Shared from Western Bay of Plenty District Council

Planning to bury your nose in a good book this summer? Or is lounging on the beach more your thing? Perhaps you have some adventures planned with your pooch?

Whether you’re a bookworm, a sun-seeker, a dog walker, or all three, we want your summer in the Western Bay to be as relaxing as possible.

Which is why Western Bay of Plenty District Council has put together a dedicated webpage where you can find all the information you need about essential services over the holiday period.

From opening hours and what days to put your bins out, to freedom camping and where you can walk you dog, it’s your go-to guide.

Here are the essentials…

Don’t miss out on getting your holiday reads out from the library or sorting out any end of year admin before the break!

Our libraries, along with all our service centres (Barkes Corner, Katikati, Te Puke, Ōmokoroa and Waihī Beach), will be closed from midday on Wednesday 24 December and reopen regular hours from Monday 5 January.

And remember, you can always download e-books via the library website if you find yourself short of a good read – libraries.westernbay.govt.nz.

During the weeks of Christmas and New Year, if your normal collection day is a Thursday or Friday, your bins will be collected a day later than usual. Please continue to put your bins out for collection by 7am.

• If your bin day is Monday or Tuesday – put your bins out as per usual.
• If your bin day is Thursday or Friday – put your bins out one day later than usual.

For gardening gurus and tidy-uppers, summer hours for recycling and greenwaste centres can be found here.

Did you know we have 46 places you can freedom camp in the Western Bay? There are some stunning spots! To see them all and find out more about each place, check out our interactive map.

As a Council, we need to make sure everyone is complying with the rules, so our after-hour contractors do regular patrols of most of our reserves. We also respond to complaints from the public about freedom camping.

Seasonal monitoring/patrolling

Our dedicated Council contractors patrol reserves across the District, including Waihī Beach, Te Puke, Paengaroa, Maketū, Pukehina, Te Puna, Ōmokoroa, and Tuapiro Point. Patrols take place nightly and in the early morning to ensure these spaces are well cared for and enjoyable for all.

Visit our Freedom Camping webpage for more information and maps on where freedom camping is allowed.

Freedom Camping Monitoring Schedule

Weekend Patrols:

Active monitoring of freedom camping areas will run from Friday night to Monday morning, starting Labour Weekend and continuing until Easter Weekend.

Daily Monitoring Over Summer:

From Friday 19 December 2025 to Friday 6 February 2026, daily patrols will take place. Patrol times may vary, but officers will generally monitor camping sites during the evening and night.

Noise Complaints – Christmas and New Year Monitoring:

From 5pm Christmas Eve (Wednesday 24 December 2025) to 8am on Monday 5 January 2026, there are specific complaint response rules:

• Before midnight: Two complaints are needed for Watchdog to respond. If the same person is making the complaint, a second call must be made an hour later. Two complaints from different people do not require the one-hour gap.
• After midnight: Only one complaint is needed for a response.
• New Year’s Eve: Two complaints are required before 1am, but only one complaint is needed after 1am.

Excessive Noise Discretion:

If there is clearly excessive noise that the After-Hours Consultant can hear directly, they may use their discretion to request a response, even if complaints don’t meet the usual criteria.