TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY APRIL 29, 2021
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APRIL 29, 2021
Councils talk change By Roy Pilott
Mayors and councillors from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty will meet tomorrow in the wake of a Government announcement that local government is in for a shake-up. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta made the announcement last week and signalled the biggest revamp of local government since 1989, when the Waipā, Waikato and Ōtorohanga district councils
and the Waikato Regional Councils were established. Tomorrow’s meeting will bring together civic leaders from Local Government New Zealand Zone 2 - which takes in regional councils, and city and district administrations from Gisborne around to the Coromandel Peninsula and Tauranga, across to the west coast and south to Waitomo and Taupō. Waipā mayor Jim Mylchreest said he would discuss the issue publicly after that meeting.
In Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter is nervous about the proposed revamp, but acknowledges the need for a review. The Government had said it would not push for amalgamations but he feared this could be amalgamation by a different name. He acknowledged that some core services of councils were being eroded, notably by the Three Waters reforms, but also believed Local Government had been consistently under resourced.
In light of the changes, he acknowledged that unless councils were repurposed, they would become irrelevant. “If DHBs have failed, is local government the place for the delivery of health? It is a big beast.” Local body politicians appear unlikely to support a proposal for an Auckland style super council. Max Baxter said it would not be workable in such a large area.
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Eyes right... Dehziyin Stanley, from Te Awamutu Intermediate, and his pals were getting some early practice in before becoming something of the stars of the Anzac show in Te Awamutu on Sunday. Dozen of youngsters performed a haka watched by servicemen and women outside the RSA building. And thanks to Lance Farrow, a 30-year Te Awamutu resident, hundreds more people got to see it. Lance, who shot pictures for the New Zealand V8 Magazone and works in the transport industry, decided to concentrate on video rather than still pictures at the parade – though he did shoot this picture. The result was an inspiring video which had drawn more than 450 likes on the Te Awamutu Grapevine Page by Tuesday evening – and a unanimous vote of approval in the comments section. Dehziyin is 12 and a year eight student at Te Awamutu intermediate. He loves his sprt – particularly rugby and basketball – and has a deep passion for kapahaka. Mum Donna told the News “he loved taking part in the ANZAC parade - the kapahaka group attended dawn service as well as the 10am parade where Te Awamtu Intermediate, Pekerau and Te Awamutu Primary paid homage together. To view the video, go to the Te Awamutu Region Community Grapevine.
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