On August 14, 2024, the Waipa District Council borrowed $50 million from the Local Government Funding Agency at 4.67 and placed it on Term Deposits with ANZ bank and BNZ bank until April 14, 2025, when it would be used to repay other debt.
The council announced in the Cambridge News that this “arbitrage arrangement” would make a profit of $384,000 by the time it matured.
What the WDC failed to state was that the $50 million was borrowed from the LGFA at 4.67 per cent until April 2029.
Any homeowner with a mortgage would know not to borrow long term when interest rates are falling and predicted to fall, as they have.
In reply to my queries WDC state that the “arbitrage suggestion was identified by Bancorp as council’s treasury advisor”, and that Bancorp, a merchant bank, are paid around $30,000 per annum for advice.
Councillors were “pre-notified” by council staff of the intention to do this deal on
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A Hamilton based person who allegedly stole from The Warehouse on three occasions has been located and will appear in court later this month.
Seven people stopped on our roads were found to be driving with excess breath or blood alcohol in the past seven days. They will receive fines or appear in court as applicable.
Last Thursday police attended a report of disorder in Shakespeare Street. We received multiple 111 calls in relation to it from members of the public, each providing valuable information. Others kept an eye on the parties involved, enabling us to quickly locate them. Thank you to those who rang.
In the past seven days we have again had a few burglaries including attempts to steal vehicles parked on private property. In addition, three vehicles were stolen.
Please ensure your vehicles are locked and parked in well-lit areas – even a sensor light can deter criminal activity and draw the attention of passersby to what is happening.
A car alarm or steering lock are strongly recommended. Do not leave wallets, or other sought after items in the vehicle. That attracts offenders and compounds your financial loss. CCTV as always is a recommended and worthwhile investment for protecting your property.
If someone steals your car report it as soon
“Bancorp’s recommendation as treasury advisors”.
No councillor raised any objections to or made any comment on this transaction of borrowing and speculation that was highly likely to cost extra money over the four years term it is actually needed for. Incredible.
Why is the council dealing with Bancorp if they provide advice like this? And what is the point of council Risk and Audit staff if they did not flag this transaction?
I calculate that the current LGFA lending rate of 4.41 per cent for this arbitrage arrangement will cost the WDC a net loss of $136,000 by April 2029. It could have been worse.
Why can council staff do a $50 million deal like this without seeking formal approval at a meeting of the full council?
Because “the Treasury Management Policy enables arbitrage arrangements to be entered into at officer discretion”. $50 million worth?
However, “our practice has always been, and was in this case, to pre-notify councillors of the intended transactions before the
as possible. As part of the report, providing permission for police to tow the vehicle, when located, is key to identifying those responsible.
Our scene of crime officers can then do a forensic examination with the aim of matching fingerprints and DNA to known offenders, or those who subsequently come to police attention. Where you have insured the car, insurance usually covers the cost of the tow. As a minimum, a third party, fire and theft vehicle insurance policy is recommended and costs less than comprehensive insurance. It ensures that if you damage someone else’s car in a crash, your car catches fire or is stolen, you may be compensated.
Finally, this week is Road Safety Week. You may recently have seen our officers out on the beat around 3pm stopping cyclists from riding on the pavement through town. Please reinforce to your children, especially teenagers, that they should use the cycle lanes when travelling through the CBD (Victoria Street or Bryce/Duke/Wilson streets). Cyclists (and electric scooter riders) travelling at speed - often weaving through groups of pedestrians- is a continuing problem. If cyclists wish to use the footpath through the shopping area, they should dismount and walk their bicycles through. Be a road safety hero.
transactions are locked in place”. Also “... transactions of this nature are only entered on the advice of our Treasury Advisors, Bancorp New Zealand Limited”.
It is obvious that policy must be changed so that proposals like this “arbitrage arrangement” are brought up at a council meeting where newspapers can bring it to the notice of ratepayers.
Why did no councillor raise the alarm to put a stop to this speculation that is going to cost ratepayers more than what it would have cost if they had borrowed this month when actually needed?
Peter
Clapham
Cambridge
We put the points raised to Waipā District Council, which responds: Waipā District Council actively manages approximately $300 million of debt within a Treasury Policy framework that complies with legislation and is independently advised by treasury specialists. The transaction in question was not speculative, it formed part of the broader interest rate risk management strategy in place (one that is regularly reviewed) to maintain policy compliance and protect the Council from ongoing interest rate volatility. Expert advice from the Council’s advisors confirmed that the approach taken met overall risk management goals and had the bonus of offering a modest financial benefit compared to other hedging options, while keeping the Council fully compliant with its Treasury Policy. Waipā District Council manages its risk in line with best practice and this is reflected in its external credit rating of AA-.
More letters page 21
Briefs…
Resurfacing
Resurfacing work started this week on the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway this week and goes through to July. Crews will remove layers of the road and replace them with a new asphalt surface.
Sunday concert
Sunday afternoon’s Te Awamutu Concerts Alive! presentation at St John’s Church will feature one of the town’s own talents. Te Awamutu pianist Carlee Hanna will join fellow Waikato Chamber Collective members (pianist Fergus Byett and flautists Matthew Burns and Jacqui McPherson) to perform music by Debussy, Chopin, Faure, Reinecke and Doppler. All four have recently completed their studies and are launching their musical careers by performing and accompanying.
Bateup named
Neil Bateup has been named as one of three finalists in the seventh annual Primary Industries NZ Awards to be announced next month. Bateup joins Taranaki’s Ian Jury and the late Chris Allen (Ashburton) as rural finalists for his work in setting up the Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust. He now chairs the national trust.
Consultant fee debated
By Mary Anne Gill
A community board member is urging voters to scrutinise Waipā District Council’s spending on contractors and consultants ahead of the upcoming local body elections.
Sally Whitaker, who is not expected to stand again for the Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board, says the Lake Ngā Roto consultation has sucked up thousands of dollars in fees.
