Western Bay of Plenty District Council has followed in the footsteps of its counterpart Tauranga City Council - backing out of the tsunami sirens system tabled by the two councils.

At yesterday's Western Bay of Plenty District Council operational services committee meeting councillors agreed to cancel the contracted Meerkat Systems to design and obtain consent for a tsunami warning system.

Western Bay of Plenty is following TCC in re-evaluating the tsunami siren system.

The cancellation comes after a recommendation of a joint council review of the warning system and whether it is needed.

If external funding did not eventuate, Tauranga City Council indicated they would proceed with their system and Western Bay would not be in a position to continue with its system.

The cancellation comes after Tauranga City Council members learned earlier this month the Auckland based company could not deliver the required specification of 80 per cent coverage in outdoor at risk areas on budget.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council engineering services group manager Gary Allis says the tsunami system has always been a joint system, but admits council does not have the same issues with the Meerkat System.

'The plans are there. What this report is about is tsunami siren warnings only based on a joint system and the council could choose to go on its own.”

Mayor Ross Patterson says this cancellation is only a step in producing a safe and efficient tsunami warnings system for the Bay of Plenty region.

'I think there's a lot more we need to work on. We need to work out what the early warning systems are.”

Councillors agreed while the Meerkat system may still be most appropriate for Western Bay it is a joint project with Tauranga City Council.

One of the issues identified is the system's inability to produce the required sound coverage for the Western Bay component of the joint project.

Margaret Murray-Benge says she supports the recommendations, but suggests there needs to be a concerted effort to update the warnings for their district.

'They need to be updated so in times of an emergency we know what to do.”