The Opotiki Harbour Development
Coastal shipping used the Opotiki Harbour until the mid 1960s.  Since the mid 1960s part of the harbour has been reclaimed. 

It has been a long held aspiration of the Opotiki community to re-establish the town’s harbour.  The redevelopment of the harbour is a priority for the Council.  It is considered that the harbour will provide a platform for sustained economic growth in the district by. 

• Increasing the overall social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the Opotiki community and the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
• Enhancing recreation opportunities and public access to the coast
• Capitalising on opportunities arising from the proposed offshore Opotiki mussel farm
• Mitigating flooding on the Opotiki town and surrounding area
• Achieving a long-held community aspiration and a high priority Community Outcome

Employment opportunities associated with the development of a of a 4,750 hectare mussel farm venture off the coast of Opotiki, and further potential aquiculture developments will benefit from having all weather harbour access to processing and servicing facilities.

Council has been actively pursuing the harbour development and has  evaluated various options for the harbour entrance.   A double groyne system has been selected as a preferred option.   Engineers have been engaged to carry out detailed modelling of this system to further determine the coastal and river processes in relation to the groynes.

 It is expected that consent approvals will take until 2009 and construction will occur between 2009 – 2012.

Historic Precinct Development
A study of buildings in the Opotiki Town Centre identified Opotiki Town Centre as a “resource of regional and national significance”. The report concluded that “the Town Centre is one of the best surviving examples of a town centre from the late 19^th Century in the upper North Island” because it “retains today a broad range of building types.”   

The community recognises the value  of its built heritage and Council, under its Long Term Community Council Plan, has identified that the creation of the Town Centre as an historic precinct is one of the four key priorities for Council in terms of enhancing the environmental quality of the District.

The Council is currently working with Environment Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust to assess which methods are most appropriate for the achieving the historic precinct. 

 The report was released in March 2006 and entitled Opotiki Town Centre Historic Heritage Study – Parts One and Two is available from the Opotiki Library or may be viewed in PDF format (link). 

New Sports and Events Centre
An indoor sports venue that will accommodate cultural performances and sporting events is planned for Opotiki.    Council is currently considering options for the facility. 

New Town to Beach Walkway
A high level of support has been expressed both from within Council and the community for the establishment of a walkway from the town area to Waiotahi Beach.  This proposal has not yet been confirmed and will be fully investigated within the Walking and Cycling Strategy to be developed in 2008/09.  At this point funding options for investigation include Land Transport New Zealand, Development Contributions and the Lotteries Fund.

 Memorial Park Pavilion
A new pavilion is planned for Memorial Park to cater for tennis and netball and other activities and events held at the park.

Opotiki Sewerag Upgrade.
An upgrade of Opotiki sewerage reticulation is planned over the next five years.