Frequently asked questions

In January 2022 a partnership was formalised between Te Rāhui Lands Trust, Whakatāne District Council, Ngāti Awa Group Holdings, the Crown via Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit.

The limited partnership has appointed board members who will provide governance of the project to ensure that the objectives of the project are realised, and to provide governance, oversight of finances, risk, engineering, environmental and other matters.

Te Rāhui is the name of the place where the new boat harbour will be located. It also means ‘the gathering place in the sun.’ The Te Reo Māori translation of Herenga waka is Marina, or Boat Harbour.

The Project forms part of the wider Whakatāne Regeneration Programme - Kaupapa Whakahaumanu o Whakatāne, which also includes proposed development and revitalisation works along the Whakatāne River riverfront and in the Whakatāne Town Centre.

The objective of the Whakatāne Regeneration Programme is to address the levels of deprivation in the eastern Bay of Plenty and the widening economic gap with the western Bay of Plenty, the lack of sufficient marine infrastructure, the need to revitalise the riverfront and the opportunity to leverage Whakatāne’s natural assets. The overarching strategy for the boat harbour is to deliver a range of benefits, including:

*Supporting local boat building and marine industry growth

*Meeting excess demand for vessel berthage,

*Provide vessel haul-out and hardstand maintenance facilities;

*Increase tourism numbers and tourism spend and delivering transformational change through stimulating marine tourism opportunities off the coast;

*Stimulating direct and indirect job creation in both the marine and tourism sectors;

*Enabling Iwi economic, commercial and cultural aspirations in the town

*Enabling growth through the provision of quality infrastructure

125,000 cubic metres of historic wood waste will be removed from the site in Stage 1 to a depth of three metres below ground level.

Testing shows that the majority of wood waste material and topsoil at the site is below contamination levels for human health and the environment, and can be classified as “cleanfill” material and reused for landfilling and recontouring.

Prior to the bulk earthworks, all existing vegetation within the site will be removed. Where possible this material will be mulched and reused onsite for stabilisation purposes. Where not suitable for reuse, it will be disposed of as cleanfill material.

The cut material will consist of a range of material from the historic wood waste to sand and soils. Where this material is suitable, i.e. sand and soils, it will be reused onsite to form the land component of the Boat Harbour, with the excess cut material to be transported to local reuse / cleanfill sites.

Currently Whakatāne’s commercial wharves and loading facilities are on the true right bank of the Whakatāne River, adjacent to The Strand. The Whakatāne Sport Fishing Club is adjacent to the primary wharf known as the concrete wharf. The wharves are referred to as the concrete wharf, the ‘western timber’ wharf and the ‘eastern finger’ . These wharves occupy approximately 350 m of the river margin. Commercial berthage supporting the local fleet occupy all the berths on the three wharves. Current vessels work in marine tourism, inshore fishing and the aquaculture industry. Passenger fish and shellfish loading and unloading occurs from the main wharf and at the “Offloading Wharf” 300m further downstream.

The limited berthage has had a negative impact on commercial marine operations in Whakatāne including loss of revenue from delays in unloading and also income generated from vessel maintenance activities being lost to other towns and cities. There is no additional available space on the existing wharves to accommodate the current demand and no ability to support or accommodate growth of commercial marine-based industries in Whakatāne.

The shortage of commercial berths has led to vessels using temporary measures to occupy the Whakatāne wharves including rafting up to other vessels berthed on existing wharves or occupying the unloading wharf and fuel pier areas. These actions lead to adverse health and safety impacts, congestion and inefficiencies which have a range of negative flow-on effects for the vessel fleet and also other industry involved in the transportation and processing of the seafood product.

The existing commercial facilities in town do not include either a vessel hoist to lift vessels from the water, or sufficient space to provide for a hardstand for vessel haul-out and maintenance. The only option for local vessel haul-out is using a mobile crane company, which is cost prohibitive and restricted to only small vessels so is insufficient to service the full commercial fleet located in Whakatāne. With no facilities available in Whakatāne, vessels travel to Tauranga or further afield for their maintenance requirements.

There are existing limitations on recreational vessel users as the single boat ramp within the Whakatāne township experiences extremely high demand, particularly on weekends and holiday periods, with launching and parking spaces insufficient to accommodate the demand. Cars and trailers are often seen queued up in the carpark area and along Muriwai Drive waiting to launch and retrieve their trailer boats. As there is little designated car and trailer parking in the vicinity of the boat ramp (approximately 50 parks provided for), the neighbouring Kaputerangi Historic Reserve becomes the primary parking overflow area. This has direct adverse public amenity effects through loss of open space for recreational use and impacts on the river outlook due to the cars and trailers.