The contractor is outdoor spaces planning and management company Xyst which has offices in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Former Waipā senior reserves planner Anna McElrea, who now works for Xyst has worked on the Ngā Roto project.
“It’s a very colourful 76-page report about their plans for Ngā Roto,” said Whitaker.
“My long-running concern is the lake’s poor water quality. But perhaps unsurprisingly, the root cause of this problem is conspicuous by its absence in the report.”
Ngā Roto is not the only project using Xyst. Whitaker claims the company has been paid $700,000 in three years for several projects including Leamington Domain, sports fields lease model review, cemetery concept plans and capacity analysis, plan change 26 and the Lake Karāpiro Domain Reserve Management Plan.
She suggested it was time such projects run by consultancy services ended.
“Our council’s job is to be a utility
provider. Roads, water and rubbish.
In today’s era of increasing economic hardship for Waipā families, such projects need to be stopped.”
Whitaker’s concerns are echoed by Cambridge Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kelly Bouzaid, who questioned the council’s consultancy expenses in October last year.
In response to a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (Lgoima) request, the council disclosed that it spent $14 million on consultants in the 2024–25 financial year.
Bouzaid said she has yet to receive
a detailed explanation from the council, despite follow-ups. She said chief executive Steph O’Sullivan has undertaken to get back to the chamber with more details.
Waipā and other local authorities defend their use of external consultants arguing that many large-scale projects require specialist expertise that would be costly to maintain in-house.
The council acknowledged in the Lgoima request that it did not collect or record specific information on whether suppliers were contractors or consultants.
The $14 million figure was drawn from a general “Consultancy” code in its accounting system, suggesting the actual total could be higher.
Whitaker is still critical of the Lake Ngā Roto consultation, particularly its omission of environmental concerns such as sewage discharge and agricultural runoff and the use of herbicides
“Rather than numerous meetings and useless, possibly unread online reports, ratepayers deserve prudent, value for money, selective spending. What positive outcomes could have been achieved with that $700,000?”
Leamington Domain consultation resulted in a playground upgrade.
Heliworx Waikato focuses on diversification
The drive to operate his own business has always been at the forefront of helicopter pilot Allan Bodman’s plans.
And from the time he first started work as an agricultural pilot in Dannevirke nearly 20 years ago, the ambition hasn’t changed. He was living in Ireland with Irish partner Lydia when they made the decision to return to New Zealand with their two sons Caleb and Harvey. The heat was starting to come o Covid and though he found work in New Zealand, he yearned for something he could build as a foundation for his family. Enter Heliworx Waikato.
“Lydia and I had been looking at business options for some time, but progress wasn’t happening.
“So in 2021 while still living in Ireland and touring to Indonesia month on, month o for work, we started planning how to start our own business back home. Then when back in New Zealand and on night shift flying the police helicopter, a mate in the industry happened to flick me a text and let me know Heliworx Waikato was for sale.
Allan brings considerable experience to the role as chief pilot for Heliworx.
With the first 9 years of his career in NZ covering most of the north island and the next 9 years overseas.
That includes fighting bush fires in Australia, Canada and Sumatra Indonesia, covering the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, high altitude powerline construction in British Columbia and Alaska, jungle operations in West Papua Indonesia, seismic survey work in Timor Leste, seismic heli-drilling in New Zealand and Australia and flying in Antarctica.
“Diversity is really where we want to focus, especially when we take into account the often seasonal work which is our mainstay.”
“So we began investigating and 10 months later, we bought it,” he says. That purchase date was the last business day of 2023 and since then, the pair haven’t looked back.
“We are able to provide a diverse set of services, from agricultural spraying and topdressing, through to charter work, film crews, government agency and local council work, seismic helidrilling, lifting, aerial culling, frost protection and whatever else might be required,” he says.
He’s also spent 18 months flying the police helicopter:
“The introduction to night flying under night vision googles was a great skill to gain while there, you get a great appreciation on just how dark it is in remote areas where there are no lights.”
The company holds two Civil Aviation Authority certificates (CAA) P137 that allows it to conduct agricultural spraying and topdressing, and P135 for air transport operations.
“I guess agricultural flying is my main love; it’s where I started from,” he says.
The work he does is from the seat of a Bell Jet Ranger 206, with all the accoutrements required to perform the di erent types of agricultural work the company gets asked to do.
“As well as ag-spraying and topdressing, we also do the horticultural crops like grapes and kiwifruit. Many of these are covered by a white shelter cloth, for example,
which can have the required UV light dimmed because of growing algae,”
Allan says.
“So we spray the cloth that protects against pests and frosts to make sure the algae doesn’t stop the UV light.”
Then there is the charter work, something that he says is becoming more popular as tourists, both domestic and international, look to have a great experience as part of their itinerary.
“We do a range of package deals that are on our website – these could be anything from lunch at Raglan – or Waiheke Island for example, through to chartered flights from those who are into hunting and fishing or other pursuits.”
He mentions one being a couple of international tourists who came in on a private jet and chartered Heliworx Waikato to fly them from Auckland International Airport to an east coast destination where they went charter fishing for several days before being flown back to the airport.
Film charters that includes ferrying film crews who require aerial work, is another area that Heliworx Waikato is involved with.
Allan grew up in the Franklin area where he still has family and friend ties that include farming, hunting and fishing.
Allan takes a lot of pride in the business and he and Lydia are ambitious. They want to see its operations increase and are implementing strategies for that.
“Diversity is really where we want to focus, especially when we take into account the often seasonal work which is our mainstay.”
The area Heliworx Waikato covers is central and North Waikato and the Franklin district.
• Aerial spraying
• Pasture
• Crops
• Liquid fertiliser
• Brush weed
• Silviculture
• Horticulture
• Aerial top dressing - fertiliser application
• Apiculture (lifting beehives into remote locations)
• Fertiliser transport - bulk or bags
• Frost protection
• Lifting
• Tourism flights and package deals
We see him here, we see him there
By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā sculptor and arts icon Fred Graham has left pieces of public art around the district which will ensure he is not forgotten.
