Cambridge News | August 10, 2023

We can’t get no satisfaction

By Mary Anne Gill

Welcome to Waipā: Home of the Sceptics, for we are champions no more.

That’s been confirmed in the latest annual Waipā residents’ survey with 54 per cent of the respondents described as sceptics and a third as champions.

It’s the 18-29 year-old age group driving the sceptics’ group. They say they do not value or recognise performance and have doubts and lack of trust.

And, in a significant twist, the ones with the least pride in their district are in mayor Susan O’Regan’s ward.

The 33 per cent across the district who see council as competent and with whom they have a positive emotional connection are in the older age groups.

O’Regan - who lives in the rural Kakepuku ward and was its councillor until October last year - and chief executive Garry Dyet were in no mood to sugar coat the result when they spoke exclusively to The News about the survey.

The survey was completed by Tauranga-based Key Research and cost $30,220. It is mandatory for the council to report qualitive data and it has done so since 2016. But the

results have worsened year by year.

O’Regan and Dyet said they want to engage with the disaffected so there is an understanding around what the council does.

O’Regan describes the survey as the “three Rs” – roads, recycling and rubbish.

“There were no big surprises with some of the issues.

“Most of the elected members, most of staff and people who run our comms team and our customer service people are all aware of the challenges in that space, so we

completely accept the criticism in respect of the three Rs,” said O’Regan.

The survey polled 422 people in four quarters starting July 1 last year and ending June 30. The margin of error is +/- 4.2 per cent.

The council’s reputation gained an overall pass – down from 30 per cent last year to 25 per cent - but there was a “significant decline” in satisfaction with services and facilities, particularly roading infrastructure and footpaths. Residents want to see more services to collect and reduce waste.

Nearly a quarter of those polled were “dissatisfied” with council’s overall performance with only 19 per cent satisfied - that satisfaction figure plunged in the Te Awamutu ward to 12 per cent.

Chief executive Garry Dyet said the council would not know how good or bad the result was until it could be peer compared with other councils.

“The people in this organisation are genuinely committed to doing the best they can for their community.”

They took it seriously and were disappointed, he said, noting Waipā was copping the blame for central government reforms.

Continued on page 2

Mayor Susan O’Regan and chief executive Garry Dyet look through the district’s worst-ever residents’ survey.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Cambridge Lions “Trash ‘n’ Treasure”

We can’t get no satisfaction

“It’s like they are shooting the messenger,” he said about issues like Three Waters, Resource Management Reforms and intensified housing.

The signals emanating out of government could be a reason for going from champions to sceptics.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on in the national scene that will affect people’s perception,” said Dyet.

“I’m personally more concerned about the dissatisfied group – it’s the movement in that group that has my attention,” said O’Regan.

“The bit that jumped out to me is the piece around levels of greater dissatisfaction among younger people.”

The council was hoping to engage more with that group, move into a better space.

She attended last week’s careers evening in the Cambridge Town

Power plays in rugby

Continued from page 1

Hall and met many younger residents.

“Wow, that was impressive. We’ve got a very active, ambitious and aspiration group. We need to find a way of accessing them that is meaningful and genuine and informs our decision-making.

“We can’t meet them if they don’t engage with us, and we don’t know what their aspirations are.”

Interestingly the levels of service council provided had not dropped but people’s expectations had increased, she said.

The survey was just one piece of a bigger picture around community perception.

• Download the results at cambridgenews.nz

• Read what they said, page 12

• Taxpayers Union reports on Waipā, page 7

There were some powerful rugby players in Cambridge on Sunday. And each chanced their arm in taking the next step towards staking their claim to overall honours in the 2023 Power Farming Cup.

Sunday’s Cambridge round – held at Memorial Park – was the second of four rounds of the primary school competition.

The Cambridge Colts team is made up of Cambridge and St Peter’s players.

Players are competing for the Goord Cup in an U45kg division, the Gwynne Shield in an U60kg division and a new category, - the Kukri Cup in an over 60kg division.