Vehicles towing boats travel to the existing boat ramp travel through the Whakatane CBD via any combination of Commerce Street or Kahakaroa Drive, and/or The Strand and then along Muriwai Drive. The latter is a residential area on the southern side, including the Ngāti Hokopū marae at 97 Muriwai Drive and the Mataatua marae at 105 Muriwai Drive. The Strand is designed as a low-speed environment and has numerous intersections with tight roundabouts and numerous pedestrian courtesy (i.e., not zebra) crossings. The Boat Harbour, as part of the Stage 3 – Recreational berthage development, will provide Whakatane with an additional boat ramp and approximately 100 car and trailer parks.

The Crown via Kānoa – The Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit of the Ministry of Business and Innovation and Employment is providing $19.6m and Whakatane District Council is funding $9.8m. The Council funding is coming from a loan against its existing Harbour Endowment Fund. The Council owns a number of harbour properties in the Whakatāne Central Business District. The income from these properties and any sale of harbour endowment assets are held as the Harbour Endowment Fund. Rules associated with the Harbour Fund have been set through legislation, and restrict income derived from leases or the sale of assets. The Boat Harbour funding contribution is included in Council’s Long-Term Plan (2021-31).

The project’s priority is to deliver employment and economic development outcomes by providing for the needs of the commercial marine industry (including fishing, tourism and boat building). Currently marine based commercial businesses are constrained due to lack of facilities in Whakatāne. Te Rāhui will focus on retaining the existing marine industry in the region by providing suitable facilities for businesses that wish to develop and expand.

The Te Rāhui Lands Trust site selected for the development was favoured as it was sufficiently large enough to be developed to also provide recreational facilities in a future stage, including a boat ramp and recreational marina berths.

Although these facilities are not yet funded a decision was made to seek consents for them so that they can be considered and advanced as soon as demand and funding is secured.

Please watch the video (on our website home page) to see how the project stages will be implemented.

The consent application includes dredging of several sections of the river between the yacht club marina and the boat harbour entrance. Most areas are already deep enough to accommodate an access channel all the way to the boat harbour entrance, but two specific areas required the dredging of the material that has accumulated over the years. Our coastal engineers have estimated the likely annual volume of maintenance dredging plus what material may arrive after a flood event. The boat harbour location has been selected on the western deeper side of the river to benefit from the existing deep water which has been present for many years. You can download the most recent river bed survey plan of the river using this link which has been overlaid with the boat harbour concept design and the proposed access channel. The areas in blue are at a suitable depth with additional dredging required in the green areas.

Item descriptionThere is a line of vegetation and planting along the perimeter of the Boat Harbour site. The majority of these plants are growing in the road reserve, with the Keepa Rd upgrade project expecting to lift and widen the road and cycleway its expected that all existing plants will be removed and replaced with new plants at the new levels of the road and cycleway. In addition the Boat Harbour property will have a landscaping plan which will include planting around the perimeter and inside the property.

The project includes restoration and remediation on the neighbouring DoC land, where areas of exotic and indigenous trees and shrubs and a few small areas of scattered pampas will be added to, but the exotic trees such as willows and poplars to be removed. The southern quarter of the Scenic Reserve is mostly rank exotic grassland with exotic trees and shrubs.

The perimeter planting around the boat harbour site is likely to utilise trees that develop sufficient height to exceed the height of finished buildings and structures. Our advisors noted that trees planted in amenity areas can be deciduous or evergreen and be sited to allow for shade on footpaths, cycle ways and seating areas. Weed and animal pest control will also be ongoing to protect and support growth of preferred species as they become habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna.

You will find the the Environmental Protection Authority Te Mana Rauhā Taiao (EPA) website a good source of information that will assist you understand which parties have submitted and provided feedback through the process, both in support of and in opposition to the project. Use this link to access the page:

Whakatāne commercial boat harbour | EPA : https://www.epa.govt.nz/fast-track-consenting/referred-projects/whakatane-commercial-boat-harbour/

The project is designed with climate change in mind. Te Rāhui is itself part of the town’s response to climate change because the current berths are not sustainable, nor fit for purpose when considering climate change and rising sea levels.

Demand comes from local vessels at the wharf, on swing moorings, and in the marina, that seeking more secure berthage in the face of climate change impacts, new commercial operators, the town’s three major boat builders, fishing and aquaculture. There are a number of boat operators that have already expressed interest in berths and as the marina gets closer to being operational, more will arise. Commercial vessels will be given priority, but any empty berths will be made available to privately owned boats.