Graham, 96, who died last week, was born in Arapuni,
raised in Horahora and was a Tainui kaumatua of Ngāti Korokī Kahukura descent. His work includes the newly installed Te Manu Rangimaarie (bird of peace) at the State Highway 1 and 29 Piarere roundabout, Le Quesnoy statue opposite
St Andrew’s Church in Cambridge and Waka Tu outside the Don Rowlands Centre in Mighty River Domain.
His work around Te Awamutu includes the carved stone manu with three hatchlings in Sculpture Park and the Lamp Post and Fountain of Birds in the Rose Gardens.
He also created a wooden piece entitled Water Water Everywhere which inside the council chambers.
Cambridge Community Board member Sue Milner was involved when the Armistice in Cambridge commissioned the Le Quesnoy statute which depicts ferns in the shape of ladders. Ladders were used to mount the French town’s walls in the last days of World War I.
“Fred donated his artistic contribution, for which we are very grateful, and it is a wonderful gift from him to the community,” she said. He would be remembered for his art, as a teacher, a rugby player and as a gentleman, she said.
The 12-metre high $609,000 sculpture in Piarere, which weighs about 12.5 tonnes, celebrates the connection between hapū and iwi to the land and river and the
mythical manu (bird).
Made of weathered steel, Te Manu Rangimaarie presents a story of heritage, unity, and peace and reflects the deep connection between ngā hapū o Waikato (the sub-tribes of Waikato), the land, and the many waterways that run through the region.
Te Manu Rangimaarie is a tribute to Wiremu Tamihana Tarapiipipi Te Waharoa of Ngāti Haua, a key figure in the establishment of the Kīngitanga movement. He dedicated his life to seeking justice and
peaceful solutions.
Positioned to face Taupiri maunga Te Manu Rangimaarie also acknowledges a shift in the Waikato River’s course - when it turned from the Hauraki Gulf to Taupiri before flowing west to the sea.
Te Manu Rangimaarie was built in the Hamilton yard of Longveld who worked with mana whenua on several of the large sculptures on the Waikato Expressway, including the Cambridge section and on Hamilton’s Resolution Interchange.
Te Manu Rangimaarie is put in place at the Piarere Roundabout in March. Photo: Supplied
Fountain of Birds in the Te Awamutu Rose Gardens.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Fred Graham with Te Manu Rangimaarie at the Longveld yard in Hamilton. Photo: Supplied
Fred Graham, left, looks up at his Le Quesnoy sculpture in Cambridge at its unveiling in 2019 with then Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin and Brigadier Jon Broadley.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Crampton joins Taylor Made
By Viv Posselt
Ruth Crampton views her recent appointment as a new trustee at Taylor Made Community Space as an opportunity to strengthen Cambridge’s appeal to a wider audience.
She has her eye on developing the facility’s capacity to host the increasing number of digital nomads who may be attracted to the region.
“With the change in the government’s immigration settings, I think Cambridge could be a good locale for people to work as digital nomads,” she said. “Taylor Made has a couple of casual rooms available that have good wi-fi and can offer people the use of photocopiers and other office equipment. It could be a very good fit.”
Crampton was recently named the Taylor Made Community Space Trust’s new trustee, filling the void left when long-time trustee Rob Feisst died last year.
Trust chairman Lloyd Buscomb said she brought a strong marketing and communications background to the role, skills the Board was keen to recruit.
Taylor Made is enjoying increasing interest being shown in both its permanent and casual room hire and is upgrading its facilities. It is already home to the Cambridge Toy Library, the Montessori Pre-school and other community-focused services, and is used by community groups for their regular meetings.
Crampton, who will leave her role
at Destination Cambridge next month, said she is excited at having a part to play at Taylor Made.
“I had been at a couple of events and strategy sessions there and have dealt with them through my current job,” she said. “What they offer the community has impressed me, so when I saw they were advertising for a trustee, I applied. After meeting them all, I was appointed in February.
“I like the community aspect of Taylor Made and hope to be able to help them build on that. I have always been involved with community projects of some sort … it’s very much at the heart of what I enjoy doing.
“This is the first time I have been a trustee anywhere… I’m quite excited about it.”
Time to go down the line?
By Jon Rawlinson
KiwiRail could be asked to consider extending the Te Huia train service south.
The idea is being pushed by Ōtorohanga identity Bill Miller, whose rail successes include ensuring the Northern Explorer tourist train continued to stop in his town.
He believed taking Te Huia south – it presently runs between Frankton and Auckland central - would bring in more tourists and their dollars.
“I wouldn’t expect it to run every day, but you’d have a hell of a lot of people coming down from Auckland. There would be quite a demand because people want to get out of the city.”
Such a move would be welcome by Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger.
“I love driving around the King Country, but if I was going into Hamilton, I would definitely use it,” said Kuriger.
“I would like to see the community rally around the idea. We could then take it to New Zealand Transport Agency and
KiwiRail. If the local councils also backed the idea, and they had the local MP in behind them, then everyone would be heading in the same direction.”
Te Huia, set up four year ago, had set an example, showing how an increase in passenger rail services can encourage an increase in demand.
“Te Huia started off very slowly and it wasn’t a great success in the early days, but they seem to have picked it up, getting a lot more passengers,” Kuriger said.
“I wouldn’t like to take a stab in the dark, because a cost benefit
analysis would have to be done, but I think it’s worth investigating.”
Such a service would require little capital investment and enable more people to live locally while working in Hamilton or even further afield.
“The trains go past, the stations are there, so if there was a good business case for it, it would be a great idea,” Kuriger said. “I think it would be extremely beneficial as long as the public is willing to use it, and it is affordable.”
Regional Transport connections director Phil King said consideration of extending passenger rail services across the
region was part of the council’s future vision after successful completion of the Te Huia trial.
“Over the next 12 months we will be developing a business case to identify and consider options and staging. Specific station and route concepts will come from that work.” King, regional council chair Pamela Storey and chief executive, Chris McLay, met Rail Minister Winston Peters in Wellington earlier this month.
