Whakatane Association Monthly Meetings
Wednesday 21-Oct-26:
Venue: Liberty Centre. Starting at 10am.
Speakers: Candidates for the East Coast General Election
Whakatāne Grey Power will be holding a 'meet the candidates' event in which each candidate will have the opportunity to introduce themselves to the audience and answer pre-prepared questions and questions from the floor on a range of topics.
Wednesday 16-Sep-26:
Venue: Knox Presbyterian Church Hall. Starting at 10am.
Speaker: Dr Victor Luca, President, Whakatāne District Grey Power Association
I have been pursuing the installation of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner at Whakatāne Hospital since 2019. Currently about 23 in-patients have to be transported to Tauranga for scans where there are seven scanners. Many outpatients requiring scans have to make their own way to Tauranga.
Grey Power members were informed in June 2024 that a scanner was to have been installed on the hospital campus by December of 2024 but it never happened. Health NZ have given many stories for the failure of the project. After sitting in a crate for several years the scanner that was to have been installed at our hospital, and which would be owned and operated by Bay Radiology, was eventually sent to Masterton where a new MRI scanning suite is being built.
Myself and others have been investigating this situation with a view to piecing together the puzzle. We have done this by making Official Information Act requests to Health NZ. I will update the membership on what we know of this sorry saga so far.
Wednesday 19-Aug-26:
Venue: Knox Presbyterian Church Hall. Starting at 10am.
Speaker: Katerina Gordon, CE Toi Manawa Alliance
Katarina Gordon, the Chief Executive of Toi Manawa Alliance, formerly known as the Eastern BOP Primary Health Alliance. Katarina will speak about the Primary Health Services that the Alliance in our area.
Wednesday 22-Jul-26:
Venue: Knox Presbyterian Church Hall. Starting at 10am.
Speaker: Dr Peter Minten, Grey Power Secretary
Peter has been doing some homework on reverse mortgages and will attempt to enlighten members on the subject.
Grey Power members are being pressurized by cost of living and health access issues.
A significant portion of the Grey Power membership is trying to make ends meet with superannuation payments only. Recent increases in (district) council rates, Whakatāne 9.1%, and electricity through raised line company charges have only created more pressure on those budgets. Luckily the average wage increases in New Zealand are still higher than inflation meaning the superannuation payment is keeping officially still ahead of the inflation but in reality, we know better: It is not!
Retirees belong to the cohort of people who are asset rich but cash (income) poor. There are several ways to unlock the equity retirees own in their own home, but it has its pros and cons. Peter will present different schemes which are available to retirees to release cash from their homes.
Wednesday 17-Jun-26:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church Hall, Domain Road. Starting at 10am.
Speaker: Keith Melville
The guest speaker for the meeting of Wednesday 17 June 2026 will be Keith Melville who will address the project that started more than seven years ago to build a retirement village on the other side of the river. This subject is of significant concern to many Grey Power members and it will be good to get a summary of publicly available information from Keith. See Beacon letter below.
Wednesday 20-May-26:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church Hall, Domain Road. Starting at 10am.
Annual General Meeting
AGENDA
Health & Safety Notices
1. Welcome and apologies - Mover, Seconder
2. Guest Speaker – Bryce Sheedy (EBOP Hospice)
3. Correspondence In & Out - Mover, Seconder
4. Minutes of previous AGM held 21-May-25
Matters arising from these Minutes (if any) Mover, Seconder
5. Treasurer’s Report – June Goodhew
Financial Report (Treasurer – June Goodhew) - Mover, Seconder
6. Membership report & constitution – Peter Minten
7. President’s Report – Victor Luca
Title: What did we do in 2025 and what will 2026 look like?
Discussion.
8. Nominations & Election of Committee Members
President, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee members.
9. General Business
10. Morning Tea
Wednesday 18-March-26:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church Hall, Domain Road. Starting at 10am.
Speaker: Donna Hill, Awhina Health Care
Donna’s talk is entitled ‘Staying Independent at Home - Practical Steps for Ageing Well’. See below for a summary.
Donna and Ann Bennett are Registered Nurses and the co-founders of Awhina Healthcare, an RN-led home support service based in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Before establishing Awhina Healthcare, Donna and Ann were the management and clinical leadership team at Ōhope Beach Care, where they worked closely with residents and families supporting complex aged care and dementia needs until the facility was sold in September 2025.
Their shared vision for Awhina Healthcare is to provide a nurse-led model of care that supports older adults to remain safe, independent, and well-supported in their own homes for as long as possible. Their clinical experience allows them to guide families through changing health needs, provide early intervention, and help navigate the often complex aged care system with confidence.
Friday 27-Feb-26:
Venue will be the Liberty Center, 65 Wairaka Street. Starting at 10am.