Anecdotally we are also aware of local people who have held of acquiring larger vessels because of the shortage of available berths.

The site chosen is a Maori Land block. The land will be leased from Te Rāhui Lands Trust, benefiting over 1000 shareholders of the land block. Te Rāhui Lands Trust aspires to transform the whenua into productive use while also strengthening the relationship of tangata whenua with their ancestral lands.

The key cultural values which are relevant to the Project are identified as:

The responsibility of Trustees to maintain and exercise Tino Rangatiratanga (self-determined futures) and Kaitiakitanga (inherited responsibility as guardians of Te Taiao).

The other key cultural values are Whanaungatanga (relationships); Manaakitanga (care and support for others); and Kotahitanga (unity)

Overall for the Trust, Te Rāhui represents the ability to realise the potential of the whenua while also providing an important stepping stone for future environmental, social, cultural and economic development.

Te Rāhui will be built in three stages. Stage 1 and Stage 2 – will start when consent is received and is expected to take over two years to build. A future stage known as stage 3 is proposed to come in the future and is subject to demand and any required funding approval.

Stage 1 provides for the site enabling works including (non-indigenous) vegetation clearance, services relocation and removal of historical wood waste previously disposed of onsite from the mill. The earthworks for Stage 1 will involve works over the entire Boat Harbour site (over the Stage 2 and Stage 3 Project area).

Stage 2 provides for the earthworks and construction activities required to create the commercial elements of the Boat Harbour (northern portion) including works within the Scenic Reserve and Local Purpose Reserve relating to creation of the access channel and the wetland restoration works. Following the completion of the construction activities, the Boat Harbour’s commercial elements will become operational.

Stage 3 provides for the earthworks and construction activities required to create a recreational boat harbour (southern portion) which would include a large public boat ramp and car and trailer storage.

You can watch a video of the construction stages on our homepage.

The COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 provides for a short-term consenting timeline process to fast track projects that can boost employment and economic recovery.

In a standard consent process, when a project application for resource consent is received, the public is notified and able to provide feedback. With the Fast Track process, consultation is conducted with specific people and groups before consent application is filed.

The Project Team has worked with Ngāti Awa representatives, the land owners, neighbours, and the marine industry for two years in order to prepare the project to be ready to apply for consent on this basis.

Normal consent processes for projects like this can take many months. For Te Rāhui, it provides certainty of timing, enabling the boat harbour to apply for consents and if successful be built promptly to allow the region to begin experiencing the benefits as quickly as possible.

Those interested can contact the project team and learn more about the project, and can be assured that the Environmental Protection Agency will process the consent application in a manner that considers the effects of the development.

The dynamic and sensitive nature of the awa has been considered through all stages of the project design.

Prior to any bulk earthworks commencing, the contractors will install the necessary erosion and sediment control measure to ensure that any sedimentation, erosion, and stormwater runoff is appropriately provided for.

Underwater, the basin floor will use a stablising product to reduce erosion that also provides a habitat for marine life. Above water, a turf reinforcement system will enable planting and reduce the area of impermeable surfaces. This will be planted with species suitable to the local coastal environment.

The works to create the access channel will impact approximately 0.1 ha of wetland area within the neighbouring Scenic Reserve to the south of the proposed access channel location. Therefore an equivalent area of former saltmarsh wetland to the north that was smothered by wood waste will be restored, enabling saltmarsh species to naturally recolonate the area.

Stormwater runoff from buildings, roads and the hardstand will be treated, with priority to reuse stormwater onsite. If onsite storage is at capacity, treated stormwater runoff will overflow and discharge via piped outfall to the Boat Harbour waters. Non-potable reuse of water onsite, permeable paving, treatment swales for carpark runoff, and irrigation of landscape areas significantly reduce the volume of discharges to the waterway.

The commercial wharf area and its diesel facilities will be bunded to form a hydraulically isolated zone in case of any leak.

Vessel maintenance activities on the hardstand and in the hardstand shed (boat washing, blasting, and application of inter-coat, paint, and antifouling) will generate a range of contaminants and a sophisticated treatment system will ensure this is filtered, treated and not discharged to the river.

Dredging within the Whakatāne River below the SH30 bridge, is proposed to create sufficient depth within the main river to provide safe navigation and access to the Boat Harbour to an operational depth of 2-2.5m below Chart Datum. This is funded by the project.

Dredging will be required within parts of the river from the access channel down to the existing Harbour DevelopmentZone (HDZ). Whakatane District Council currently holds a resource consent that authorises dredging within the zone and through to the area where the river meets the ocean, and this is not part of the Te Rāhui project.