The council recently suggested adding a Sunday service and getting Auckland Council to help with funding.
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Sections Selling from $450,000
Whether you’re investing for the future, downsizing with purpose, or looking for a turnkey lifestyle, there’s a solution here that fits.
Get in touch for a site visit or check out the Showhomes on Hugo Shaw Drive, open 7 days.
The new trustee at Taylor Made Community Space is Ruth Crampton.
Draft Long Term Plan
Te Ara Whakamua
- The path ahead 2025-2034
The Long Term Plan details our intended focus for the Waipā District over the next nine years.
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Friday, May 16 Te Awamutu Sports Rugby Club 5.30pm - 7pm
Saturday, May 17
Cambridge Farmers Market 8am -12pm
Wednesday, May 21
Cambridge Council Office 4.30pm - 6pm
Friday, May 23
Cambridge BNZ pop-up 11.30am - 1pm
Saturday, May 24
Ōhaupō Rugby Sports Club 1pm - 1.45pm
Sunday, May 25 Pirongia Markets 9am - 1pm
Tuesday, May 27 Pak n Save Te Awamutu 3pm - 4.30pm
Wednesday, May 28 Te Awamutu Council Office 4.30pm - 6pm
Saturday, May 31
Parallel Water Treatment Plant Event (Registration required) 10am - 2pm
Keep an eye on your mailbox this month
we’ll be sending you all the details so you know exactly what we’re consulting on and how you can have your say!
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The Ross clan gathering
By Viv Posselt
It could be seen as slightly incongruous that a London-born couple who met at a church hayride in Sydney and who now live in Kihikihi are organising this year’s Clan Ross Association of New Zealand national gathering.
Yet to Julia and Eric Wilcox the task has fallen. That’s because when asked at the end of the last clan gathering who would organise the next, Julia put up her hand. Eric hadn’t a hope of protesting… he was seated at the other end of a long line of diners, so sensibly deferred to his wife’s wishes.
This year’s Scottish bunfight, which has been held around the country for decades and comes complete with Julia’s home-cooked haggis and a ceilidh, will take place at the Jet Park Hotel near Hamilton Airport this weekend. The big dinner and ceilidh is on Saturday.
The Wilcox pair, who organised the event in 2013, must find as many folk with Clan Ross affiliations as possible and get them to come along. They’re tag-teaming to get the job done; Julia’s a bit hard of hearing, which positions Eric as her secretary.
She was born a Ross, which in the correct way of things makes her a clan sept. “My father was a Ross,” she said. “His grandfather came to London from Scotland in 1850.”
In the context of Scottish clans, septs are families linked through marriage or who belong to the clan but have a different surname. There are 32 septs of Clan Ross listed with the Clan Ross Association of New Zealand.
home was far too big, so moved to Kihikihi in late 2003.
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Both Julia and Eric were born in London, not too far apart in geographical terms.
Both sailed to Australia on the ‘Fair Sky’ – Eric and his family sailed
to Sydney 1959, while Julia and her family sailed two years later, in 1961. They met at a church hayride, married and had four children before coming to New Zealand in 1976, where they joined Julia’s parents who were already here, and went on to have two more children.
Once their family flew the coop and Eric retired – he is a sprightly 84 – the couple decided their five-bedroomed
They’ve been involved with Clan Ross gatherings here for over 15 years and have twice travelled to Scotland to visit the Clan Ross seat in Tain. One of those visits was for their annual clan gathering.
Not everyone wanting to go to the Clan Ross reunion must have Ross links, they said.
More memory meadows created
Spring is sure going to look good in Waipā after a mass Mother’s Day daffodil planting operation.
The memory meadows in Pirongia and Cambridge honour those affected by cancer and will mean come September, the yellow blooms will brighten up the neighbourhoods.
Waikato Bay of Plenty Cancer Society, in partnership
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with Waipā District Council and Lodge Real Estate, enabled 10,000 daffodil bulbs to be planted. Te Awamutu established the district’s first Memory Meadow in Sculpture Park last year.. Purchasing the bulbs meant funds went to the Cancer Society so they could provide crucial free services to people with all forms of cancer and their whānau.
Julia and Eric Wilcox in the dining room of their 145-year-old Kihikihi villa, readying their kilts for the national Clan Ross reunion.
Photo: supplied
Daffodil bulbs planted in Cambridge on the corner of Taylor and Bowen Sts.
Photo: Michael Jeans.
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Expressway work goes underground
Geotechnical teams are out in Karāpiro checking what lies beneath land tagged for use in the construction of the Cambridge to Piarere Expressway.
Geotechnical investigations have been progressing for several months across properties in Karāpiro, and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is now at a stage where they need to look underneath the existing road surface.
“We’re doing robust testing of the soil and rock at various sites across the future construction area,” NZTA’s Regional Manager Infrastructure Delivery, Darryl Coalter said.
“The team are gathering core samples to assess the ground conditions, including soil and rock types, groundwater depths and the strength of the material.
“This allows us to better understand what’s below the surface to help us design and plan how to build the road.”
It is part of the detailed design phase for the expressway and involves determining the final layout of the road, and what is required to build it.
The new road from the existing end of the expressway near Cambridge south to the new Piarere roundabout is next cab off the rank in a series of major arterial routes to be developed in and around Waipā.
It will be a 16km four lane expressway which will bring economic benefits and time saving. Work is expected to start late next year.
Also coming is the Southern Links project which will link Kahikatea Drive in Hamilton with the expressway at Tamahere and Hamilton Airport with the east and centre of the city.
Of the present geotechnical work Coalter said it would “inform how we’ll deal with stormwater, what the landscaping elements need to look like, where all the power lines, internet and phone cables are and where they might need to shift to.”
Six nights of work started this week. A team is digging 40cm by 40cm pits in the road and using specialist equipment to investigate what’s underneath and collect soil samples. Once one site is completed, the crew will patch up the road before moving to the next site.