The first round of the cup was held at Hamilton’s Marist Park at the end of July, while rounds three and four on August 13 and 20 will be in Matamata and Tokoroa.

I hate to sound like a stuck record, but I really need everyone to spread the word around securing vehicles. Coming into work this morning, I have again been told of more cases where vehicles have been stolen, made a lot easier by the fact that they were unlocked.

We believe out of town offenders were involved and it may be an indication that Cambridge is getting a reputation as being a soft target – something against which we are always fighting. As the saying goes, Lock it or Lose it. Beyond personal loss however, every vehicle that offenders find unlocked contributes to our town being targeted and further victimisation. Let’s show criminals that we aren’t the weakest link.

Last week I highlighted the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST). In news from this team, two separate trucks from the same company were recently found to be carrying heavy loads - each a tonne overweight. Different materials of the same volume can weigh vastly different amounts, so simply filling the truck is not a good measure of load weight. Such loads cause damage to the roadways and affect the truck handling.

In this situation, the company is deemed liable and received fines accordingly. They are responsible for providing staff with mechanisms to be able to ensure load compliance.

The same CVST staff member was later travelling in an unmarked police car on the Kaimai Range when he caught a vehicle travelling 150kph in a 100kph passing lane. The Kaimai Range is often the scene of

vehicle crashes. Such irresponsible, risky action is the type of behaviour that leads to increased road trauma.

The driver of the speeding vehicle had decided to race to overtake a friend and unknowingly, the Police car. He was stopped, his driver’s licence suspended for 28 days and he received an infringement for excess speed.

In good news, further to a recent article in this paper, Cambridge Bluelight is appreciative of all the support that we are receiving from Cambridge community. The response to the recent colouring in competition was excellent and the calibre of entries from all age groups was high. The Blue Edge programme is well underway at Cambridge Middle School and has a good following of enthusiastic students arriving to school very early twice a week for a programme of fitness, teamwork and guest speakers. Going forward, donations from our community and other funding sources will enable Cambridge Bluelight to sponsor youth to attend leadership camps and sea voyages, attend a Blue light fun day at Rainbow’s End and actively work to support all youth development.

with Senior Constable DEB HANN

Cambridge Colts Jed Strachan in possession against the Northern Eels.

Photo: Lukas Skipper/Power Farming

Briefs…

Fraud follow

Waipā District Council is contacting property owners after confirming at least 62 district building consents have been caught up in allegedly fraudulent engineering sign-offs. It is alleged Jonathan Beau Hall of Kodiak Consulting compromised the consents by signing using the identities of chartered engineers without their permission. Growth and Regulatory services group manager Wayne Allan said the council focus was on supporting those impacted. “We have a great deal of sympathy for those caught up in this issue.” Have you been affected? Contact us editor@goodlocal.nz

Foam on the water

Waikato Regional Council is confident foam which was floating for several days on the Waikato River through Cambridge last week was the product of natural agitation of leaves and twigs.

Pokies update

The online version of our report on Pokies (The News, July 27) differs from the printed version to reflect the fact that a Department of Internal Affairs presentation, not a council report as we reported, said 10 per cent of the $10.71 million put into Waipā machines in the 12 months to March 31 was returned to the district in the form of community grants. The council report referenced a six-month and not a 12-month period.

Complaint made

Waikato MP Tim van de Molen has been referred to Parliament’s powerful Privileges committee following a complaint about his behaviour towards another MP after a select committee hearing. Van de Molen, 38, who lives in Tamahere, has represented Waikato since 2017.

Fencourt answers SOS

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

Volunteers have stepped up to run Fencourt Hall, alleviating fears the popular facility would be turned over to council control.

“We were delighted to see the locals coming out to support the hall and we’re very pleased to now be passing it on to a new group of enthusiastic fresh locals,” said Alan Grant, who has served as hall committee treasurer for nine years.

