A new website is aiming to put Whakatāne firmly on the map for visitors and locals, offering free promotion for businesses across the district.

Launched just over a month ago, Whakatāne Treasures is the brainchild of Whakatāne business owner Ethan Poulton, who many will recognise from The Olive Branch restaurant in Whakatāne.

The platform is designed as an online directory showcasing local hospitality, retail, accommodation and service-based businesses, while also aiming to attract tourists to the region.

“The primary focus is to attract tourists to Whakatāne,” Mr Poulton said. “But it’s also about creating local business connections and helping operators get noticed.”

The website provides a platform for Eastern Bay businesses to post a blurb about their business and a link to their website, generating more traffic to their site – all at no cost.

Mr Poulton said the free nature of the platform was a deliberate choice.

“There are no plans to make it paid. The whole idea is about helping the community and giving businesses exposure without barriers.”

Whakatāne Treasures also aims to fill a gap for businesses that often fly under the radar, such as private accommodation, home maintenance services, lawn care providers and other operators without physical premises.

“There are a lot of businesses in Whakatāne that people don’t know about because they don’t have a shop front,” Mr Poulton said.

“This gives them somewhere to be seen.”

Mr Poulton said site traffic was coming from countries including the United States, Australia and India, driven by search terms used by people planning travel to New Zealand.

“When people search for things to do in New Zealand, we want Whakatāne showing up more often,” he said.

Built using WordPress, the site is run solely by Mr Poulton, who is balancing the project alongside the demands of running a busy hospitality business during the peak summer season. He describes the process as a learning curve, but one he’s committed to long-term.

“It’s definitely a challenge juggling time,” he said.

“But this is a long-term project. I’m not worried if it takes a few months to really gain momentum.”

He said the site would continue to evolve, with plans under way to add events listings and “things-to-do” tabs to further promote Whakatāne as a destination.

Although similar directories already exist for the region, Mr Poulton sees Whakatāne Treasures as complementary rather than competitive.

“More positive promotion only helps,” he said.

“The point of difference is that this website is designed to bring in tourism, and it is free.

As the directory continues to grow, Mr Poulton hopes locals will get involved by adding their businesses to the site.

The more the community engages with it, the more valuable it becomes for everyone,” he said.

Local business owners interested in being featured can contact Whakatāne Treasures by emailing [email protected].

The website can be viewed at www.whakatanetreasures.com