The work should be finished this weekend.
Club of Cambridge
The drill inside a Cone Penetration Test rig.
Geotechnical teams drill for core samples Moana Roa Reserve in Karāpiro.
Core samples showing the composition of the soil.
bells are back
Running for 75 years
Seeing Roto-o-Rangi farmer Bruce Wallis compete in the Cambridge Harrier Club two persons’ walk relay with his 1980s partner in crime Gary Christie was one of several highlights during the 75th anniversary celebrations on Saturday.
Jubilee organiser and club secretary Margaret Fisher said having so many past and present members compete in the relay and then 85 attend the celebration dinner at Roto-o-Rangi Hall made all the organisation worth it.
Athletes from other clubs competed in the cross country run with Michael Sutton (Tauranga) winning the four kilometres in 13:11 and Bronwen Rees-Jones (Cambridge) the women’s in 15:20.
Rees-Jones was earlier named in the under-20 New Zealand team to compete at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in CanfrancPirineos, Spain in September.
Te Puke’s Sam Milihan won the 2km lap in 7:45 and club mate Sophie Reid the girls’ event in 7:53.
Life member Thelma Mead cut two celebratory cakes at the dinner – one chocolate and the other a fruit cake decorated with Cambridge hills and scenery. Wallis gets little time to reflect on his relay performance. He and wife Andra host the cross country pack run at their farm in Roto-oRangi Rd this weekend.
Saturday 17 May 10am – 2pm
We’re opening our doors at St Kilda Retirement Village on Saturday 17 May. Enjoy a wonderful array of handcrafted creations on display from our talented residents, grab a complimentary hot drink from the coffee cart and take part in our custom keychain workshop. Plus, go in the draw to win an air fryer!
While you’re here, why not check out our serviced apartments and chat to our residents and friendly team.
The bell ringers for most of the church’s first century were all men as this photo from 1900 shows. Now anyone is welcome to ring the bells provided they get training.
Photo: Morse Family Collection
Life member Thelma Mead, left, cuts the fruit cake iced with Cambridge hills and scenery with one of Cambridge Harrier Club’s younger members Ellie Maree. Photo: Supplied
Looking out: The view from the bell tower into the church and to the entrance where the bell ringers watch out for the bride’s arrival. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
High praise for art work
By Viv Posselt
A collection of works done by Waipā artists linked to Te Awamutu’s Enrich Plus community went on show last Tuesday at the IHC Art Awards viewing at the town’s Gallery on Teasdale.
Of those on show 10 pieces were selected as finalists by a panel of judges, and three as gallery finalists. They were shipped to Wellington earlier this week for inclusion in the IHC Art Awards 2025 in Wellington.
Te Awamutu Enrich Plus team manager Ngawai Hamblin told those at the
showing that the standard of work was very high, and that work done by those who hadn’t made it through as a finalist was also “absolutely amazing”.
Twenty-two entries were received this year, two more than in 2024.
“This is our second public showing of the works entered into the IHC Art Awards,” she said. “Before we started having a public viewing, the artwork was sent to Wellington without there being an opportunity for anyone, including the artists’ families, to see the work. This public viewing
gives them an opportunity to show people what they’ve been doing.”
Hamblin said the artists were able choose their preferred medium and topic, but they must have created the work themselves with minimal outside support.
Judging was done on the day before the public viewing by interim Enrich Plus chief executive Janne Nottage, Te Awamutu assistant team manager Kim
Potroz, and Waipā District Council fleet and travel co-ordinators Claire Vincent and Frances Spooner. Hamblin said Vincent and Spooner were the competition’s external judges. “We have different opportunities with the council for our clients, one being the car-washing of their fleet cars every week.”
The gallery finalists were chosen by Hamblin and Theresa Siemonek, art
facilitator at Enrich Plus Te Awamutu. They will be entered into the event’s Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Awards. The national IHC Art Awards, which were first held in 2004, have become a major annual event aimed at providing a platform for New Zealand artists with an intellectual disability to showcase their creativity, gain recognition and sell their work.
The top prize is $5000.
Stevie Cook, who is a finalist in the awards, with her painting ‘Holiday Memories’, done to capture precious times spent with family in Whangamatā. Photo: Viv Posselt
Artist Paul Morriss, who delivers the Te Awamutu News when not painting, standing with his painting, entitled ‘Evening Sun’. Paul is a keen follower of Monet. His painting was also a finalist. Photo: Viv Posselt
Enrich Plus Te Awamutu team manager Ngawai Hamblin, right, and artist
Kat Corin, alongside Kat’s painting ‘Midnight Reflection’. Behind Ngawai is a painting called ‘Wilhemus Pass’ by Willy Bardoul. Both paintings were finalists. Photo: Viv Posselt
Quarry complaints levelled
By Mary Anne Gill
Claims a building material recycling plant on the western outskirts of Leamington is disposing of contaminated or toxic materials is being looked at by Waipā District Council.
The former quarry is at 3831 Cambridge Rd, between the river and Waipā’s Cambridge wastewater plant and borders a housing cluster on Kaipaki Rd.
It is one of those neighbours who has launched a campaign called Won’t be Quiet Waipā alleging the plant, which has resource consent to demolish building waste, is processing toxic waste.
Waipā District Growth and Regulatory group manager Wayne Allan said the council had become aware of the complaints – particularly around noise and vibration during preparatory work – and was working closely with the consent holder and residents.
Wasteworx Ltd was granted the consent in July last year without the need for a hearing. Companies Office records show three shareholders from the Piopiobased Fullerton-Smith family – who also run demolition and asbestos removal company Demoworx - and Hamilton builder Zane Beckett.
The land is zoned rural and formerly operated as a quarry with tonnes of sand extracted over several years.
“The approved resource consent includes conditions requiring noise mitigations and a condition prohibiting dust and odour discharges beyond the boundary,” said Allan.