He said a story in Cambridge News on July 27 had “obviously got to people’s hearts and heads”.

The story outlined how the hall committee had found it difficult to attract new volunteers over recent years and was holding a meeting

in a last-ditch attempt to solve the problem.

That meeting was held on Monday night after the committee ran a Cambridge News advertisement, which was photocopied and dropped into Fencourt letterboxes.

“People have obviously said, ‘we’ve got to do something about this’, and so they just kept on rolling through the door last night,” Alan said on Tuesday morning. He said 25 people had attended the meeting.

“The challenge of course was to turn that show of support into a viable, effective outcome... the key was not to overburden anyone and to make it a light load to be shared,” he said.

The committee’s five existing positions – chairperson, secretary, treasurer, bookings officer and supply person – have been split into 8-9 new roles.

The new volunteers were co-opted onto the committee and would learn the ropes over the next few weeks until they could be elected as officers at the hall’s annual meeting on September 4, Alan said.

All five current committee members would be able to step down, including Don Heaslip, who has served as chair for 54 years, and his wife Heather, who oversees cleaning and supplies.

“And that’s the goal,” Alan said.

“Three out of the five of us have left the area and, while Heather and

Don are keen to help and support new members, they no longer need to take full responsibility for the roles they have had.

“We’ll all be involved over the next 12 months helping the new people, but the exciting bit is that they’ll bring new ideas and a fresh approach, and probably try a lot harder to market the hall and use it for local community events and it will hopefully give it a fresh burst of life, which will be great.

“Hopefully that sends a vote of confidence to other hall committees around the area who might go through a similar refreshing process over the next few years.”

• See Serving Fencourt for 89 years – Page 15.

Swede dreams are made of this…

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

Elin Gainsford is hoping Sweden can continue their sizzling form as they clash with Japan in tomorrow night’s FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter final in Auckland.

Elin, who is half Swedish and half kiwi, will be travelling to Eden Park to watch her heroes, who stunned USA on Sunday evening with a dramatic 5-4 win on penalties.

A huge supporter of both the New Zealand Football Ferns and the Swedish national women’s football team, Elin grew up in Uddevalla, a town in western Sweden, and moved to Cambridge with her family in 2017.

The year 9 Cambridge High School student, who plays for Cambridge Football Club, has been playing football since she was five years old and dreams of becoming a professional goalkeeper.

She has loved being able to watch games live and has been “bingeing football” since the World Cup began.

“We’ve tried to go to as many games as possible; we went to all five games that were here in Hamilton apart from one, because we were

sick, and we went to the opening game in Auckland,” she said.

That night, when the Football Ferns achieved their first ever World Cup win by beating Norway 1-0 in front of 40,000 fans, has been her highlight so far.

“It was a great game,” she said. “It was just so nice to see lots of New Zealanders coming to watch the football. And it’s just nice seeing that people come and support the women playing, not just the guys.”

She hopes the high-profile tournament will inspire more girls to take up football – and highlight gender disparity issues in sport.

“I just think the boys get better coaching and resources and more attention than the girls,” she said.

“It means that we often get left behind. If you just look at professional, the men get paid lots more than the women. I think it’s quite poor.”

In the meantime, the 14-year-old is relishing the chance to see the world’ best women’s players on her doorstep.

“It’s been very inspiring,” she said. “And it just shows that that could be you one day.”

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Elin Gainsford at Waikato Stadium with her Swedish supporter’s sign, “kom igen tjejer”, which translates to “let’s go girls!”.

Cleaning up the corridor

The Maungatautari to Pirongia Ecological Corridor Project Society is helping organise a conservation week event around Te Awamutu’s Mangapiko Stream.

The stream is part of the route of the ecological corridor between the two mountains.

On August 20 society members and supporting organisations will be at Daphne Street Reserve to plant natives and share knowledge on predator control, plant identification and care, rongoa (medicine) and tuna (eel) monitoring.

