Keith Melville

Has anyone given much thought to the opportunities lost, social and economic, by Whakatāne District Council rejecting Tāneatua in favour of Awakeri and Matatā for long-term residential growth?

In rebuffing Tāneatua because of claimed higher natural hazard risks, the council is now working on its draft Awakeri structure plan for future growth.

I am not convinced the reasons given for rejecting Tāneatua are sound, and I can’t help but think the excuses might be more to do with the town’s lower socio-economic status or to put it more honestly – its reputation as a poor Māori community with social issues, and as a place to avoid.

On the other hand, Awakeri is a wealthy Pakeha farming area and mostly bare land with a few shops.

Unlike Tāneatua, Awakeri has some influential backers possibly with an eye for the money that growth would bring.

If my suspicions are anywhere near correct, Whakatāne people, the council, supporters of the Awakeri concept and others, need to do some soul-searching.

What is even more surprising to me; we haven’t heard a whisper or a whimper from those you would expect to hear from, such as the Tāneatua community board.

The council decision, with its socially selective undertones, is a serious snub for Tāneatua.

The woke Whakatāne middle-class, women’s groups and their male hangers-on, lefties and greenies, the teacher unions, guilty white liberals, and the lanyard-wearing bureaucrats from Government, iwi, and local government agencies, are all AWOL from the discussion.

Tūhoe too, deserve the proverbial boot for saying nothing when it’s their turf, their town and their tamariki, who could benefit most from investment and growth.

I am not saying the council should step in and pour ratepayer money into Tāneatua, but you would think they could work out some kind of deal with government agencies, landowners and Tūhoe.

The latter are still flush, I am told, with Waitangi settlement funds.

Wouldn’t upgrading Tāneatua’s infrastructure and the town itself make more sense economically than spending a fortune on what would largely be a greenfields development at Awakeri, including the big cost, sewerage?

Tāneatua was once a thriving Whakatāne rural town, which fell on hard times in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

More recently, Tāneatua has seen major improvements to its economy and outlook thanks mainly to Tūhoe’s Waitangi settlement and also to the attraction of cheap housing and land.

Tāneatua’s infrastructure and facilities include a water supply, sewerage, roads, parks, clubrooms, and a school.

Some of these, as well as drainage, are in need of substantial improvement but on the other hand, the Whakatāne to Tāneatua Road is being upgraded and flood-proofed now, and the single-lane Pekatahi bridge on State Highway 2 near Tāneatua is earmarked for replacement and an upgrade next year.

The town has about eight active shops, and first-class medical facilities, the envy of some Whakatāne people I know.

It also has that magnificent Tūhoe living house, tribal headquarters and community centre.

Tāneatua is ripe for more attention.