“The activity consented to is only the recycling of building waste. It does not permit the processing or disposal of contaminated or toxic materials.”
Won’t Be Quiet Waipā is run by Andy and Tessa Marsden who live next door to the site. Andy Marsden told The News they were convinced concrete piles containing asbestos had been brought onto the site.
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They also claim the crushed concrete and building material produces silica. The particles can cause lung cancer and chronic disease.
They and other neighbours met council staff on site and at council offices in Te Awamutu in an attempt to raise their concerns.
They argue its proximity to the water treatment plant and its various eco system ponds and the river makes it an environmental issue.
The view from the new St Peter’s subdivision on the other side of the river and the Te Awa River Ride is an unseemly one, they say.
“So why would you put a potential toxic waste plant (there)? A senior planner really did not look at the landscape or surrounding
area,” the couple say.
Quarry issues have dogged the Waipā council for several years. The Beacon Hill Contracting quarry on Maungatautari Rd closed down three years ago. Its part owner former Waipā councillor Elwyn AndreeWiltens resigned because of a conflict of interest. The quarry is yet to reopen having applied for a resource consent in late 2022.
And a hearing to consider whether a quarry wanting to extract up to 400,000 tonnes of sand a year can proceed at 77 Newcombe Rd on the eastern side of Cambridge will reconvene next month having been adjourned so the applicant can provide Waipā and Waikato regional councils with more information.
Letters…
Rate take
A double digit Waipā District Council rate hike? Why? There is plenty of evidence to believe the increase is due to irresponsible expenditure, extremely poor project management, with little or no regard to public inconvenience. $40 million dollars in consultancy fees... do we not have qualified experienced staff able to do this work? We have a lean council according to reports in the paper. We have yet to experience increased costs with this Water done Better, (More on this later) with another layer of administration.
Stu Barnett
Cambridge
Science wins
In response to Peter Finch on fluoride misinformation (Letters May 1), a great journalist gives both sides of the argument thereby allowing the reader to make an informed decision. Science is ongoing and never finished because every discovery leads to more questions, new mysteries, and something else that needs explaining. It is a team effort, and scientists share their ideas with peers and submit conclusions to the scrutiny of others. To rely on 70 year old data about fluoride is nothing more than short sighted and ignorant. With respect, Peter from Nelson, open your eyes.
Brenda Malan
Cambridge
Rate
take
A double digit Waipā District Council rate hike? Why? There is plenty of evidence to believe the increase is due to irresponsible expenditure, extremely poor project management, with little or no regard to public inconvenience. $40 million dollars in consultancy fees... do we not have qualified experienced staff able to do this work? We have a lean council according to reports in the paper. We have yet to experience increased costs with this Water done Better, (More on this later) with another layer of administration.
Stu Barnett
Cambridge In reply – Barbara Linton (Te Awamutu), Angela Hair (Hastings) – points noted.
The view across Waikato River from the St Peter’s residential subdivision of the former quarry, now a building material recycling plant.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
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As 1 June approaches — the traditional date for changes in farming roles — it is a timely reminder to review your employment agreements and farming contracts. Whether you’re a farm owner, lower order sharemilker, contract milker, sharemilker, or farm employee, it pays to ensure your agreements are properly tailored to your specific situation. Too often, we see people relying on standard templates, such as Federated Farmers or LIC contracts, without making the necessary changes to reflect the actual arrangement on the ground. While these templates are a great starting point, they are not one-size-fitsall. If your contract doesn’t reflect your true working relationship, you could be exposed to misunderstandings or legal issues down the track.
Even if you are not moving farms this season, it pays to check your agreement still matches what’s happening on-farm. Sorting out any gaps or uncertainties now is far easier — and cheaper — than trying to untangle them later when issues arise.
For peace of mind, get in touch with your friendly rural law experts at Edmonds Judd. We are always happy to help you review your agreements and make sure they work for you and your situation.
Fiona Jack
Getting into drone zone
By Chris Gardner
A gorse-busting drone will soon benefit outgoing National Fieldays Society board chair Jenni Vernon’s 224-hectare Te Akatea farm. Hill country farmers use drones to spray weeds in areas that are hard to reach with traditional equipment.
“We have got a contractor coming up to spray our gorse with a drone,” Vernon said.
“That’s just fascinating, isn’t it? The fact that a drone can have enough water. It’s really targeted. We’re not going to have spray drift on our neighbour. It’s cost effective.”
She and her husband Gordon lease a dry stock unit near Glen Massey to their son Simon and his wife Nicola. Vernon works for the Ministry of Primary Industries, and works on the farm as and when required, “My son is hoping that one day we might have a drone that might open the gates of the back paddock for him and shift the stock, or check the water troughs, and that’s not beyond the realms of possibility really, is it?”
Such on-farm uses of drones have led to the Agricultural Drone Association supporting the inaugural Fieldays Drone Zone where
industry experts will share knowledge on how drones are revolutionising farm management.
Drones equipped with multispectral cameras can help farmers analyse crop health, detect pest infestations, and optimise irrigation schedules. Farmers can use drones to track and locate animals across large paddocks, reducing labour and improving response times during lambing season. Specialised drones apply pesticides and fertilisers with remarkable accuracy, reducing chemical use and minimizing environmental impact. Drones help farmers document environmental compliance, monitor soil health, and assess water management.
“People like to see, and touch and investigate, and eyeball new products,” Vernon said. “That’s one of the attractions of Fieldays. You can see it, hear it, experience it, share ideas, and chew the fat with people.”
Vernon will also be busy running the Fieldays kitchen where she and her team feed volunteers, staff and emergency services.
Punters are given the option of adding a $5 donation to the Rural Support Trust
which supports farmers when times are tough.
“We haven’t done that before, it will be interesting to see how it gets for a really good cause, and an opportunity for us to give back to the community directly. They do an amazing job. All of it’s voluntary.”
“The drought, as you would expect, has been quite tough, but there is a quiet feeling of optimism,” Vernon said.
