillors have voted to seal 4km of gravel roads in the district each year.

Councillor Alison Silcock says it's important to seal the roads, as repairing the storm damage to unsealed roads cost more than sealing them.

An unsealed road also costs $1000 per kilometre more in maintenance than a sealed road.

Councillor Gavin Dennis supports sealing the roads as it's a health and safety issue for people living in rural areas.

He says the dust that enters homes, particularly in Ruatoki, is horrific and people are always having to repair the suspension on their vehicles.

Dennis says those living on Withy Road are worried as the road is narrow with tight corners and there are often buses travelling on it to reach Iramoko Marae.

'People living in rural areas get nothing for their rates other than sick kids and vehicle bills,” he says.

Staff will evaluate unsealed roads before prioritising them.