It’s great to see the sun shining again (most days!), though many farmers in the Ōhiwa catchment are still dealing with the aftermath of the intense rainfall event that hit the Waiōtahe Valley and Ōhiwa catchments on 30 July. Despite the significant damage across a relatively localised area, the event didn’t make national headlines. However, it certainly occupied many local minds then and now. Rainfall data from the Regional Council’s gauge at Whakatāne River (Awahou) recorde

There are good news for those keen on jumping into Ōhiwa Harbour’s waters this summer. In early November the first of the weekly tests carried out over summer confirmed the water quality at the Ōhope boat ramp is ‘good’. This mirrors the great majority of the 113 samples carried out over the last five years. In 94 per cent of times the water quality was rated ‘good’, in only 3 per cent caution was advised and in 4 per cent of samples, all of which were taken in the high rainf

With summer nearly here locals and visitors to Ōhiwa Harbour are gearing up to set the net for flounder, collect pipi or catch a snapper. It is timely that a local advocate for our ocean’s resources has just been given not one but two major awards.   On 11 September, the winners of the New Zealand Seafood Sustainability and Innovation Awards 2025 were announced at Parliament, recognising the many contributions of fishers, marine farmers, community groups and researchers from