Speaker/s: Hon. Casey Costello, Minister for Seniors and Associate Minister of Health
Minister for Seniors brings Better Later Life Action Plan to Whakatāne
Grey Power Whakatāne will host the Minister for Seniors and Associate Minister of Health, Hon. Casey Costello, to talk about the Government’s plan to support people to live well as they age.
The minister will give a presentation, answer questions and then chat with members over a cuppa.
The Minister will outline the Better Later Life Action Plan, what it aims to achieve nationally, and what this means for ageing well in the Whakatāne community. The Minister will also discuss work underway to strengthen Aged Care.
This is a chance for people to hear directly from the Minister about the Government’s direction, connect with others in the community, and learn more about local support available in a relaxed setting.
Local organisations will be invited to share information about services that support health, wellbeing, and independent living.
Members of the public are welcome. RSVP not required.
Speakers for 2025
Wednesday 16 October 2025: Managing Whakatane hospital - Jenny Martelli (Interim CE).
Wednesday 17 September 2025: Meet the candidates event hosted by Grey Power.
Wednesday 16 August 2025: Fires and fire safety in the home - Ken Clark (FENZ).
Thursday 16 July 2025: Emergency preparedness through awareness: How to keep yourself safe in an emergency - Justin Douglas (WDC).
Wednesday 18 June 2025: Protecting and restoring the Kōkako - Peter Ferguson.
Wednesday 21 May 2025: Whakatane District Grey Power Association AGM.
Thursday 17 April 2025: Doing for the Community - Eastern Bay Community Foundation - Vivienne Barr and Co.
Thursday 20 March 2025: Eyecare in 2025 - why it’s important for you! - Ian Finch
Thursday 26 February 2025: Community Health Forum - hosted by Mayor Dr Victor Luca, Whakatāne District Council.
Wednesday 16-Oct-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker/s: Shantelle Yates (Branch Manager, ANZ Whakatane), Liana Kirk (Senior Personal Banker) and Pam Lang (Senior Service Consultant)
Title: Protecting yourself from Fraud and Scams
Topics covered will include:
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Why talk about Fraud and Scams?
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Common Fraud and Scams.
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How can you protect yourself?
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Where you can go for help?
Thursday 19-Sep-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker/s: Carolyn Hamill and Chris Peterson.
Title: Veterans and Veterinarians
Carolyn Hamill is a part-time veterinarian at Veterinary Health Centre and Chair of Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board. Chris Petersen is a veterinarian of 40 years experience and the owner and Principal of the Veterinary Health Centre, with branches in Whakatāne and Opotiki. He has a particular interest in equine work.
Wednesday 21-Aug-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker: Peter Minten
Title: NZ Forestry and Value Adding
Peter has been involved in the Pulp & Paper Industry since 1987, first in The Netherlands and then at Norske Skog in Kawerau until the mill’s closure in 2021.
Wednesday 17-Jul-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Leading through crisis: forming an appropriate leadership response to tame, messy and wicked problems.
Biography: Dr Leny Woolsey lives and works in Whakatāne. Between 2012 and 2023, she worked at the University of Auckland Business School, most recently as Director of Leadership Programmes and Professional Teaching Fellow. Her PhD thesis, Fool’s Play: The Performance of Leadership Development, was published in 2019 and won the Dean of Graduate Studies Prize for academic achievement. She has published in a number of A-rated journals including Management Learning and Organisational Aesthetics. At the University of Auckland, Leny was also Executive Director of the Kupe leadership scholarship, internationally renowned as the equivalent of the road scholarship in the UK. She was also a founding member of the Aotearoa Centre for Leadership and Governance and director of the University's flagshi Executive Leadership ‘Leadership Mindset’ programme.
Since 2023, Leny has been working at Whakatane District Council as Manager of Strategy and Performance. In addition to her PhD, she holds a BA, a PGDip (Business Administration) and an Executive MBA. She and her husband own a kiwifruit orchard near Edgecumbe.
Wednesday 19-Jun-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker: Sergio Fernandes (Operations Manager, Bay Radiology)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Whakatāne
The talk will be focused on explaining what MRI is and what its advantages and disadvantages are. From there will follow a discussion on the importance of having this imaging modality available to the East Bay population and what impact it will have on improving health outcomes.
Sergio was born in Lisbon, Portugal, where he also started his career in Medical Imaging. He has worked in the UK and Australia before joining Bay Radiology in Tauranga six years ago. With a background in MRI, Sergio has been involved in several expansion projects, with Whakatāne MRI being the most recent one.
