Taneatua revocation process begins
The Whakatāne District Council has started the legal process required to revoke the reserve status of two areas of land
in Taneatua.
Acting General Manager Infrastructure Paula Chapman says both areas were listed for possible divestment in the
Council’s 2010/11 Annual Plan. “The properties concerned – 7-11 Amokura Road and 37 Reid Road – have not
been used for reserve purposes and Council believes they have no future use as reserves. Accordingly, a decision
was made at the February Council meeting to proceed with the reserve revocation process and undertake further
consultation with the community, Iwi and the Department of Conservation, as required by the Reserves Act 1977.”
Advertisements will appear in local newspapers this week informing the public of the intention to revoke reserve status.
Any submissions or objections to that process must be lodged with the Council by 15 June. The Council will then
consider submissions before forwarding its decision, with any objections received, to the Minister of Conservation for a
final decision.
The Reid Road land consists of 1.61 hectares of fenced, unimproved land lying between the Taneatua Domain and
the Waimana River. If revocation proceeds, allowing the Crown to dispose of the land, the Council would establish an
esplanade strip to ensure that public access to the river was maintained.
The Amokura Road land is a 0.49 hectare Local Purpose Reserve, which was vested in the Council in 1980 as part
of a subdivision process. The local purpose classification was put in place soon after to allow the site to be used for
a proposed multi-cultural marae and community complex, but for a variety of reasons, that proposed use has not
occurred. Most of the property is fenced bare pasture, but a fenced 0.1768 hectare portion is currently leased to the
Taneatua Kohanga Reo.
Information on the revocation process and submission forms are available from the Whakatāne District Council
Customer Services Department, or can be downloaded from the Council