FRIDAY APRIL 3, 2020
Cambridge & Te Awamutu
CAMBRIDGE & TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
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Time stops, clocks go back Don’t forget to adjust your clocks at home as daylight savings ends this weekend. Clocks move back an hour at 3am on Sunday.
Like the rest of us, the Cambridge Town Clock is biding its time until lockdown ends.
By Viv Posselt
The Cambridge Town Clock has fallen silent, echoing the eerie calm that has fallen over Waipā communities since the COVID-19 lockdown began last week. The clock has been stopped as Waipā District Council maintenance staff are unable to access its workings during the lockdown period. Waipa District Mayor Jim Mylchreest said the clock is usually wound twice a week, but given the lockdown and the threat of COVID-19, “asking our staff to complete this task would be putting them at too high a risk”. “As it is a non-essential service, we made the decision to stop the clock at midday last Tuesday prior to going into lockdown.”
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Your Local Independent Papers
Jim Goddin
3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 07 827 6037 office@grinters.co.nz www.grinters.co.nz
FDANZ
APRIL 3, 2020
Print ban: Stuff and nonsense The distribution of news is vital for communities. That is why when the Ministry for Culture and Heritage told us last Friday we were not an essential service, the New Zealand Independent Community Newspapers Association (CNA) objected. As a consequence of the announcement and in anticipation of common sense prevailing, your News was compiled in a combined format as we merged our Cambridge and Te Awamutu sister papers after taking steps to distribute safely – without delivery people in urban areas. We have done our best to produce a Waipāwide print publication at short notice. By deadline, the Ministry would not give us a decision on whether or not they considered us an essential service. The Ministry says non-daily newspapers are essential services where their primary focus is communities that are hard to reach due to physical
WE SAY… location. We argue that our rural communities, who we believe have a subscription rate to daily newspapers of less than 20 percent, are in that category. The uncertainty and delays in getting answers resulted in many of our sister papers not publishing this week - leaving their readers without a paper, without notice. We believe the initial application of the rules regarding essential print media was a nonsense, but the revised rulings are still confusing. When the Ministry came to the Independent Community Newspapers Assocation’s 80 members through president David Mackenzie – publisher of this newspaper - it appeared talks leading to the decision had already been held with major daily newspaper publishers. So we find it all the more disturbing to note that in the wake of the announcement 80 mastheads
should close, neither Stuff nor NZME assigned a reporter to call Mackenzie for comment about the forced closure of their rivals - and most of the country’s free press. The only papers now available in most of New Zealand are dailies, mastheads with falling circulations and some who took the opportunity following Friday’s announcement to invite more people to subscribe to their products. The handling of the Covid-19 emergency has, in our view, been almost faultless. But we suggest the throttling of the country’s independent newspapers will leave indelible stains. We will ramp up our online presence during the Covid19 emergency ... go to https://www. cambridgenews.nz/about/publications/ Reporter Jeremy Smith isn’t out and about – but he wants to hear from you. See Page two for contact details. What is your story? The news is in your hands.
Foodbank stays open By Steph Bell-Jenkins
The Te Awamutu Combined Churches and Community Foodbank is continuing to help people in need during the Covid-19 crisis. “We have packers and deliverers ready to make deliveries if required,” said coordinator Ian McLauchlan. “Our delivery processes have been modified to ensure their safety.” He said the organisation will keep operating through Covid-19 emergency because it was classed as an essential service. However, with its call centre at Kainga Aroha Community House now closed and restrictions on public movement in place, it could no longer accept donated goods. “Our plan is to buy food if required over the next four weeks because of the difficulty accepting donated items,” he said. “I have had the offer of a cash donation from a private individual to help meet the cost of purchasing food and we have also received an offer of support from Te Awamutu Rotary.”
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He would be happy to receive offers of financial assistance and could be contacted on 027 389 5470 or at suemclauchlan@xtra. co.nz. McLauchlan has contacted Te Awamutu supermarket managers to set up a plan for buying food and said James Clark from FreshChoice had been “extremely helpful”. “He has enabled us to establish a purchasing system that allows us to buy what we need in the quantities that we need, subject to product availability.” While he expected Work and Income New Zealand to be the first port of call for those in need, he said the foodbank was available as an emergency service. Requests for food parcels should be directed through WINZ or church ministers, including Pastor Ariki Ashford, 021 295 6928, Rev Shelley Walker, 07 871 4453, or 027 694 8779, Julie Guest, 027 420 5375, Allan MacManus, 027 936 5986, Rev Ron Bennett, 022 698 1303 and Pastor Shane Wildermoth, 021 217 2105). Foodbank coordinator Ian McLauchlan.
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Your regular News papers will appear under a single masthead during the Covid-19 lockdown.
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Unfortunately due to Covid19 we are closed.
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