Dairy giant Fonterra is forecasting between $9.70 and $10.30 per kilogram of milksolids, a record, for the current dairy season.
“You will notice when you go to the supermarket that
butter, cheese, milk, and meat price have gone up. That not only reflects the costs of producing that product, and the price we are getting in export dollars.
“I have been in farming all my life, and it’s nothing new that costs go up. It is what it is. At least we’re not paying interest rates of 22 per cent, like we were when we first started out in farming. Interest rates are definitely going down.
Vernon has served on the society board for 10 years and will relinquish the chair in December, but her involvement with the society is expected to continue after that.
Fieldays honours Gallagher
Sir William Gallagher has been award a National Fieldays Life Membership
Sir William has been a part of Fieldays since its inception and played a pivotal role in its foundation.
When he attended the first Fieldays in Te Rapa in 1969 Gallaghers was emerging as a leader in farm technology and export markets.
He and brother John had been exhibiting at agricultural field days in Australia before 1968.
Sir William has used Fieldays as a platform to introduce world-first products.
“Fieldays has been an important part of Gallagher’s journey,” he said. “It has always been a place for us to connect with farmers, showcase new developments, and contribute to the growth of our farming sector. Receiving this recognition from the Fieldays Society is truly an honour.
“It’s a place and a community of people dedicated to fostering new ideas, supporting the primary sector, and shaping the future of farming in New Zealand. It is something truly special.”
National Fieldays Society Chair Jenni Vernon said having
the support of an innovative company like Gallagher from the very beginning played a key role in laying a strong foundation for Fieldays.
“Sir William has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership—bringing together talented teams and maintaining a clear focus on progress within the industry.
This life membership is a modest but heartfelt tribute to Sir William’s profound impact in helping shape Fieldays into the world-class event it is today.”
DRAINAGE
National Fieldays Society chair Jenni Vernon is looking forward to visiting the drone zone at Fieldays.
Sir William Gallagher has been with Fieldays from
No two days are the same...
By Chris Gardner
Taylor Lincoln loves working on Reon and Wendy Verry’s King Country farm.
“I’m learning different stuff about sheep and beef farming every day without heaps of pressure. No two days are the same the 19-year-old from Maihihi, near Ōtorohanga, said.
The former Te Awamutu College pupil joined the Verry farm, south of Te Kūiti, last year as a Growing Future Farmers student. She will complete her time with the Verrys later this year.
Lincoln is the fourth Growing Future Farmers student to benefit from living and working at Verry Farming alongside the Verrys and their staff, following in the footsteps of Teagan O’Shea, Tegan Sutton and Jodie Piggott.
“We are trying to give back to the wider industry,” Reon Verry said. “This is a pathway for people to get into farming.”
The Verrys have been sheep and beef farming their 1900-hectare piece of paradise since 2007.
They employ farm managers Rameka Edwards and Tom Fuller and shepherds Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer of the Year finalist Grace Watson and Ethan Poppelwell. Reon was raised on a farm on Waipuna Road near Waitomo, while Wendy is from just over the hill.
“We started with a massive drought, the biggest since the 1970s, and have just leaned our business to not assuming it’s going to rain,” he said.
Wendy Verry said farms were once advertised as ‘summer safe’ – “I have not seen that on farm adverts for a long time”.
They farm about 5800 ewes, 1800 hoggets, 1000 bulls, 160 cows, 150 steers, and 550 dairy grazers.
The farm is in recovery mode following last summer’s drought.
“We had a feeling it was going to be dry and learned to make decisions early,” she said.
“We had to bring in 90 tonnes of palm kernel to feed our dairy heifers. We’ve not bought any for three years.”
They also planted 20 hectares in droughtresistant chicory to provide high quality feed for livestock.
“I feel like we have been on life support the whole year,” Reon Verry said.
Before this month’s heavy falls, the farm has received a little over 200mm of rain this year, around 100mm of that in April, less than half the 430mm of rain it usually receives by May.
The pain has been eased by un-drought like meat prices.
As immediate past chair of King Country River Care, Reon Verry is passionate about improving water quality.
The organisation gained $1.4 million funding from the government one-billion trees campaign for riparian planting on multiple farms in the catchment.
It’s a project that has set those farms up well to achieve the goals of improving freshwater quality set out in the Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change One.
Since 2014, he has worked with other farmers – such as Graham Pinnell and Graeme Gleeson – to represent the sector’s concerns on the workability of the plan to the council.
He is awaiting the outcome of an Environment Court appeal with anticipation.
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Some of the Verry Farming Ltd team gather on farm including, from left, Taylor Lincoln, Rameka Edwards, Reon Verry and Wendy Verry. Photo: Chris Gardner
Hautapu go top of the table
By Jesse Wood
Hautapu premiers demolished Morrinsville 64-20 scoring 10 tries in front of home fans at Memorial Park in Cambridge in Waikato club rugby on Saturday.
With the green machine Hamilton Marist being beaten by University, Hautapu went top of the table on points difference.
There are only six points in it and both teams are on 25 competition points.
Fellow Waipā premier team, Te Awamutu Sports were held to a 16-all deadlock by Ōtorohanga at Island Reserve.
Queyst Michael-Tapu and Zealin Prime were the try scorers for Sports.
First five-eighth Leo Scott added two penalty goals.
In the earlier games, Hautapu B beat
Morrinsville B 43-31, while Te Awamutu’s development side fell 36-22 to Ōtorohanga B.
This weekend, Hautapu travel to Albert Park in Te Awamutu for the battle of Waipā.
Leamington and Pirongia both banked wins in Division 1, while Ōhaupō had a week six bye.
Pirongia beat Taupiri 33-24 under the mountain and Leamington pipped Te Rapa 30-27 in front of a home crowd.
Their Division 1B teams won in similar fashion. Pirongia B got up against Taupiri B, 34-15, and Leamington B were 24-17 victors against their Te Rapa opposition.
In the women’s premiership, Hautapu fell 31-12 in the hands of University and Kihikihi lost 41-14 to Ōtorohanga.
Both sides head into Hamilton this Saturday.
Hautapu will face Melville, while Kihikihi are tasked with the Hamilton Old Boys Huskiez.
In the women’s championship division, Waitete beat Pirongia 75-0 in Te Kūiti.
Leamington, Hautapu and Pirongia all had wins in the under-21 competition, while Te Awamutu lost 54-12 to Hamilton Marist colts.
The Hautapu under-21 team beat Thames Valley United 48-20, Leamington beat University 20-17 and Pirongia held out Fraser Tech 31-29.
After leading part of the match at Maihihi,
the Kio Kio United Cattle Dogs lost 30-20 against the visiting Patumahoe under-85kg team.
This week the Cattle Dogs face Beachlands Maraetai at Te Puru Park in Counties Manukau-Waikato under-85kg rugby.
The four Waipā presidents’ teams kicked off their golden oldies’ rugby season on Friday evening.
In results to hand, the Te Awamutu Marist Bushpigs drew 25-all against the Te Rapa Clydesdales and Pirongia Mountain men defeated the Suburbs Stirrers 29-17 at Flagstaff Park.
Football popularity on the rise
By Steph Bell-Jenkins
Cambridge High School has attracted a record number of football players this year.
Football committee member Jo Kelk said 216 players had signed up to play in the school’s blue and white jersey in 2025 – enough for 12 teams.
“We’re thrilled that the popularity of football at the school has been steadily increasing,” she said.
The season kicked off officially over the weekend.
Year 11 student Blake Urbahn turned out for his social team, the Senior Boys Ultras, in a grading match against a Hamilton Boys’ High School side on Saturday morning. The Ultras lost
the encounter but enjoyed playing in brilliant autumn sunshine. They are coached by Becky Savage, who captained Cambridge High’s 1st XI girls’ team in 2022.
As well as boasting record player number this season, Cambridge High School football is on a high following the recent inclusion of year 11 student Gethyn Foster in a New Zealand men’s U16 squad, which will compete in a FIFA Youth Series tournament in Switzerland this month.
Kelk said Foster was the third Cambridge High player in two years to have won a New Zealand jersey, alongside Luke Brooke-Smith, who signed a three-year contract with Wellington
Chiefs lock James Thompson carries the ball for Hautapu on Saturday.
Photo: Matt Gould
Phoenix in August 2024, and Natalie Young, who represented Aotearoa last year at the FIFA U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
Year 11 student Blake Urbahn turned out for the Senior Boys Ultras, in a grading match on Saturday morning.
Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins.
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PHILLIPS, Robert Donald MacCauley – Passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at Waikato Hospital on Thursday, 8th May 2025, aged 72 years. Dearly loved son of the late Don and Thelma. Treasured brother of Margaret, Brian, and Cecelia, and cherished uncle of Melissa. Heartfelt thanks to the dedicated and compassionate staff at Cambridge Life and Waikato Hospital for their kindness and care. A celebration of Robert’s life will be held at Trinity St Paul's Union Parish of Cambridge, Queen Street, Cambridge, on Friday, 16th May 2025 at 1:00pm. Messages for the Phillips family may be sent c/- 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434 or left in Robert’s online tribute book at www.grinters. co.nz.
A gentle soul, now at rest.
GRINDROD, Maureen Mae
Ten years have passed, nothing has changed, we still miss and think of you every day. Special moments will never be forgotten. You are still cherished. Love your husband Ray, and our children Bob, Karen, Leanne, Michele, and Daniel.
KOSKELA, Penelope In loving memory of my dear friend Penny who died 9th May 2023, will always be remembered. Marian
Family Notices
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE
Clause 5 of Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991
The following private plan change to the Operative Waipā District Plan has been accepted under delegated authority for public notification by Waipā District Council:
PROPOSED PRIVATE PLAN CHANGE 33: HAUTAPU
INDUSTRIAL STRUCTURE PLAN AREA (AREA 7)
In summary, the proposed private plan change request seeks to change the Operative Waipā District Plan by:
• Rezoning approximately 16.3 hectares of the C9 Growth Cell, being Area 7 of the Hautapu Industrial Structure Plan from Deferred Industrial to Industrial;
• Amendment of the existing Hautapu Industrial Structure Plan;
• Addition, amendment and/or deletion of provisions within Sections 7 and 15, and text within Appendices S1 and S5 of the Waipa District Plan;
• Amending the Zone Maps.
The subject land is bounded by Peake Road to the west, Mangaone Stream to the north, and the Hautapu Industrial Zone to the south and east. This land is comprised in eight records of title legally described as Lot 1 DPS 57935, Lot 1 DP 553825, Lot 2 DP 553825, Lot 2 DP 361070, Lot 100 DP 593708, Lot 4 DP 593708, Lot 1 DP 512688, and Lot 1 DP 532855.
The full proposal may be viewed:
• Online at waipadc.govt.nz/planchange33
• At Waipa District Council offices in Te Awamutu (101 Bank Street) and Cambridge (23 Wilson Street).
Submissions
Any person can make a submission by sending an electronic or written submission to Waipa District Council by one of the following methods:
• Online: Download Form 5 on the Waipa District Council website at www.waipadc.govt.nz/our-council/ waipa-district-plan/waipa-district-plan-plan-changes
• Send to: Freepost 167662, Waipa District Council, Private Bag 2402, Te Awamutu 3840
• Email: districtplan@waipadc.govt.nz
• Deliver to: Waipa District Council, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu OR 23 Wilson Street, Cambridge
The submission must be in the form as set out in Schedule 1 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees, and Procedure) Regulations 2003 and must state whether you wish to be heard on your submission. Copies of this form are available from Waipā District Council.
Submissions close at 5pm on Friday 13 June 2025
Steph O’Sullivan – Chief Executive For and on behalf of the Waipa District Council
Letters to the Editor
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• They should be opinion based on facts or current events
• All letters to be emailed to editor@goodlocal.nz
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