Whakatāne District Council is funding its share of the development with borrowing from the Harbour Endowment Fund. The Harbour Endowment Fund benefits the District because it allows the Council to undertake some projects at little or no cost to ratepayers.

The principal purpose of the Harbour Fund is investment back into the maintenance or improvement of the harbour or harbour properties. This endowment is not available for non-harbour-related infrastructure capital or maintenance projects.

About the Harbour Endowment Fund :

Whakatāne District Council owns a number of harbour properties which were originally vested in the Council in 1976 when it took over the functions of the Whakatāne Harbour Board. The majority of these are commercially zoned land holdings around the Whakatāne Central Business District, but the holding also includes a small number of properties in Ōhope. Many of these properties are leased and provide a commercial return to the Council. The income from leases and from any sale of harbour endowment assets is held as the Harbour Endowment Fund. The fund is also used to fund the maintenance of assets that were developed through the Harbour Fund. The Council can only access the Harbour Endowment Fund for other purposes other than the maintenance or improvement of the harbour or harbour properties with approval from the Minister of Local Government, which it has done in the past to contribute to major storm‐related costs. The Council will also continue to use the Harbour Fund for internal borrowing.

You can read more in Whakatāne District Council’s long term financial strategy, 2015-2025.

The project partners have a multistage strategy to make sure as many local people as possible are employed either directly or indirectly in the build and then the operation of the boat harbour. This will include a focus on training people or assisting them pivot to new roles as part of the construction and operation.

The Town Wharf repair project completed in 2020 and 2021 used a similar strategy with over 75% of the workforce sourced locally. Several people involved in the project gained new skills that allowed them to move to higher paying roles after the project’s completion.

Te Rāhui is positioned on the inside bank of the river, and does not affect the majority of the existing stop bank that runs along the length of the boat harbour.

The access channel, approximately 30 m wide and approximately 180 m in length, is to be constructed along the general alignment of the BOPRC’s Kopeopeo Canal flood pump station discharge channel which passes through the Scenic Reserve before discharging into the Whakatāne River. The access channel will bisect the BOPRC flood stopbank, with the formed area of the Boat Harbour to be built to match the height of the stopbank to maintain the existing level of flood protection provided.

Fill material, primarily sourced from within the site (below the wood waste material), will be placed over the land footprint / building area of the site to raise ground levels to match the existing BOPRC stopbank height of approximately 4.0 m. This will ensure that the Boat Harbour provides for ongoing flood protection once the stopbank is cut through to connect the access channel and the Boat Harbour to the river.

Some water users, including rowers, kayakers and waka ama, are concerned about the impact of increased water traffic on their activity. This is a justified concern because wakes from large vessels travelling at speed are an issue for smaller craft. In accordance with maritime law, all vessels are required to travel at a speed of 5 knots or less when less than 200m from shore or 50m from another boat. We expect the vessel operators using the boat harbour will uphold a high standard of etiquette in this regard. Around the world it is not uncommon for water sports to operate within and in close proximity to marina operations like Te Rahui. Those in small craft should always make sure that they are visible, carry the right safety gear, and understand the boating rules to keep themselves and others safe. We also know that vessels use the slow running periods at the start and end of their voyacges to warm up and cool down their engines, so the slow running period will not be an issue to Boat Harbour tenants.

We don’t expect to fill all the berths immediately. In fact, the business case suggests that the berth will reach 75% occupancy over the first four years of operation.

This is because Te Rāhui is designed to accommodate current and future requirements, enabling the industry to develop and grow around the boat harbour once it is operational, just like has happened in other regions with successful marine industry clusters.

Just like with building a new mall, carpark, or road: best practice for any major long-term infrastructure project tlike this one is to build with capacity to accommodate future growth, rather than building it just big enough for the capacity of today. In addition, this project will be delivered in two stages, with the second stage delivered as demand and funding allows.

While the projects are very similar, people usually choose to berth their vessel close to home, so the Opotiki project will support their town and Te Rāhui will support Whakatane. The Ōpotiki project also has a focus on aquaculture.

Whakatane District Council as Port Operator already has a responsibility for this task for the berths that already exist in Whakatāne.

Most areas of the river are already deep enough to accommodate an access channel all the way to the boat harbour entrance, but two specific areas required the dredging of the material that has accumulated over the years. The consent application includes dredging of several sections of the river between the yacht club marina and the boat harbour entrance. A portion of dredging costs will be paid by Te Rāhui to account for dredging required in a portion of the river, but otherwise Whakatāne District Councill will continue its existing dredging program and be responsible for those costs.