Council facilities and venues under Alert Level 2
Most Council facilities and venues will reopen to the public from Monday, 18 May. This includes customer service centres, museums, swimming pools, halls, sports fields, playgrounds, the dog pound and libraries, etc.
Physical distancing and contact tracing measures will be in place, along with safe hygiene practices. The number of people using Council facilities will be limited, in line with Level 2 guidelines.
Open spaces and parks are already open, but everyone must use the two-metre physical distancing rule when accessing these places. Keep your dog on a lead at all times.
Please be aware that not all Council services will be operating at 100 percent from Monday, as staff re-integrate into the Civic Centre and other facilities, so your patience will be appreciated.
Contacting the Council
Council customer service centres will reopen to the public, however, residents are encouraged to continue to use online services wherever possible.
If you need to contact the Council, you can:
Call the Customer Services call centre on 07 306 0500
Email info@whakatane.govt.nz or use our online form
Council meetings
Council meetings will continue to take place online-only at Alert Level 2.
Community Board meetings will be a mix of online and in-person. Confirm meeting details and see a schedule of meetings by visiting the Meetings and Agendas page.
Three Waters Services (drinking water, waste water and storm water)
There is no disruption to Whakatāne District water supplies, waste water services and storm water management.
A reminder to not flush wipes of any type – Remember the three Ps – Poo, Pee and (toilet) Paper only should be flushed.
If you are returning to a location where drinking water taps have not been used during lockdown, it’s recommended that you flush your taps from an outdoor tap furthest from the road and any faucets that you drink from.
Download more information on Plumbosolvency from the Ministry of Health website – (Word, 33 KB)
Rubbish and recycling
Normal kerbside rubbish and greenwaste services continue.
The move to Alert Level 2 means the Council’s kerbside glass collection service can resume. The first collection will take place on Monday, 18 May 2020. Please place glass bottles and jars without lids in your glass collection crate.
Yellow-lid bin recycling can also begin again under Level 2 as the sorting facilities are re-opening. However, the Council will conduct one more collection cycle where the content of these bins is sent to landfill. Many residents are currently using their yellow-lid bin as a defacto second rubbish bin. It is hoped that the extra run will allow people to get back to a regular rubbish and recycling routine and reduce potential contamination.
So the message from the Council is that for the collection cycle beginning 1 June, please go back to placing only the ‘Big Six’ items in your yellow-lid bin: paper, cardboard, tins, cans, plastics 1 and 2.
Refuse and Transfer Stations
Both the Whakatāne and Murupara Refuse Transfer Stations are already open and collecting glass. Other recycling drop-offs will be allowed from Thursday, 14 May.
Physical distancing will be strictly enforced. Please follow instructions and signage, and be patient and kind to staff on site.
All vehicle registration details will be recorded.
Only one person is allowed out of each vehicle.
No cash transactions, payment by card and account only.
Do not bring any large items that require more than one person to move – staff on-site will not assist.
Whakatāne opening hours
Monday – Friday: 8 am – 5 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 9 am – 4 pm
Murupara opening Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 am – 3 pm
Tuesday, Thursday: 2.30 pm – 5 pm
Saturday – Sunday: 9 am – 4 pm
Public amenities
All public toilets will reopen under Level 2.
Swimming Pools
The Whakatāne Aquatic Centre will be opening on Monday 18 May 2020 from 6am.
Fitness Centre – Open Monday to Friday 6am till 8pm & Saturday – Sunday 7am till 6pm.
Indoor Pool – Scheduled timetable coming soon which will have selected time slots for Squads, Aqua classes and Lane Swimming.
Outdoor Pool – Open for Lane Swimming – Monday to Friday 6am till 7pm & Saturday to Sunday 7am till 5pm.
Learner Pool, Hydro Slide and Water Features will be closed until whilst we work out what Level 2 looks like with the current restrictions.
Libraries and Galleries (Lifelong Learning)
Whakatāne and Murupara Libraries will open on Monday, 18 May.
Edgecumbe and Ōhope Libraries remain closed at Level 2.
Libraries’ contactless services / on-line services continue.
Te Kōputu – Monday to Friday – 8am to 5pm.
Murupara – Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 5pm (normal hours).
Edgecumbe Community Library – CLOSED under Level 2 due to vulnerable volunteers.
Ōhope Community Library – CLOSED under Level 2 due to vulnerable volunteers.
Te Whare Taonga o Taketake Whakatāne Collections, Archive and Research Museum
This facility will open to the public from Tuesday, 19 May.
Opening hours are 10am to 2pm – Monday to Friday.
During Level 2 we will be providing the following services:
Research enquiries, requests and access to the museum
Please contact the museum by email museumandarts@whakatane.govt.nz or phone on 07 3060505 to arrange access to the museum or to request information or assistance.
Collections access requests:
· The Whare Taonga (Collections rooms) – no access to the collection rooms except by prior arrangement with the Museum manager.
· No collection or archive tours, or group hosting, under Level 2.
Cemetery and crematorium
The cemetery and crematorium are operational for burials and cremations, which must be arranged through a funeral director.
Up to fifty people can attend a funeral or tangihanga, but strict physical distancing must apply.
The crematorium chapel will reopen.
Cemetery grounds are open, but visitors must maintain strict physical distancing measures.
i-SITE
From Monday, 18 May the Whakatāne i-SITE will be open from 9am – 4pm on weekdays and 10am – 3pm on Saturdays.
The i-SITE will closed on Sundays for the foreseeable future.
Airport
Whakatāne Airport will be open at Level 2. Dates for the start of normal flight services from Air Chathams will be advertised on their website.
Port
Normal operations will resume at Level 2.
Boat ramps
All Bay of Plenty boat ramps are to the public at Level 2.
Campgrounds and Freedom Camping sites
Council-run and Department of Conservation camp grounds, huts and campsites re-open at Level 2.
Emergency Management
Civil Defence functions have been activated and the organisation is supporting the Ministry of Health as the lead agency for the pandemic response. Staff with Civil Defence responsibilities remain on standby to respond to any other emergencies that may occur during this period.
Building inspections
Building inspections had already re-commenced under Level 3.
If you would like to book an inspection, call 07 306 0500. Please have the consent number, type of inspection you need, site address, who will be on-site and contact details ready.
At this stage, your inspection will not be confirmed. You will be contacted by the inspections team to confirm the inspections.
All safety requirements and recommendations identified by the Government under Alert Level 3 must be adhered to on the site for the inspection to take place.
For more information visit mbie.govt.nz or the registered Master Builders website.
Food safety
Food premises verifications resume at Level 2. If your premises is now due or overdue, the Environmental Health team will be in contact to schedule your verification. In most cases the verifications will be undertaken via ‘remote check’ using phone and video calling applications such as skype or zoom.
If your registration expired during Level 3 or 4 please contact the Environmental Health team via phone 07 306 0500 or email environmentalhealth@whakatane.govt.nz.
Animal Control Services
The pound and Animal Control Services activities will be operating as normal.
Please keep your dog on a lead to avoid potential contact with other people out walking.
