Western Bay of Plenty District Council

04/09/2026

🎉 Block out your calendars!

There’s plenty happening across the Western Bay of Plenty over the coming months thanks in part to the latest round of the Tauranga Western Bay Community Event Fund.

More than $225,000 has been granted to support 24 events across the region - from community celebrations and Christmas events, to sport, arts, culture and everything in between.

Here are just a few events to pop into your calendar 👀👇

📍 MOVE with You, Waihī Beach – 2 October–1 November
📍 The EPIC Te Puke Halloween Treat Trail - 30 October
📍Te Puke Diwali Festival - 8 November
📍 Jandals and Jingles at Ōmokoroa Domain – 27 November
📍Carols at Haiku 2026 - 12 December

Grab your whānau and friends and get involved - whether that’s attending, volunteering or supporting the locals who make these events happen. Get amongst it!

👉Find out more here: https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/news-and-updates/news?item=id:2zepdz78p1cxbyh4b6nk

01/09/2026

🏊 Katikati swimming pool receives national award

Dave Hume Pool has picked up a national Merit Award for Aquatic Facility of the Year at Recreation Aotearoa’s Aquatics Awards! 🎉

The award recognises excellence in:

🏗️Facility design
⚙️ Facility operation
❤️ Community impact
🤝 It also acknowledges the successful partnership between Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Bay Venues and the Dave Hume Swimming Pool Trust.

The award also recognises the Dave Hume Swimming Pool Trust and its dedicated volunteers, who spent more than a decade:

💰 Fundraising
💬 Consulting with the community
🏊 Operating the pool
📣 Advocating for its future

Since reopening, the pool has also achieved PoolSafe accreditation for the first time and welcomed nearly 5,000 visits during the extended May to June period. 🙌

A well-deserved recognition of the people, passion and hard work behind this much-loved community pool.

🔗 Read more here: https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/news-and-updates/news?item=id:2zdmb1n2x17q9smx1rzf

Video by Bay Venues

31/08/2026

🎉 A funding boost for community spaces across the Western Bay!

Seven community organisations across the Western Bay are getting a funding boost to improve the places where our communities play, learn, and connect. 🏏🏡🤝

From cricket nets and pool improvements to a new scout den roof, there’s plenty happening! 🙌

The 2026 Facilities in the Community Fund is supporting:

🎾 Katikati Tennis Club – $10,000
🏘️ Katikati Community Centre – $18,681
🏏 Ōmokoroa Cricket Club – $20,000
🎓 Te Kura Kaupapa Te Matai – $16,123
⛪ Te Puke Baptist Church – $8,402
🥝 Te Puke Kiwifruit Heritage Society – $11,114
⚜️ Te Puke Scout Group – $32,492

These aren’t just upgrades to buildings and facilities, they’re investments in the places that bring people together, helping our communities thrive for years to come. 🌱✨

A big ngā mihi to the volunteers and community groups that are maintaining these spaces! 🙌

👉Read more about the Facilities in the Community Fund here:
https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/news-and-updates/news?item=id:2zcci7r4k1cxbyfzgks6

📸Photo by Kathleen Mowbray

29/08/2026

🌊👀 What’s beneath the harbour?

We’re taking a closer look beneath the harbour between Katikati and Matakana Island as we investigate long-term options for managing treated wastewater from Katikati.

Specialist contractors are carrying out ground investigations as part of work looking at whether a replacement wastewater pipeline across the harbour could be a future option for wastewater disposal.

The survey, being carried out by Brown Bros Drilling, involves 14 investigation sites along a proposed route just north of the existing pipeline.

🔹 Soil and sediment samples are being collected from beneath the harbour floor
🔹 Ground strength and stability is being tested to depths of up to 15 metres
🔹 Samples from five sites will also be tested for environmental contaminants as part of the ecological assessment.

This mahi is part of Council’s Katikati Wastewater Disposal Future Directions project, being guided by a Project Control Group and Te Ohu Waiora, a group made up of representatives from tāngata whenua, Council and external stakeholders.

The investigations are an important part of understanding what lies beneath the harbour and helping us assess the options for Katikati’s wastewater future.

Find out more here 👉 https://yourplace.westernbay.govt.nz/katikati-wastewater-disposal

28/08/2026

Kia ora Western Bay! FYI below from our mates at Bay of Plenty Civil Defence 👇

As usual, it’s a good time to take a few simple, practical steps to help stay prepared:

🔒 Secure or bring inside loose items like trampolines and outdoor furniture
🔋 Charge phones and devices, and think about how you’d manage if the power went out
🏠 If your property has flooded before, consider preparing sandbags early
⛰️ Be aware of any flood or landslide risk near your home, especially around streams, rivers, or steep slopes

If you live near, are visiting, or driving through areas which may be prone to landslides, please stay alert and aware.
Landslides can happen quickly and without warning. If you see signs of a potential landslide, please act quickly - evacuate the building, or move away from the area.