Wednesday 22-May-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Whakatāne District Association Grey Power Association Annual General Meeting
The meeting was held in quite inclement weather and we only just managed to get a quorum. However, it was a good meeting and we did what we had to do. Most of the committee from last year remained in place this year. Committee member, John Blair, has resigned as he has moved to the South Island. The committee welcomes having a new membership secretary, Peter Minten.
Wednesday 17-Apr-24:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker: Carl Ridelli (Whakatane District Council)
Animal Control in Whakatāne
Whakatāne District Council’s Animal Control team is responsible for ensuring that dogs are not creating a nuisance to the public.
Wednesday 19-Jul-23:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Speaker: Deputy Mayor Lesley Immink
Bridging the Digital Divide
Abstract: The Eastern Bay of Plenty is well documented to be one of NZ’s highest deprivation demographics. Two lockdowns during the pandemic where children and teachers had to work online, you’d expect the government and Ministry of Education would ensure that all children at schools would have access to an appropriate learning device and reliable connectivity in their homes. Unfortunately not so! Lesley will give us a story of how one community’s life has being transformed with digital connectivity and how they are using those lessons Te Aka Toitū is assisting in bridging the digital divide.
Bio: Lesley is an experienced tourism and business professional, currently Deputy Mayor of Whakatāne District and Chair of Te Aka Toitū – a local digital connectivity trust. Lesley advocates for digital equity and believes that every family should have access to UBI - Universal Basic Internet, especially those who live in rural, remote and isolated communities
Wednesday 21-Jun-23:
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Mr Jack Nightingale will speak about education.
Wednesday 17-May-23: AGM
Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Mr Greig Dean will speak about Health Reforms and Localities.
Wednesday 17-Aug-22: Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
Dr Victor Luca will provide de debrief of the Federation AGM which he attended and which took place in Wellington between 26 and 28 of July.
The guest speaker at the meeting will be Brendan Horan who used to be a New Zealand First MP. His talk is entitled 'Cancel Culture, Politics and People Today'.
Wednesday 15-Jun-22: Venue will be the Knox Presbyterian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
The guest speaker will be Mr Nandor Tanczos (Whakatane District Councilor).
Talk Title: Demystifying the Process
Whakatāne District Grey Power Association Inc. AGM
Date: 18-May-22
Venue: Knox Presbytarian Church hall.
Start time: 10am
Come to our AGM to be held at 10am on Wednesday 18th of May.
President’s address: ‘Who are we, where we’ve been and where we’re going?’
Join the discussions and cast your vote for committee officials.
Nominations are open and forms need to be given to the President, Vice President or Secretary no later than 4pm on the 17th of May.
Get involved and help change Aotearoa for the better!
Wednesday 16-Feb-22: Venue will be the Knox Presbytarian Church hall on Domain Road and the meeting will commence at 10am.
The guest speaker will be Mr Ian Finch who is an elected member of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
New Zealand Health & Disability System Reforms and What they Means for You
Mr Ian Finch
Bay of Plenty District Health Board
Biography
Born in the North of England (think Coronation Street) back in the days when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Married To Sue for over 45 years (or as Sue says “2 life sentences and no option for parole!”)
Sue and I have 3 children 3 grandchildren 3I/2 horses and 2 cats ( the order of importance varies day to day!) I am an optometrist and Sue a midwife. We emigrated to NZ in 1991 and both of us consider Whakatane to be our turangawaewae. Over the years Whakatane has offered us the opportunity to be involved in cricket, soccer,horse riding, Rotary, optometric politics and most recently the District Health Board. We feel ourselves very privileged to be able to serve our community in both our business and our personal lives.
Abstract
The bones of New Zealand's present Health System were first laid down in 1938 with the Social Security Act of 1938. From the outset the system was supposed to guarantee:
- Universal availability and healthcare as a fundamental right without barriers to access;
- Equal access to the same standard of treatment;
- Preventive rather than curative focus;
- Integrated not fragmented services between primary and hospital-based care;
We clearly have not achieved this yet despite many subsequent reforms.
In my talk I will provide the lay of the land as far as the new reforms are concerned and what they may mean for the audience.
Wednesday 17-Nov-21: Venue will be the Knox Presbytarian Church hall on Domain Road at 10am on Wednesday the 17th of November. Guest speaker will be Mr Nigel Clarke who is Whakatane District Council's manager of solid waste.
Nigel will be putting us in the picture regarding what is going on in this important area and what changes we can look forward to in the future
There will be a second guest speaker also. Title of talk to be provided.
Wednesday 20-Oct-21: The venue will be the Knox Presbytarian Church hall at 10am on Wednesday the 20th of October. Our guest speaker will be Mr Bevan Gray.
Bevan is the General Manager of Infrastructure with the Whakatane District Council. He will speak to us about our water infrastructure and the three-waters reforms being proposed by central government.