It is not every day you find a jet ski buried in a patch of scrub.
That was the case for five new chainsaw operators when clearing pest plants from Walter Reid Reserve near Whakatāne.
The new recruits are among dozens in the Eastern Bay of Plenty who have been helped back into the work force through the Provincial Growth Fund's $8.2m investment in the Whakatāne District Council-led Kia Kaha Whakatāne project.
The initiative includes activities which will deliver roading, infrastructure and environmental projects in partnership with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and provide urgent economic relief, particularly for those who have lost jobs through Covid-19.