Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand, 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.
It has a population of 18,700, with another 15,800 people living within the Whakatane District. Of the 34,500 people (June 2011 estimate) in the District, around 40% have M?ori ancestry. The District has a land area of 4,442.07 km� (1,715.09 sq mi). The Whakatane District was created in 1976.
Whakatane is part of the parliamentary electorate of East Coast, represented by Anne Tolley of the New Zealand National Party.
It is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, chosen as a compromise between the region's two larger cities, Taurangaand Rotorua.
Whakatane was affected by the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake
