Around the motu: Diane McCarthy in Whakatane

Submissions to Whakatane District Council's long-term plan have councillors worried that residents do not know where to head in a tsunami alert. Diane says another submitter to the long term plan is so concerned about Whakatane's total lack of preparedness for major civil defence emergency, she has organised for a team of scientists from GNS to hold a workshop and is inviting our community leaders to attend. And the town wharf in Opotiki is undergoing a major upgrade at the moment to accommodate commercial boats from local iwi Whakatohea's mussel farm to berth there.