Warning signs include:
Small slips, rock falls, and sinking land, at the bottom of slopes.
Sticking doors and window frames, which may mean the land is slowly moving under the building.
Gaps where window frames are not fitting properly.
Steps, decks, and verandas, moving or tilting away from the rest of the building.
New cracks or bulges on the ground, road, footpath, retaining walls and other hard surfaces.
Tilting trees, retaining walls, or fences.

Read more on slips here: https://www.westernbay.govt.nz/council/news-and-updates/news?item=id:2wyafmtne17q9szxudsc

Please check in on neighbours, friends, and whānau if you can - sometimes a quick call or text goes a long way 💛

Please take care if you’re out and about, avoid floodwater, and stay up to date through MetService New Zealand, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Waikato & Bay of Plenty and Bay of Plenty Civil Defence channels.

Stay safe 💙

UPDATE: As of 9:35am, Sunday 30 August

Morning all, just letting you know that MetService New Zealand have lifted the Orange Heavy Rain Warning that was in place for the Bay of Plenty.

Weather can change quickly, so please keep an eye out on the Metservice website to stay up to date with the latest forecast.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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Morning all, MetService New Zealand has issued a Heavy Rain Warning (Orange) for parts of the Bay of Plenty.

This is warning is in place from 12pm (Saturday), through to 5am Sunday. During this time expect 70 to 100 mm of rain, mainly east of Whakatane, with peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h and possibly more in localised downpours with peak rates of 25 to 40 mm/hr.

Please take care as this weather could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions.

For any preparedness advice, check out the Get Ready website: https://getready.govt.nz/

You can check out your local council for weather updates, NZTA for journey planning and MetService for forecast changes.

Tauranga City Council Western Bay of Plenty District Council Rotorua Lakes Council Ōpōtiki District Council Te Kaunihera ā-rohe o Whakatāne - Whakatāne District Council Te Kaunihera ā rohe o Kawerau - Kawerau District Council NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi - Waikato & Bay of Plenty

28/08/2026

📣 Council in Brief – Episode 8

Featuring: Councillor Grant Dally

🗓️ Thursday 27 August

This latest update covers:

🏟️ Seven community organisations sharing more than $116,000 through Council’s Facilities in the Community Fund

🗳️ Council retaining the First Past the Post voting system for future local elections

💧 An update on work towards establishing a Joint Water Organisation with Tauranga City Council

🤝 Exploring the potential future role of Thames-Coromandel District Council in the Joint Water Organisation

The agenda and livestream are in the comments below 👇

25/08/2026

Kia ora Western Bay, please take note of the below shared post from Tuapiro Marae, Whanau o Tuapiro, Ngati Te Wai Info Page

🚨 PĀNUI: URGENT RĀHUI PLACED ON TUAPIRO AWA 🚨

Tēnā koutou katoa,

A rāhui has been placed immediately on the Tuapiro Awa following a sudden and tragic passing in the river. Out of respect for the tupapaku (deceased), their whānau, and tikanga Māori, this rāhui will be strictly observed for the next 7 days, lifting on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

📍 Affected Area

The rāhui covers the entire length of the Tuapiro Stream, stretching from the mouth of the Tuapiro River up to the top of Woodland Road.

🚫 Restrictions
To uphold the tapu of the awa and allow for proper mourning and spiritual cleansing, no activity is permitted in or on the water during this 7-day period.

This includes, but is not limited to:
* Swimming or wading
* Eeling and fishing
* Any recreational water activities
* Any kai gathering of any kind along the awa
* Water monitoring and testing

We ask all whānau, hapū, local residents, council agencies, and the wider community to strictly respect this rāhui and avoid the area during this time.

Ngā mihi nui for your understanding, support, and respect for the whānau during this difficult time our thoughts are with the Whānau at this sad time.

Please feel free to share this post to help spread the word.

Any questions re the rāhui please contact Shaan Kingi of Ngati Te Wai Tuapiro Marae for further assistance.

Kia Kaha Kia Maia Kia Manawanui.

Shaan Kingi
027 336 1174

21/08/2026

🚨 REMINDER! PAYT tags are one-and-done!

👀We’re seeing an increase in fake, altered and reused Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) tags being used on red rubbish bins across the Western Bay.

Examples include:
🔴 Tags taped or stapled back together after use
🔴 Photocopied tags
🔴 Tags recreated using similar-coloured materials

Using a fraudulent tag could result in a $200 infringement fine.

The genuine PAYT tag costs $5.20 (RRP) and helps make sure the cost of rubbish collection is paid by those using the service, rather than through general rates.

Most people are doing the right thing, but fraudulent tags undermine the fairness of the system and shift costs onto other residents. We’ll be increasing monitoring across the District, so please make sure your red bin has a valid PAYT tag attached for every collection.🙏

👉 Find out more about PAYT tags, including where to buy them:

We’re introducing a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) tag for all our rubbish bins to help reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill.