A new artwork titled Ka pua, te Koowhai, designed in partnership with cancer patients, has been blessed in the radiation therapy unit of the Lomas Building at Waikato Hospital.
The interactive kōwhai tree mural offers patients a way to acknowledge the completion of their radiation treatment.
Ken Fyfe, a school bus driver from Ngaroma, south east of Te Awamutu, was the first patient to mark the completion of his treatment by placing a flower on the patient graduation tree. He was thrilled to be chosen for the honour and shared his gratitude for the care he received.
“It’s the end of my radiation treatment after three weeks,” Ken said.
“The staff here are absolutely fabulous – they explained everything to me clearly and were so kind. They really can’t do enough for you. The whole experience has been very good.”
Located on Level B1 near the medical linear accelerator treatment rooms and waiting area, the artwork offers patients a way to mark the completion of their treatment. Instead of ringing a bell, patients are invited to place a flower or seed pod on the tree - symbolising
strength, growth, and new beginnings.
Radiation therapy can span several weeks, with patients returning daily for treatment. Over time, these visits become part of their routine - they become familiar with the staff and the treatment process. When treatment finishes,
we see it as an important opportunity to acknowledge this milestone and mark the completion of their journey.
Radiation therapist Charlene Casson, who leads co-design projects for the service, says this latest project highlights the importance of involving patients.
“Co-design means involving the people who use the service right from the beginning. There’s no point creating something we think is great if it doesn’t resonate with the people it’s meant for,” she said.
Working alongside two other radiation therapists, a nurse, and a group of
patients, the team explored options including a bell, a certificate, or a native tree. A survey of 62 patients and interviews with several others helped guide the decision.
“The overwhelming response was in favour of a tree – something native and symbolic, where patients
Ken’s celebration
could place a decoration on it,” Charlene says.
The group chose the kōwhai tree. With funding support from the Oncology Trust, Waikato artist Siobhan Boughton was commissioned to create the mural.
The final piece, titled Ka pua, te Koowhai – The fruit of the kōwhai will blossom –combines hand-painted and 3D elements and features 75 moveable kowhai flowers or seed pods that patients can place on the tree. Once the tree is full, a symbolic ‘wind’ blows through, allowing the process to begin again.
The mural has already generated enthusiasm and engagement among patients, many of whom are keen to take part in the tradition.
“This is something very special, and a first of its kind for New Zealand,” said Michael Taylor, who leads the Radiation Therapy service, at the recent blessing.
“International literature suggests a shift in how services need to celebrate these milestones. Our patients are an important voice in shaping how we deliver care and we pride ourselves on their involvement.”
“It’s a gentle, quiet and meaningful way for patients to recognise the completion of their treatment.” said Charlene.
Ken Fyfe of Ngaroma placed a flower on the patient graduation tree. His partner Sharon and the Radiotherapy team were there to support him. Bryce Kirsty Shelley Alex
Letters…
More arbitrage
The Waipa District Council reply to my letter regarding water charges has confirmed their statement in their brochure of “.... increases of four per cent per year for the eight years from July 2026 to the end of June 2034 being indicated”. I had inadvertently left out “per year” and it is very important. Have they not bothered to check and discover the 2034 figure in their chart would be $2568, not the $2260 they show? Have they realised the last four years shows a total of only $26 increase?
The second part of their reply does not address the points I made based on their chart figures. I have read that the mayor now believes they should not have paused the Long Term Plan - replaced with a 12 month plan. She regrets Waipā doing this and has made a point of stating it was a unanimous decision of councillors. My observations when I attended the occasional Whanganui District Council and committee meetings were that decisions were made on information provided in reports from staff to the various committees, which then made recommendations to the full council. Are Waipa councillors getting incorrect information in other reports? I realise the Three Waters cancellation had a big effect - but was that because they had not dealt with the problem in past years?
That 9.5 FTE communication people seems ridiculously high Peter Nicholl’s past article re competition often comes to mind. Unfortunately, Waipā District Council has
On the beat
none, and inefficiencies are inevitable. Peter Clapham Whitehall
A matter of trust
I read with great sadness (The News June 12) that the Chief Executive of Waipā District Council thinks that an “overall trust rating” of 21 per cent is a good result. I cannot think of any job where my employers gave me a trust rating of 21 per cent and kept employing me. The Council now has “an integrated approach to help ensure people get the right information in the right way at the right time.” Where is this information? I think that most ratepayers would like some sort of summarised publication in a newspaper like Cambridge News which informed us of where the Council was planning to spend our money. A lot of older people are not computer savvy and would appreciate information in that format. We would all like to be informed in advance that the Council plans on spending our hard earned money on road cones, speed bumps, cycle lanes, and the like, which only seem to aggravate car and emergency vehicle drivers alike, and to be given an opportunity to have our opinions heard. What about a public meeting in the Town Hall which would align with the council’s desire to “welcome public scrutiny and transparency especially when it came to how it spends ratepayers money”?
Katherine Block Cambridge
with Senior Constable Ryan Fleming
Detective watching CONTACTS
This week’s work group I would like to spotlight is our detectives.
Roy
editor@goodlocal.nz 027
maryanne@goodlocal.nz
viv@goodlocal.nz
The Te Awamutu Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) is a team of dedicated detectives working to keep our community safe by investigating serious crime in the Waipā district.
From serious assaults to drug offending and complex investigations, the CIB handles a wide range of cases requiring in-depth analysis, interviewing, and forensic expertise.
Our Detectives work closely with frontline staff, specialist police units, and partner agencies to solve crime, hold offenders accountable, and support victims and their families.
The skill set required for this job involes a meticulous eye for detail. The detectives are always available for frontline staff to run technical questions on cases they are managing and we are very lucky to have approachable staff.
The pathway to be becoming a detective is a lengthy one. There is an exam to
Editor’s note: Steph O’Sullivan actually said overall trust in the council grew from 19 percent to 21 per cent from 2023 to 2024, which indicated the council was making progress, “but there is a long way to go and trust and confidence are only rebuilt with deliberate intention and action”.
Counting it up
The interview with the Waipa Mayor (Susan O’Regan – The News, June 19) highlights based on the figures provided a rate Increase of 47.9 over a four year period from 2024.This is unsustainable for the ratepayers with no specific detail as to how these figures are arrived at. A great PR exercise by the mayor and her council - we are ‘unanimously supportive of the council’s direction’ - does not explain with proper data as to why. No details of which areas the rates are being invested in, no explanation of why this increase is well above inflation and bank interest rates. Why doesn’t the council operate within the same figures? The examples of the ‘mess’ certain streets in Cambridge are following their reconstruction are examples of nice to have expenditure, not necessary expenditure. The proliferation of orange cones is another. I recently counted 24 white cars with Waipa Council signage in the Wilson St carpark all with newish number plates. Why so many? How many others are there? The growth in Cambridge is visible. My understanding is the developers pay a levy for infrastructure costs in these areas and there is an ongoing income to the council in the form of rates from these houses. The ratepayers have to live within their incomeit’s time the council did.
W.Schoonderwoerd
Cambridge
pass which puts the constable into an on trial period after which a the constable goes back to Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) to complete the Detective Development Course.
Once this course is completed the constable becomes a Detective Constable.
There are several workplace modules that must be completed before going back to RNZPC for the Detective Qualifying Course. At the completion of this course they are given the rank of Detective and a flash gold badge (tradition).
In Te Awamutu we also have a Prison Enquiries Officer who conducts all the enquiries that relate to Waikeria Prison.
This is a uniformed position and having completed two stints in the role filling in for periods of time I can say it’s an interesting role with good variety.
I just wish all the investigations that are conducted by CIB were as fast as they are on TV.
Driver dies
One person died on Monday after a crash involving a track and car on Cambridge Road between Cox and Storey roads. Emergency services were called to the scene about 11.25am. The driver of the car died at the scene.
Business news
The latest edition of Waikato Business News is out this week and includes profiles by Mary Anne Gill and Roy Pilott on Sarah Thomson and Tim Macindoe who are both standing for the Hamilton mayoralty. See more waikatobusinessnews.co.nz
It was the beef
Most of the people who experienced gastro symptoms after the Waipā Business Awards in May had eaten beef cheek in a main meal, New Zealand Food Safety have confirmed. One hundred people who attended –about a quarter of the total - came down with gastroenteritis resulting in Cambridge Raceway’s caterer Off the Track issuing an apology.
More candidates
Two more candidates have announced their council bids for October’s local body elections. The Act Party chose Andrew Pickford, a former international airline captain, as its candidate for the Tamahere-Woodlands Ward of the Waikato District Council. Les Bennett has joined the Better Waipā ticket and will stand in the Pirongia-Kakepuku ward.
Best newcomer
Alice Jeffries, assistant yearling manager at Cambridge Stud and a former student at St Peter’s School in Cambridge, took out the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ $10,000 Newcomer
Excellence award on Sunday.
Blue Blob showdown
By Mary Anne Gill
A public workshop gave Waipā District councillors an opportunity to tell their side of the Blue Blob story last week and reflect on the fallout from a disastrous public drop-in session.
Independent facilitator Anne Pattillo led the “warts and all” Cambridge Connections session which notably excluded input from council staff involved in the project. She described the situation as “not the council’s finest hour.”
Jared Milbank, credited with galvanising the community’s Blue Blob response, said he was pleased the workshop was public but disappointed councillors did not “step up and take some ownership”.
The controversy had its seeds in the final months of Jim Mylchreest’s mayoral tenure in 2022 when council adopted the Waipā Transport Strategy and formed a Project Steering Group to explore complex transport issues and options for Cambridge. The workshop, held in Te Awamutu, was attended by seven of the 12 elected members.
Participants at last week’s session asked why the project group - comprising councillors Roger Gordon, Clare St Pierre, Liz Stolwyk, and Cambridge Community Board member Andrew Myers - had kept its discussions and decisions secret from other councillors.
Gordon broke that secrecy protocol when he informed fellow councillors Mike Montgomerie, Mike Pettit, and Philip Coles “well before” the Blue Blob was made public in February last year, the month before the drop in session where the anger spilled over.
Pattillo identified three key failures that contributed to the chaos at the drop-in session: the group’s lack of connection with the wider council, the performance and actions of elected members, and poor community engagement that failed to build understanding and commitment.
The drop-in session drew strong reactions from residents and neighbours living under a blue blob on a map, which had been identified as the preferred site for a third Waikato River bridge.
They demanded more information and transparency.
Mayor Susan O’Regan revealed she received a death threat from an agitated woman before the meeting began. During the session, one participant reportedly said of elected members, “they should all be lined up and shot.”
Weeks later, O’Regan paused the project. A reset followed later in the year, culminating in the appointment of executive director Katie Mayes earlier this year.
Milbank, named The News person of the year for his community advocacy during the debacle,
said councillors at the workshop suggested people unaffected by the Blue Blob contributed to an unexpected high attendance at the drop in session.
“They didn’t understand who might feel affected by the location of the Blue Blob.”
He highlighted Pattillo’s comment as the most telling quote of the workshop: “When you’ve got critical decisions, they need to be visible for the whole of council.”
Pattillo added that when senior council members disagree, others should collectively step up, and that keeping decisions secret from colleagues should be “so rare as to never occur.”
During the workshop two councillors – Lou Brown and St Pierre – were critical of the media’s role.
Brown said an article before the drop in session was “not misleading” but was not accurate. St Pierre criticised The News’ February 29 headline “Put it there. Corridor for third bridge revealed” saying it failed to mention the plan’s links to growth management or congestion.
The workshop continued into the afternoon, with councillors discussing how to reset the project to ensure greater community engagement and collective council responsibility moving forward.
Rosetown Funerals proudly
The Rosetown Funerals team L to R: Jim Goddin, Teri Keir and Jordan Goss
A member of the public asks Transport manager Bryan Hudson – standing on stairs – a question during the drop-in session. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
TREES AND POWERLINES
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO KEEP YOU SAFE.
Managing your trees will help prevent power outages and keep everyone safe. Check your trees regularly and keep them trimmed so they stay clear of power lines.
TREE TRIMMING DANGERS
Trimming trees near power lines can be extremely dangerous, and even deadly.
Contact with a power line can cause:
• Injury or death to yourself, family, community members or livestock
• Damage to property
• Damage to power supply facilities and electrical appliances
• Damage to third parties.
Before attempting to clear tree foliage near live conductors you should contact us for advice.
Branch movement: Although tree foliage can sometimes appear to be at a safe distance from the lines, once you begin the work, the tree may move due to pressure placed on branches, random gusts of wind and other external factors. Be aware of any tree branches that may flick up as they are trimmed or as surrounding branches are cleared.
Wet weather: Branches often hang lower when the leaves are wet, so if it starts to rain, or if the leaves are already wet you should expect some movement. Debris: Ensure there is clear space to allow for debris when tree trimming.
Growth Limit Zone: any tree growing in the Growth Limit Zone (see diagram) must be trimmed by a Waipā Networks authorised arborist.
ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS
The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 set out the responsibilities of tree owners and lines companies in relation to trees and power lines. Waipā Networks has developed procedures to meet these regulations, summarised below:
• If we become aware of a tree that you are responsible for within the Notice Zone, you may be issued with a Hazard Warning Notice.
• If we become aware of a tree you are responsible for within the Growth Limit Zone, you will be issued with a Cut or Trim Notice.
• You must have the tree trimmed so that it no longer encroaches the Notice Zone or Growth Limit Zone. Dispensation can be applied for if there is a valid reason for the tree to be allowed to grow within the Notice or Growth Limit Zones.
• We’ll trim a tree free of charge provided it is the first trim. Any further trimming is the responsibility of the owner.
• At any stage, you can declare ‘No Interest’ in a tree on our network and we will meet the costs of any future trimming, or may decide to remove the tree altogether.
• Where we become aware of a tree close to the lines and likely to cause danger to the public or property we have the ability to remove the tree or branch causing the hazard.
If you receive a ‘Cut or Trim Notice’ you must use an approved Utility Arborist to trim or fell the trees. If you repeatedly ignore them, you could be fined up to $10,000 plus $500 per day for every day the offence continues.
THERE ARE RULES ABOUT SAFE DISTANCES BETWEEN TREES AND POWER LINES In the Zone
In October 2024, The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 were updated to increase the minimum safe distances between trees and power lines, and a new ‘clear to the sky’ requirement for some trees.
The regulations define four zones:
Growth Limit Zone: This is the minimum distance that trees must be kept clear of overhead power lines.
Cut-Back Zone: This zone ensures vegetation is trimmed back far enough to prevent it from quickly growing into the Growth Limit Zone.
Notice Zone: We will issue a notice if vegetation is in this zone to give property owners time to address the risk earlier before it becomes urgent.
Clear to the Sky: This is the area above 33kv and high voltage lines that must be kept clear.
Fall Hazard Zone: Trees present a hazard if they fall and damage power lines. A tree’s fall hazard zone is the height of the tree plus 4 meters.
Note: Fall Zone trees are not currently covered by regulatory requirements. But if you own a tree that is within the fall zone and you have concerns about its health or safety, please notify us to discuss your options.
What are the Minimum Safe Distances?
The size of the growth limit zone varies depending on voltage level:
The Notice and Growth Limit Zone requirements increase if the adjacent power line span is greater than 150m. In these cases, we will notify you of your obligations.
For further information contact our Vegetation Team 07 872 0745 or trees@waipānetworks.co.nz
Park bench plan stalled
By Chris Gardner
Waipā District Council community services manager Brad Ward will pause the replacement of six 70-year-old park benches in Te Awamutu and Districts War Memorial Park.
The move is seen as a significant step after accusations and counter accusations of vandalism and mayor Susan O’Regan stepping in, suggesting comments were not helpful or appropriate, “by either side”.
Te Awamutu residents Marc Dawson and Peter Fletcher had responded to news of the planned replacement of the old seats by funding a restoration project - against the council’s wishes.
But after their work was highlighted in The
News, the council removed the frame work for the one seat still to be repaired.
The work was part of a $58,000 renewal programme at the park. Ward then released a statement saying, “we take any sort of vandalism or public interference of community assets seriously and are currently considering options”.
But last week, questioned by members of the Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board, he revealed he had pressed pause on the plans after meeting Dawson and Fletcher.
“We’ve met with members of the Te Awamutu War Memorial Park Maintenance Committee to understand the work that has been undertaken on the seats and have agreed to pause the replacement while we reassess
Roses for peace
By Viv Posselt
Last week’s planting of new roses at Te Awamutu’s War Memorial Park came with a message about the fragility of peace and the importance of honouring past and present servicemen and women.
Three standard Peace roses, flanked by two Lest We Forget standards, were planted at the park’s sunken cross. The ceremony was
and Waipā District Council.
The Peace roses were donated by the Rose Society and the Lest We Forget by the council. Rose Society president Diana Jones said initial moves to rejuvenate the park, which was first opened in the 1950s, came three years ago when the society was asked if they could
provide new standard Peace roses to replace those that had been there for decades.
Jones told those attending last week’s ceremony that the three peace roses planted represented the army, navy and airforce.“These new standards are young and healthy … they will probably give us another 70 years,” she said.
Te Awamutu RSA's Daniel van der Hulst said the sunken
cross memorial and the park connected the community to those who served.
“The roses planted within the cross form a living memorial and contrast the sombre brass panels of names. The world did not find peace after the second world war ended. There continued to be unrest and conflict that continues to this day. The standard Peace roses planted last week were
Book your winter pasture spraying now
their condition,” Ward said “We will continue to work closely with the committee as we move forward and identify future needs for inclusion in the next LongTerm Plan.”
When given the news, Dawson said “it feels like something to smile about... they need to be forgiven”.Community board chair Ange Holt was also pleased with the outcome, saying “that’s good”.
Earlier, she had responded to the council’s actions by saying “Marc and Peter did not vandalise these seats, they fixed them... staff have vandalised the last original seat. They took the bars off so that it was unusable. Now we are a seat less”.
At last week’s community board meeting
member Jill Taylor had asked council officers attending last Wednesday’s board meeting for clarity.
“In your Long-Term Plan, it says that you are going to replace the seats this coming year, starting in July,” Taylor said. “Does this mean that they will still be replaced even though they have been restored?”
Strategy group manager Kirsty Downey couldn’t answer Taylor’s question.
“I can’t recall what was decided in terms of the war memorial park,” she said. She referred the question to strategy manager Melissa Russo.“I am not familiar with that level of details,” she said.
Taylor was told the council would come back to her with an answer.
grown over three years from budwood donated by Janet Pike and nurtured by Jan Barnett of Newstead’s Amore Roses.
The Peace rose was originally bred in France.
When the nursery was under threat with the invasion of France by Hitler, three parcels of budwood were smuggled out of the country to the United States in a diplomatic bag. The rose thrived across the Atlantic, and in 1945 when Germany signed its surrender, the 49 delegates who formed the United Nations were each presented with a bloom of the Peace rose.
Enrolment at the school is governed by an enrolment scheme, details of which are available from the school office.
The board has determined that eight Year One places and two Year Two places are likely to be available for out-of-zone students in the 2025 year. The exact number of places will depend on the number of applications received from students who live within the school’s home zone.
This year there will be four enrolment periods. The fourth enrolment period runs from Monday 6th October 2025 to Tuesday 16th December 2025.
For students seeking enrolment within the fourth enrolment period, the deadline for receipt of applications for out-of-zone places is Monday 28th July 2025 at 3.00pm.
Parents of students who live within the home zone and intend enrolling their child at any time during this year should notify the school by Monday 28th July 2025 to assist the school to plan appropriately for this year.
A copy of the Out of Zone Enrolment Pack for 2025 can be obtained by contacting the School Office on 07 871 2844 or office@pokuru.school.nz or from the School’s website. Completed applications must be returned to the school office no later than 3.00pm on Monday 28th July 2025.
If the number of out-of-zone applications exceeds the number of places available, students will be selected by ballot. If a ballot for out-of-zone places is required, it will be held on Tuesday 29th July 2025. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot within three school days of the ballot being held. Details relating to the fourth enrolment period are as follows.
Length of enrolment period: from Monday 6th October 2025 to Tuesday 16th December 2025.
Deadline for receipt of applications: Monday 28th July 2025
Date of ballot: Tuesday 29th July 2025
organised by the Te Awamutu RSA in conjunction with the Te Awamutu Rose Society
Pictured after the planting ceremony are, from left, Trevor McIlroy, Jan Barnett, Janet Pike, Diana Jones, Els Brown, Linnie Jones, Tiaka Ormsby, and at front, Lorraine Flynn. Photo: Viv Posselt
Staggering rate rises
By Peter Nicholl
The Waipa District Council has recently confirmed that this year’s rate increase will be a staggering 15.5 per cent.
Their ten-year plan also projects the rate increases for the next two years will be 10.7 per cent and 6.9 per cent and there was a rise of 14.8 per cent last year. Over this four-year period, Waipā’s rates will therefore increase by a massive 56.9 per cent.
This year’s rise of 15.5 per cent is one of the highest in the country.
Hamilton City will also have a 15.5 per cent increase.
Tauranga City, which has had a lot of problems in recent years, will have a 9.9 per cent increase and Auckland City a relatively modest rise of 5.8 per cent.
Waitomo District Council, will have an increase of only 2.9 per cent. This seems to contradict the mantra that big is always more efficient than small.
Waipa has said one of the reasons for the high rate increases is unusually high inflation.
But New Zealand’s inflation over the period 2024 to 2027 is likely to be around 13-14 per cent. This is a far cry from WDC’s rate increases of 56.9 per cent over that period. Another explanation offered is that Waipa is a fast-growth area and there is a lag between the costs of development that fall on the council, which come early in the development process, and the fees the Council receives from developers, which come later.
This explanation is correct. What I don’t understand is that
Cambridge has been in a strong growth cycle for some years already.
Waipa should now be receiving fee income from the projects that were started three or four years ago.
WDC also said they had undergone an intensive cost cutting exercise in order to keep the size of the rate increase down.
Tauranga Council cut their rate rise this year from 12 per cent to 9.9 per cent by reducing staff numbers. I don’t know if their intensive cost-cutting exercise also included looking closely at Waipā staff numbers. I hope it did.
What I do know is that they have risen from 189 in 2015 to 295 today.
That is an increase of 56 per cent. It’s a coincidence that this rise happens to be exactly the same as the rise in Waipā rates from 2024 to 2027.
One thing that will be concerning the Reserve Bank when they come to take their next decision on the Official Cash Rate on July 9 is that most recent surveys of inflation expectations in New Zealand have been rising, and some show the CPI reaching five per cent in the next two years, well above the target range of 2-3 per cent.
When ratepayers in places like Waipā and Hamilton are facing rate increases of 15.5 per cent it is not surprising that their inflation expectations are rising – and that means it is very unlikely that the Reserve Bank will lower their official interest rate any further next week.
Fibre fair is a wrap
By Viv Posselt
Monday’s removal of the knitted treasures decorating trees marked the closure of Cambridge Creative Fibre 2025 and the end of one of the town’s most colourful few weeks.
The outdoor display has heralded the arrival of the annual exhibition and fibre fair for several years and has become another of the town’s attractions.
The five-day event in
the Cambridge Town Hall attracted hundreds of visitors and last Saturday’s fibre day, or traders’ day, was said to be an outstanding success, attracting many who were eager to scan what traders from around the country were selling.
The 2025 winners were Bev Beetlestone (Bess Aston Weaving Award, and Best Use of Fleece); Tracey Sparks (Best Use of Colour); Karen Walkinshaw (Domestic Excellence Award); club
A Shade S olu tion for
So, what happens to all the masterpieces that have brightened Cambridge’s streets recently, and in all weathers? According to exhibition convenor Anne Curtis, they’re all washed and packed away, ready for more of the same next year.
president Margaret Cairns (Joy Mahood Spinning Award); Bronya McInally (Outside the Square); Ali McLaren (New Skill Award), and Nikki Hart (First Time Entrant Award).
Te Awamutu’s Raelene Bain was at Saturday’s traders’ day with a collection of hand-dyed wool and yarn.
Photo: Viv Posselt.
Joan’s a starter for 99
By Mary Anne Gill
Joan Grice has lived a life that reads like an adventure novel. At 99, she effortlessly reels off stories of skydiving, white-water rafting, climbing Mt Ruapehu, and even visiting Antarctica.
The word daredevil springs to mind — though she draws the line at bungee jumping, joking that her eyeballs might pop out. Still, she’s game for anything else.
A former schoolteacher, Joan thought her thrill-seeking days were behind her. That changed a couple of years ago during a visit to Cambridge Raceway with friends from Lauriston Park Retirement Village.
Watching the starting car line up the horses, she spotted someone seated beside the driver and said, “That sounds up my alley!”
Fast forward to last Tuesday, just before the running of the Joan Grice’s 99th Birthday 2200m Mobile Pace — a race sponsored by her family to mark the milestone — and Joan was seated beside starter Danny Blakemore in the mobile barrier.
Despite the challenge of climbing into the cage, she beamed with excitement. As seven horses lined up behind the barrier, Joan gave the signal to start. She was still laughing as she and Danny sped down the home straight, veering off to let the horses pass.
Trackside, Joan’s daughter Delia Cook, and friends cheered as four-year-old bay mare Change Tact — trained by former Cambridge trainer driver Matthew White — entered the winner’s circle to salute the judge and Joan herself.
The race meeting was a brief one, with just five races between 5.29pm and 7.03pm, but it was more than enough time for Joan and her group of eight to enjoy the hospitality of the
President’s Lounge.
“We were spoiled rotten,” Joan said, praising Raceway chief executive Dave Branch. “He looked after us — such a lovely guy.”
She also received congratulatory messages throughout the evening, including one from race caller Aaron White.
Born in Te Aroha on June 23, 1926, Joan’s maiden name is Webber — former Waipā deputy mayor Grahame Webber is her nephew. She attended Morrinsville Primary and High schools before boarding at Hamilton High School when her family moved to Lichfield.
She trained at Teachers’ College and later earned a university degree, teaching at both primary and secondary levels.
Her career included stints at Melville, Sacred Heart, Fairfield Intermediate, Silverdale, Huntly West, and various Waikato schools as a relief teacher.
Joan has five children, and several grandchildren spread across New Zealand and Australia.
Her passion for travel has taken her to Jersey in the Channel Islands (her ancestral home), Turkey, South Africa, China, Croatia, Ecuador, the Galápagos and Easter Islands, and on epic train journeys including the Trans-Siberian Railway through Russia in winter.
She recalls a chilling moment when two students from the carriage behind came to visit her and returned to find their own carriage had vanished, along with all their belongings.
They were left at a foggy, freezing shelter — no bigger than a Goldsmith Street bus stop Joan points to outside her loungeroom window — hundreds of miles from Moscow, waiting for the carriage to return.
She has explored every corner of New Zealand, including the Chatham and Stewart Islands, though she admits she’d love to see
more of the South Island.
Mount Maunganui, where her mother lived for more than 50 years and where her children spent their holidays, is the best spot in New Zealand, she said.
Though she sold her Honda Jazz last year, Joan still holds a driver’s licence and gets around Leamington and Cambridge on her mobility scooter.
She is vocal about the poor state of footpaths and says she is often forced onto the road due to parked vehicles.
As a result, she prefers shopping in Leamington, just across the road.
Joan and another Lauriston resident, also nearing 99, were once regular trike
riders at the Velodrome. However, a new ticketing system has made it harder for them to continue.
In recent years she has researched her family history online and points to boxes of information she has filed away in her villa.
With just over 350 days to go before she turns 100, Joan Grice stays curious, adventurous and full of life. It is those qualities plus the giant jigsaw puzzles she tackles every day.
She was completing a 1000 piece dog one when The News visited – and cryptic crosswords, which help keep her mind active.
Joan Grice with Danny Blakemore on the mobile barrier starting the race named after her at Cambridge Raceway last week.
Photo: Race Images NZ
ON SHAKY GROUND
How the US tops volcano list
By Janine Krippner
Last week, I covered how volcanically active Indonesia is, noting that it ranks fourth globally for the number of active volcanoes. So, let’s talk about who comes in at number one.
That title goes to the United States—a fact that surprises many Americans when I tell them. I lived in the US for eight years, and it’s a great place to learn about volcanic hazards and how they’re communicated. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) runs volcano observatories in Hawaii, California, the Cascades (Washington, Oregon, and Idaho), Alaska, and Yellowstone.
The US leads with 165 active volcanoesdefined as those that have erupted in the past 11,000 years and are therefore likely to erupt again. Since 1950, 42 have erupted. You can explore these on the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program and the USGS websites.
Some eruptions are particularly welldocumented, including the infamous 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and its activity again between 2004 and 2008. Lassen Peak in California erupted between 1914 and 1917, and Mount Hood in Oregon was active during the 1700s and 1800s. And of course, the Hawaiian Islands are famously active, with spectacular recent lava fountains.
But where the US really stands out is in Alaska.
Alaska is home to around 140 volcanoes and volcanic fields that have erupted within the past 2.6 million years - 90 in the last 11,000 years, and more than 50 in just the past 300. Many of these could be highly disruptive if they erupted today. While most Alaskan volcanoes are in remote locations without nearby communities, they
lie directly beneath busy North Pacific flight routes. These subduction zone volcanoes - similar to ours in New Zealand - can produce enormous volumes of volcanic ash, which pose a major aviation hazard.
One of the most significant eruptions occurred in 1912 at Katmai. It blanketed the landscape in volcanic ash (essentially pulverised rock). Even today, strong winds can lift this ash back into the air, posing a lingering hazard long after the eruption ended. Volcanoes can remain a threat well into dormancy.
There will be more large eruptions in Alaska. That’s why USGS monitoring is critical - not just for locals, but for global air travel. Their monitoring tools include seismic networks, infrasound, satellites, webcams, and even lightning detection systems.
I can’t talk about US volcanoes without mentioning Yellowstone—the “supervolcano” that sparks questions nearly every time I talk to Americans: Is it going to kill us all? When will it erupt?
There’s been a lot of fearmongering and conspiracy around the very well monitored Yellowstone. But as with our own caldera systems (like Taupō), these volcanoes are much more likely to produce small-scale activity. The most probable events at Yellowstone are hydrothermal explosions (like those we see in Rotorua) or lava flows - not civilisationdisrupting cataclysms.
Getting the message across
By Rev Sam Pullenger - Deacon, St John’s Anglican Parish Te Awamutu
Community is at the heart of the human endeavour.
Communities that empower care and compassion for the other enable individuals to flourish, though those qualities are often corrupted by power, wealth and prestige.
I am not a person in isolation, I do not create my own identity out of thin air and then project it to the world. We are people born into a specific place and time, formed by our histories, culture and experience - we are persons-in-relationship. We, therefore, gravitate towards others who are similar to ourselves, in doing so, reinforcing our identities.
It’s only a matter of time before one of America’s volcanoes makes headlines—not just for its eruption, but for the reminder it brings of the dynamic planet we live on and how they can impact us.
However, as we gravitate towards people like ourselves, we also actively move away from those who are not like us in thought, culture, history or experience. This move away from the other and towards the similar makes us feel safe, but it also locks us into our bubbles of thought. The more we are around likeminded people the less we can hear and understand those who are different. This is a tragedy. The Church is meant to be a place where community is enabled to flourish, where people from all walks of life can come together in unity to follow Jesus. Recently we celebrated Pentecost which many people call the birth of the church. In the story of Pentecost the Spirit of God enables a group of people who all spoke a single language to be heard and understood by people who spoke a wide range of languages. One of the points expressed in this story is that the church is
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called to communicate so that those who are different from ourselves can hear, understand and engage in their own way. Our rapidly growing town of Te Awamutu is changing. We have new voices, new perspectives and new histories that need to be acknowledged alongside the long standing ones if we are to continue to work towards being a community. One of the struggles the council has is to listen carefully to all these voices and seek to work towards a future in which all their citizens are enabled to flourish. As we have seen in a recent Te Awamutu News column, communication must, then, also be at the forefront of what the council does. Without communication the community are left in the dark about purpose, plans and changes. However, communication always comes with a “spin”. Almost all communication comes with a story that is being told or a perspective that is being put forward. It would be naive of us to expect that a council who are seeking to gain our trust would not spin their communications in a certain direction. But the spin must not be the point of communication. The point needs to be to inform its citizens on the direction they are taking and the ways they are working towards the flourishing of the whole community. With an area as large as Waipā and with the multiple platforms that council needs to communicate through I think we should expect to see a reasonable sum of money allocated towards that team so long as the community is at the heart of the endeavour.
Safety last? What counsel said
By Chris Gardner
A lawyer for Waikato Thoroughbred Racing says a “she’ll be right” attitude has been taken by the company planning a waste to energy plant for Te Awamutu has taken.
The Racecourse Road plant, to be called Paewira, would burn tonnes of rubbish trucked in from throughout the Waikato and generate electricity.
But its site – near the Mangapiko Stream, a Fonterra plant, the Waipā Racing Club track and both Te Awamutu College and Te Wananga o Aotearoa –prompted protests when it was announced.
At an Environmental Protection Agency Board of Inquiry hearing In Hamilton into the planned plant last week, counsel Marianne Mackintosh asked Environmental Risk Sciences director Dr Jackie Wright what the health consequences would be if something went wrong with the proposed Racecourse Road plant.
“I haven’t assessed that,” Wright said. “It’s a hypothetical, and I don’t have
enough information, sorry.”
“So, it’s a sort of ‘she’ll be right’ and wait and see if anything bad happens,” Mackintosh said.
Wright who was called to give evidence by applicant Global Contracting Solutions, disagreed.
“I haven’t assessed it because I haven’t been given that information,” she said.
“So is it your evidence that you can say with certainty that there will be zero premature deaths as a result of this plant being located next to a residential population?” Mackintosh asked.
Wright responded she could not say that.
“I don’ know how you would measure zero.
“There is a small risk of increased premature deaths. Now, whether you call it premature deaths or probably the more useful health measure, to actually calculate is the years of life lost, which talks about how many days of a person’s life a particular exposure may result in... that’s actually a much more useful measure than just saying a premature death,” Wright said.
“So, if you’re going down that line and you had some certainty, that’s what you would calculate. But there is always going to be a risk with exposure to changes in PM2.5 [particulate matter] and NO2 [nitrogen dioxide]. And that’s just part of those calculations. And the aim is to reduce that to as low as possible.”
Environment Defence Society and Zero Waste counsel Sarah Ongley asked Global Contracting Solution’s air quality consultant Dr Terry Brady whether dioxin spikes could occur without being measured.
“I’m just stating a hypothetical, if something went wrong with the plant,” Ongley said. “You are saying it won’t. But I’m saying if it does, a dioxin emission could occur that won’t be measured?”
“In theory, that is the case, yes,” Brady said.
Sampling takes an hour, and it takes a week or two to get the results back from Melbourne, Australia.
Under cross examination from Fonterra’s counsel Daniel Minhinnick, Brady said when Fonterra’s own boiler start-up “you’ll get
spikes of dioxin from that plant as well”.
“My expectation is that the risk from that potential odour source is actually far less than the existing aerobic and anaerobic ponds at a similar distance from Fonterra’s own wastewater treatment system,” he added.
“That in my opinion would be a much greater odour rather than the proposed plant.”
The applicant is considering almost doubling
the length of the plant’s chimneys from 38 metres to 60 metres
“The 38-metre stack is adequate,” Brady said.
“It does the job, meets the appropriate Ambient Air Quality Guidelines and Standards. Quite clearly, a 60-metre stack would do better. Of that, there is no doubt.”
The waste to energy plant proposal has attracted more than 1300 submissions, the vast majority opposed.
They include objections from mana whenua, DairyNZ, Fonterra, Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board and Waipā District Council.
About 64 per cent of submissions expressed concerns about pollutants, including dioxins and nanoparticles, and there were concerns about the lack of a health impact assessment.
The hearing is expected to end tomorrow.
Objectors to the Paewira Energy-from-Waste plant are concerned a malfunction could be fatal.
Briefs…
Web visits
Visits to Good Local Media’s teawamutunews. nz website continue to soar. Top post last month was news that former Te Awamutu based Waipā posties Danny and Ian Kennedy have abandoned their damages claim for breach of contract against NZ Post followed by News in Brief. Hamilton Airport’s future proofing plans for an increase is domestic flights came in third while Kiwi Searancke being awarded Waikato Rugby life membership and Ryan Fleming’s column confirming “Yes, there are police” rounded out the top five.
PJs delivered Nominations have now closed for Waipā Networks’ Winter Warmer Packs initiative, with over 600 people set to benefit from packs loaded with winter goodies. The initiative, which is into its third year, encourages people to nominate individuals and whānau in need or who may be struggling, particularly through the colder months when energy costs tend to be higher. The packs are being delivered to collection points across the district.
Five councils take the plunge
By Chris Gardner
Ōtorohanga District Council led the way last week as the first of five councils to decide to hand its drinking and waste water over to a council-controlled water authority.
Ōtorohanga councillors voted to join stage one of the Waikato Water Done Well organisation last Tuesday, moments after Taupō District Council had made the decision to keep its water services in house after 74 per cent of the 220 submissions it received favoured that option.
Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, South Waikato and Waitomo district councils followed Ōtorohanga’s lead before Waitomo confirmed its
decision at Monday’s council meeting.
Waipā District Council will confirm whether it’s joining Waikato Water Done Well when it adopts its Annual Plan later in the month.
Despite months of discussion and public consultation, Ōtorohanga’s decision was far from a done deal. Three councillors voted against the decision after hearing the district would hold a four per cent stake in the organisation based on the number of water connections.
“I would like to have seen a dollar figure about how much that four per cent is,” said Ōtorohanga ward councillor Katrina Christison.
“We have been given lots of competitive information
on Waikato Water Done Well. There’s too much uncertainty for me.”
Fellow Ōtorohanga ward councillor Steve Hughes said he had been leaning “more” towards the status quo... “people don’t really understand it”.
Kio Kio-Korakonui Ward councillor Rodney Dow said joining Waikato Water Done Well would cost the council $600,000 and keeping water services in house would give staff a chance to learn a lot of skills.
Council engineering and assets group manager Mark Lewis said the analysis indicated that joining Waikato Water Done Well would deliver advantages to the council including greater resilience with better
borrowing capacity for unexpected events such as plant failures, civil defence and other emergencies.
In Waitomo, deputy mayor Allan Goddard’s motion to join was seconded by councillor Eady Manawaiti.
“This is the biggest decision this council has had to make,” Goddard said. “We need to look forward to what will benefit our ratepayers.
“The reason I support this is based on the principles of kaitiakitanga, it’s about looking after that river,” Manawaiti said.
Waipā District Council has approved the draft constitution and shareholders agreement for the Waikato Water Done Well council-controlled organisation.
Fears over waste plan
By Chris Gardner
The proposal to build a waste to energy plant in Te Awamutu is the antithesis of all the district stands for, says Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan. O’Regan appeared before the Environmental Protection Agency Board of Inquiry in Hamilton last week to ask it to decline Global Contracting Solutions’ application to build
the plant in Racecourse Road. A decision is expected to be announced at the end of next month.
The proposed site is close to educational facilities, a Fonterra dairy factory, and homes.
“Waipā is the ‘Home of Champions’,” O’Regan said in her submission to the hearing.
“It is a district that takes pride in its thriving agricultural and horticultural industries. It also
enjoys beautiful landscapes, natural features, and world class sports and recreational facilities.
"The proposal is the antithesis of this,” she said.
O’Regan said it was hard to overestimate the strength of feeling that exists in the community against the proposed plant.
“The vast majority of the 1353 individual submitters
oppose the proposed waste to energy plant.”
“Our residents are sending a clear message: this proposal does not align with our district’s future, nor does it serve the interests of the people who live, work, invest and raise families here.
She said social and health consultant Robert Quigley’s evidence clearly sets out the significant adverse effects the
But Pirongia councillor Clare St Pierre is unhappy with the level of detail.
“I’m a bit disappointed we haven’t had enough time to understand that in more detail. It’s the urgency. Central Government are cracking the whip on this to get us to a certain point by a date.”
Susan O’Regan
waste to energy plant was likely to have on community aspirations, health and wellbeing and housing.
Claire St Pierre
Cars in control
Waipā District Council, led by Fleet Coordinator Claire Vincent, has introduced a new way to manage its 165 vehicles.The Orcoda Connect system enables the council to track and manage their vehicles more efficiently.It’s the first time the Australian system has been used in New Zealand by a local body. Orcoda says the system makes better use of ratepayer funds by getting more out of their vehicles and cutting costs, and staff are happier because it gives them more independence.
Meghan Hawkes tracks news around the year 1911 as Te Awamutu enjoys a growth spurt.
Feeling the growing pains
A visitor to Te Awamutu was delighted to note its rapid growth. Houses and shops were going up in all directions and before long the town would take its place as one of the most flourishing in the Waikato. But, the visitor asked, was there any local authority to look after the roads and footpaths? From the look of them they seemed to be left to look after themselves. How did residents get about in the dark? Or did they all stay home after sunset? The visitor urged upon the Te Awamutu authorities a little more speed.
The proposed new post office for Te Awamutu, however, was nearly complete. The brick building was nearly four times the size of the present “unnameable horror.” It would be a
decided ornament to the town but the best of it was in the internal arrangements. The mail room alone had 250 feet more floor space than the whole of the present building. The public room had a 16-foot counter surmounted by the latest thing in brass screens. There was a postmaster’s room, a telephone exchange and a big strong room. A letter box lobby enabled residents to get their mail without going into the public office. A sound-proof room for bureau purposes would give users what they had never had in Te Awamutu - privacy. Census returns showed that the population of the Te Awamutu Town District was now 645 - an increase of 266 on the returns of 1906. The young people of
Kihikihi decided to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty King George V with a riding party to Kakepuku, and by climbing to the mountain’s summit. Seldom had the little township presented a more animated appearance than when, at an early hour, the jovial party of about two dozen riders set off for the day’s pleasure. After welcome victuals at the residence of Messrs McCalium and Stanwell, the climb commenced. The mountain, though only 1800 feet in height, proved difficult to ascend, the wet and slippery fern making it hard to keep a footing. The enthusiasts were determined though and about 20 reached the summit. From this altitude the surrounding country was very picturesque
and made up for the exertion of the climb. The descent was much easier and on arriving at the tethered horses all haste was made to the residence of the genial hosts, whose hospitality was again enjoyed. As the shades of evening were drawing near, hearty cheers were given for the kindly hosts, and the homeward journey commenced. Upon reaching Kihikihi the day’s outing was brought to a conclusion by the singing of the National Anthem. The people of Pirongia were much incensed at the latest use found for the public library’s verandah. A quantity of manure had been stored under it, and the stench rising from it made it almost impossible to use the library, while passers-by were greatly inconvenienced. It was time the authorities took steps to prevent this nuisance as the public library had a much better objective if used as it should be.
Te Awamutu flourishing in 1911
The spectre of rate hikes
By Chris Gardner
Continuing big rate rises could be a factor in turning Kāwhia into a ghost town, an Ōtorohanga district councillor says.
Kāwhia/Tihiroa Ward councillor Kit Jeffries spoke against adopting the council’s annual plan for 202526 as it meant an average 30 to 40 per cent increase in Kāwhia rates over two years, starting with 10.16 per cent.
“I am going to exercise a conscience vote on this,” Jeffries told fellow councillors at last week’s council meeting.
“I can’t support it. It’s very difficult to stand in front of someone and say what has caused that increase. I can’t. I don’t have the information that I need to say why our rates in the last two years have gone up 40 per cent. I am really struggling with this.”
Jeffries knew of 18 Kāwhia properties that were charged between $10,000 and $12,000 in rate and lease fees.
“I am really concerned about the effect that this is going to have. We are going to see people leave the town. We are going end up with a bit of a ghost town because people
Residents could find themselves priced out of Kawhia
can’t afford to live there. Real estate agents have asked me to ask the council not to put the rates up in Kāwhia because they are having trouble selling properties out there.”
Ray White salesperson Julie Burgess told The News she had two sections and three properties on her books in Kāwhia, and the rates increase could result in more listings.
“Everyone is telling them not to put rates up,” she said.
Jeffries comments came after council strategy and community group manager Nardia Gower told the council the annual plan included a 0.4 per cent rate increase on the Long Term Plan projection for the 2025-26 financial year.
The plan took into account inflation and increased depreciation costs, as well as $45,000 towards local body elections, an extra $100,000 associated with construction and maintenance of Aotea and Kāwhia sea wall, and $50,000 towards a climate change response plan, Gower said.
Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter said the annual plan was based on the Long Term Plan which had gone to extensive community consultation.
“Everyone sitting around this table is confronted by the same rates increased as everyone else is,”
he said.
Chief executive Tanya Winter said the council could make significant cuts if it wished.
Councillor Katrina Christison suggested “we just hang back and put the brakes on for a bit.
“Everyone is talking about a fixed income, and how hard it is,” she said
The motion was passed with Jeffries vote against the plan. He also opposed a follow up resolution to raise rates, which also passed.
After the meeting, Jeffries told The News rates affordability was becoming a real issue for many on fixed incomes.
“The ‘economies of scale’ in our smaller communities are becoming increasingly evident, particularly when residential rates for some will exceed upwards of $6500$7,000 in 2025-2026.”
Many residential ratepayers faced some difficult decisions on how to cope with increasing commodity prices and whether or not to sell up and move to a larger centre where numbers of similar ratepayers spread and ease the rates burden.
“In a small community like Kāwhia with many leasehold properties, the combination of leases and rates is also proving a financial barrier to the point where they are becoming a determining
factor for potential purchasers,” he said.
“I do question how long small councils like ours can remain affordable and sustainable in the future unless something positive is done to address this by central government. With costs ever increasing, councils generally need to look at how they can continue to fund their activities at current service levels and whether in fact the future aspirations of ratepayers captured in Long-Term Plans are affordable. It’s a matter of great concern to me and I’m sure to many others.”
Earlier in the meeting the council listened to Ōtorohanga Community Board and scaled back plans to raise water connection and use charges to $210 and $2 respectively.
Kit Jeffries
Libraries - ‘more than books’
By Viv Posselt
The man helping take Waipā District Libraries’ public services into the age of technology has been nuts about computers since he was about four.
Now in his late 20s, Joe Poultney is a selfconfessed techno-nerd who has spent much of his working life in and around libraries. He sees them as spaces where technology should sit comfortably alongside books as tools for disseminating information to the public.
“For me, a library has always been about two things… as repositories of knowledge and using different ways to share that knowledge with people,” he said. “Libraries have been more than about just about books for over 20 years now. As I see it, it’s crucial to make them interesting places where material is shared with communities in relevant ways, and that now includes technology.”
Poultney stepped into the role of Waipā District Libraries’ outreach librarian late
last year, filling the shoes of his high-energy predecessor Dee Atkinson. One of his early outings in the job’s events-support space was at the Te Awamutu Museum’s Tui and Tama Eco Expo in March, where he used technology in an erosion table which demonstrated how water erosion impacts differently sized sediment particles. Science and technology in practice, that’s his thing.
He is now busy with ideas and resources in the programming and 3-D printing space, is looking into aspects of AI (artificial intelligence), and is running a series of Edison bots (robots) classes for school students. In addition, he is helping provide technological support for anyone in the community, of any age.“The library has been helping people work with their computers and phones for a while now, but I’d like to build on that. People of almost any age can embrace technology. The biggest difference between someone who is 15 or in their senior years isn’t the content, it’s how you package its delivery,” he said, “it’s
about engaging them. Same content, different delivery.”
Poultney’s Welsh family moved around for his father’s military career and came to New Zealand in 2008.
“I got hooked on computers at around four. Much later, I got interested in the law surrounding technology, and when I moved to Hamilton in 2012, I did a conjoint degree in law and computer sciences. I’m fascinated by things like the ethics surrounding 3D printing and AI.”
After that, he started working across various Hamilton libraries, moving through the spaces that were then starting to buzz with the introduction of new technologies and systems.
Poultney and his wife settled in Te Awamutu two-and-a-half years ago. “I really like the small town, country living. It’s the ‘high-street’ I never had growing up.”Technology, of course, is part of that country living, and a part of what he’s doing both at home and in the libraries of Cambridge and Te Awamutu.
He has a box of ‘Raspberry pi’, tiny portable robots that can do a raft of things under instruction and can run off a USB stick; 10 of them fit into a shoebox. He’s also looking at ways youngsters can programme their own video games… it’s what he calls ‘crunchy hands-on technology’.
Beyond that, he’s handling events and liaising with other council departments .“At the end of the day, technology is now just part of life.”
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Joe Poultney with the table he set up for the Expo.
Photo: Viv Posselt
Accounted4 Directors left to right: Martyn Steffert, Geoff Hurst, David Faville, Kim Antonio and Jamie Fisher
Accounted4 Directors left to right: Martyn Steffert, Geoff Hurst, David Faville, Kim Antonio and Jamie Fisher
Chamber, pots - and grey
By Chris Gardner
Te Awamutu Business Chamber
wishes to paint the town grey.
Chief executive Shane Walsh presented a town centre landscape revitalisation plan from retailers to Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board last week.
“The retailers are feeling unloved out there,” Walsh said. “If we could do something for them, and something that’s not going to cost the earth, then why wouldn’t we?”
Walsh said retailers believed it was time to revitalise and modernise the main street.
He said the existing rails, seating, central streetlight poles and rubbish bag holders were in need of maintenance and their colour was old fashioned and drab.
Retailers wanted to swap the rusty red street furniture for grey furniture like that near Te Awamutu
Library.
“We believe the look and feel needs to be consistent throughout the town,” he said.
“We are not suggesting that we change the seats, we are just suggesting that the colour needs to be consistent throughout the town.”
Walsh said the town’s planting scheme was too formal and outdated.“Someone said it’s time we pulled nanna’s garden out,” he said.
“We are suggesting native planting and some roses to highlight our rose town credentials, to be more in line with the landscaping around the library and the pools.”
Walsh complained the town centre’s hedge rows were not good, and very colonial looking.
“Many people have been in this room and complained about these pots, and they are still there, and they are still on a lean, and if the
town was to become famous for the leaning pots of Te Awamutu, then that would be something at least. I have not met anyone who likes them.”
Walsh said the business chamber was aware of the need to minimise cost as there was no money.
“The vision should be worked towards over time using existing maintenance budgets,” he said.
“The expectation is that if it’s done right the cost to maintain will be less. Hedges would not require cutting, pots would not require constant cleaning, and the natives would be hardier and less maintenance.” Board chair Ange Holt agreed with Walsh’s presentation.
“The pots have been a problem for quite some time, I think they just store rubbish,” said board member Jill Taylor.
Board member Sally Whitaker
said the retailers needed looking after.
Deputy chair Kane Titchener agreed and added a clean of the town’s signs and maintenance of roundabouts to the list.
“The whole look and feel of the town as you come in is just atrocious,” he said.
Titchener said he was glad Walsh had a long-term expectation on change.
“We want to see some change.”
“If we could do it together with the [council] staff and the retailers, talking to each other, that would be another great thing to get that reconnection between the council and the community,” Walsh said.
Titchener said the board was attempting to do just that.
“We’ve been trying to get that main street a bit of love for four years,” Holt said. “It’s definitely something that the Te Awamutu community are behind.” Holt said the board would discuss Walsh’s request after the meeting. “Four years ago, the same sort of submission was done, and zero has happened,” Walsh said. Holt said the footpaths had been cleaned as a result.
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Accounted4 is Cambridge’s largest CA practice. Their team of 30, including Directors; Martyn Steffert, David Faville, Kim Antonio, Geoff Hurst and Jamie Fisher, boasts a total of 10 Chartered Accountants with another 4 currently training.
Although able to assist clients nationwide, there’s no substitute for one-to-one service. Based on Rewi Street, Te Awamutu, Kiwi Accounting Solutions has an extensive base of clients from throughout the Waikato, Waipa and King Country.
At the heart of this well-respected business is their byline “it’s not just about the numbers”. Their clients say they value the team’s personable advice, prompt and honest communication and their genuine interest and care. No problem is too small, no question too hard and their business advice is second to none.
to local, national, and globally based clients, and has done so for over 65 years. Their client base spans many industries in the Agricultural, Commercial, Retail and Investment Sectors. They are immersed in the community through financial and voluntary support.
“The major benefit of being so close to home is that clients can easily pop in and discuss their needs face-toface,” Megan adds.
“Sometimes it’s easier to communicate in person and it means we can (sometimes quite literally!) be on the same page.”
Their 100% cloud technology gives them agility to support their clients anywhere, anytime. They are a Xero Platinum Partner, a Figured Gold Partner and iPayroll and PaySauce Partners. They were the winners of the 2022 NZ Xero People’s Choice Award.
“With a new business, there are some big decisions to make. With our help, you can navigate these, so they don’t come back to bite you in the future.”
“The IRD rules around farming are complex and clients won’t benefit from them without specialised experience,” Megan says. “But there’s much more to it. Operating seasonally, and being heavily impacted by nature, primary sector businesses have extra challenges.”
Accounted4 Directors left to right: Martyn Steffert, Geoff Hurst, David Faville, Kim Antonio and Jamie Fisher
With decades of experience, Megan and the firm’s director, Alastair Flett, draw on extensive accounting knowledge.
From general accounting to tax guidance, business acquisitions, estate planning and more, this Kiwi team provides a comprehensive range of services.
Even something as simple as a solid grasp of terminology or working to a country timetable can be invaluable, Megan explains.
Their experienced team provides expert accountancy, tax, advisory, and payroll services
“When farmers talk ‘shop’, we know exactly what they mean, which helps us cut to the chase.
“Also, for example, farmers don’t want to discuss the books when they’re up to their elbows calving a cow before they’ve even been in for breakfast – call then and
KNOW
Megan Johns and Alastair Flett
Shane Walsh and one of Te Awamutu’s leaning pots.
Jane’s two-day plus marathon Hautapu
By Jesse Wood
Cambridge’s Jane McAlpine set a New Zealand women’s record last week in Queensland at the Dead Cow Gully Backyard Masters, running 355km in 53 hours.
The Te Awamutu College alumna is coached by fellow New Zealander and competitor Sam Harvey.
The 6.7km Nanango-based course takes competitors through stockyards, grasslands, gullies and gum trees, running alongside cattle in the surrounding paddocks.
Owned by the Walsh Family, Dead Cow Gully is a sixthgeneration family cattle property that the family have called home for 150 years.
Dead Cow Gully is in a league of its own, it’s the ultimate measure of human endurance - entrants must run the loop within the hour, every hour, until there is one competitor left standing.
Runners who finish a loop in 45 minutes are rewarded with a 15 minute rest.
McApline completed 53 laps.
“Sam ran an incredible 118 laps and was the assist to Phil Gore who won on 119 - a new world record,” McAlpine said. “Sam has been my coach for the past six months, helping me to become a stronger and faster runner.
“I managed to run very strong
physically and mentally for most of my race - taking in good nutrition to keep turning up each hour to complete the yard.”
McAlpine, who managed 39 laps, 261km last year, returned to beat Julia Chamberlain’s record of 342km, 51 laps.
Jennifer Russo from the United States was last woman standing overall.
McAlpine she expected to suffer some reaction to running on hard ground.
“My right Achilles niggled early Sunday morning but we kept it under control until Monday morning when it became a bit of an issue,” McAlpine said.
“After completing the 53rd hour, and speaking with Sam, we made the tough decision to end my race due to my Achilles. I entered the start coral alongside Sam, we started that yard together, stopped, embraced and I wished him well in his goal of breaking the world record.”
McAlpine said the community involved in backyard ultra marathons are very supportive on and off the course.
“In the backyard format you need the support of those around you to reach your limit,” she said.
“I ran alongside some incredible athletes from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, America, Belgium and Romania. All the time supporting one another to go one more yard.”
By Jesse Wood
Hautapu beat Morrinsville
Sports 41-14 in Waikato premier rugby on Saturday to stay four points clear at the top of the ladders.
Centre Michael Naitokani scored twice in the seven tries to two victory at Cambridge Memorial Park.
Others to cross the chalk for Hautapu were stalwart Mitch Jacobson, Amos Faaola, Rui Farrant, Levi Hazelton and speedster Waisake Salabiau. Pivot Rangiwai Lunjevich slotted three conversions off the tee.
Hautapu B drubbed Morrinsville B 76-14, scoring a dozen tries.
Leamington and Pirongia both lost in their first week of round two division 1A Mooloo Shield footy.
Hinuera hosted Leamington and won 27-10, Pirongia travelled to Putāruru and fell 19-12 at Nola Block.
In the division 1A championship section, Ōhaupō dealt to Frankton 52-10 in Hamilton.
Pirongia and Leamington’s B teams registered wins but Ōhaupō B were pipped 13-10 by Frankton B at Swarbrick Park.
Te Awamutu Sports beat Pirongia, Hautapu won by default against Matamata and Leamington were outgunned 101-0 by Marist in the under-21 competition.
Jane McAlpine in action during her 53 hours of running at Dead Cow Gully.
8. Close and devoted (11) 12. Confront to resolve a matter (4,2,3) 15. Split (7) 16. Box (6) 19. Tale (5) 20. Aid someone in crime (4) 23. Tear (3) Last week
1. A spell of luck (6) 2. Large tank (3) 3. Dwarfish figure (5)
We cordially invite you to the Te Kōpua Marae (Kakepuku 9B1D1 trust) Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2025. The AGM provides the opportunity to present financial updates, report on activities of the marae committee, and receive written resolutions.
Date: Sunday 3rd August 2025
Time: 10am
Location: Te Kōpua Marae, 213 Morgan Rd, Pokuru
5. Any written resolutions
All written motions must be received by the Secretary no less than 14 days prior to the AGM. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to contact our Secretary at secretary@tekopuamarae.co.nz
We look forward to your presence and valuable contributions.
Kakepuku 9B1D1 trustees
APPLICATION FOR LEASE OF PIRONGIA RESERVE
Waipā District Council (“WDC”) acting on behalf of the Minister of Conservation has received an application for a lease of the Pirongia Reserve as detailed below:
Lessee: Mt. Pirongia Branch of the Te Awamutu Pony Club Incorporated
Leased Land: All that land comprising 2.7979 hectares more or less being the recreation reserve located at 93 Kakaramea Road and forms part of the Pirongia Reserve, legally described as Part Allot 87 Mangapiko PSH, Parcel ID 4287648 (“Pirongia Reserve”).
Term: Five (5) years with two (2) rights of renewal of five (5) years each
Rent: Initial annual rent of approximately $180.00 plus GST
Permitted Use: Horse riding and associated activities
The Pirongia Reserve is vested in the Crown as recreation reserve with Waipā District Council acting as administering body. Waipā District Council has been delegated authority to enter into leases under section 59A of the Reserves Act 1977 on the Minister of Conservation’s behalf.
Waipā District Council intends to consider the lease application and may grant a new lease on behalf of the Minister of Conservation on the above terms under section 59A of the Reserves Act 1977.
For more information, please contact Waipā District Council on 0800 924 723 or email info@waipadc.govt.nz
Anyone wishing to make a submission on the application may do so in writing by post or email, to be received no later than 4 August 2025. Please state in your submission if you wish to be heard in person.
Address all correspondence to:
By Post:
Waipā District Council Private Bag 2402
HAMILTON, Lois Ellen –1939 - 2025. Passed away peacefully after a short illness on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Loved wife for 65 years of Rex. Loving mother of Coralie & Rob, Shayne & Denise, Delmae and Daryn. Loved nana of Hayley & Ash Rowe, Luke & Laura Boys, Josh & Amy, Adam, Brooke & Edyn and great nana of Lexie-Anne, Nico, Hunter and Sebastian. The service for Lois has been held. Messages to the Hamilton Family can be sent c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800 or in Lois’ online tribute book at www.rosetown. co.nz
Te Awamutu 3840
By Email: info@waipadc.govt.nz
Privacy Statement: Any personal information you provide as part of your submission or objection will be used for the purpose of the engagement process, including informing you of the outcome of the consultation. All submissions (including names and contact details) may be provided in full to elected members and Council officers for this purpose. Submissions (including names but not contact details) may be made available to the public at our office and on our website. All information collected will be held by Waipā District Council, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu with submitters having the right to access, and request correction to, their personal information. You can read our full privacy statement at waipadc.govt.nz/privacy-statement
Steph O’Sullivan Chief Executive
Farm Work Wanted
Experienced farmer available for relief work, calving, milking, general farm work, GST registered Ph 022 0844349
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