Demand for Berths in Whakatane

One of the key deliverables from the Boat Harbour project is the delivery of more vessel berths in the town of Whakatane. The 2019 Business Case predicted a shortage, and a review of that demand in 2023 confirmed that all existing berths were fully occupied in the town, with additional vessels remaining in Tauranga, or rafted up alongside other vessels when berths were unable to be found.

The image below shows the shortage of berths on the river with seven vessels rafted up across all town wharves, when the picture was taken on Tuesday, 26 Nov 24.