More than three-and-a-half years after the horror of the Whakaari-White Island eruption, signs identifying Whakatāne as the gateway to the volcano are still in place.
Now Whakatāne District Council says, despite differing views, the signs will be gone by summer.
While it is still possible to book a scenic flight over the volcano, it is not currently possible to set foot on the island and White Island Tours has said it will not be returning to the island off the Bay of Plenty.
The tourism company pleaded guilty to charges by Worksafe NZ of failing to meet their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 in the lead-up to the eruption on December 9 in 2021. Some 22 people died and a further 25 were injured.
In 2018, Whakatāne District Council installed several signs located at the entrances to the Whakatāne district, along Landing and Domain roads, and in Ōhope, co-funded by Waka Kotahi/ NZ Transport Agency to highlight the town’s point of difference as a tourist destination.
A Whakatāne resident, who asked not to be named, said the signs are insensitive and a constant reminder to those who had been harmed by the eruption of the events.
“They are everywhere. I see at least four of them each day when I drive to work and you can’t not see them.”
Whakatāne District Council strategy and transformation general manager Steven Perdia said it had been a complex time.
However, he said progress was being made toward making a decision about the future of the signs.
“Conversations have started again with key stakeholders and iwi partners to progress the removal of the signs, and we expect the work to be completed ahead of next summer.”
The small volcanic island's three owners are now the main defendants in a trial over health and safety failings in the lead up to the deadly eruption.
WorkSafe began its submission to the judge-alone trial in Auckland on Tuesday. The trial is set down for 16 weeks.
- By Diane McCarthy
Local democracy reporter