The restoration of the ecological corridor from covers both biodiversity and cultural aspects and the project has been gifted the name ‘Taiea te Taiao’ by mana whenua.

The five year project, launched in June 2021, aims to link two of the region’s most prominent maunga, Maungatautari and Pirongia via a corridor between the waterways flowing from the mountains - Mangapiko and Ngāparierua streams.

Waipā District Council, New Zealand Landcare Trust and Koroneiki Developments are also involved in the day.

Goodbye to the gallery

By Viv Posselt

Twenty-seven years after Sandra Webb opened Heritage Gallery in Cambridge, she has finally called it quits.

After mulling things over and putting behind her a year when she felt her energy flagging, she put the gallery on the market in April, signing the final papers just over a fortnight ago. There was a tragic poignancy about the timing as finalising the gallery paperwork coincided with the passing of Sandra’s mother.

In a way, those two significant events marked the ending of an era and the beginning of another, she said on her last official day at Heritage.

“The gallery has been my baby for so long … there is a sadness in leaving. I had to be ready to release it, and I got to the point where I thought ‘yeah, I can do that now’. I didn’t want to go on until it became too much for me.”

Sandra started the outlet 27 years ago when she and a friend Gail Kelman opened a gallery in Victoria Street. Sandra was a successful potter at the time, making

and selling pots from her basement; Gail had a craft outlet in Hamilton. Both were ready for a change and opened originally in what is now In Stone.

Gail bought Sandra out a few years later, and in the early 2000s Sandra welcomed the news that the adjacent takeaway restaurant was closing. She grasped opportunity to take over the space, and together with her late husband Michael and a host of other helpers, fashioned the space into the gallery as it is today. She has built Heritage primarily on the relationships she has nurtured with artists from around the country. Time has seen her add to the range, growing the gallery into a space where paintings, prints, studio glass, ceramics, jewellery and a selection of gifts keep the customers coming in seven days a week.

“Everything comes down to relationships in the end,” Sandra said. “I’ve been very touched by the number of those artists who have written to me since I announced I was selling. Building those relationships was so worthwhile. When artists put stuff on show, it is

like baring their soul … that they trusted me to do that is very rewarding.” There have been tough times, too. The repercussions of events such as 9/11, the global financial crisis and Covid-19, affected both customers and staff.

Sandra, born in Cambridge’s Penmarric, is now ready to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. The pottery she enjoyed may come back – both in the doing and the teaching – and she hopes to enjoy more leisure time.

She will also make herself available to help new Heritage owner Adriana Borges if and when she’s needed.

“I read once, ‘you’re not retiring … you’re re-wiring. I think that is going to be me.”

Sandra Webb last week, on her last day at Heritage Gallery.

A Rockey Ella parrot show

By Benji Allen

Galah parrots Rockey and Ella are the nosey neighbours who roam central Cambridge, often drawing attention for their exotic pink and grey

colouration and their freedom from a cage. The current party of parrots, who live on Hamilton Rd, make day trips to friends, have lunch on Grey St, call in on the workers at the Cambridge transfer station

and even suffer wellintentioned abductions to as far away as Matangi and Te Awamutu.

Director of Waipā Home Maintenance and surrogate mother to exotic birds, Jeanen Lindsey, says it’s time

Grief. Joy. Nostalgia. Pride.

We’re here for it all, 24/7.

Every one of us has a story. A story created from our first breath to our last. We believe funerals aren’t just a place to tell these stories. They’re a place to embrace them. That’s why every service is bespoke, helping you celebrate your loved one’s life the way they lived it. For memories that live on in your head and in your heart.

more people understood that exotic birds need to be free, so long as ‘they‘re back in time for dinner.’

Lindsey specialises in training ‘free-flyers’, birds that are capable of living freely in populated areas

with their human ‘forever home’ companions, but she also rehomes and rehabilitates flightless exotic birds and the odd stray animal the SPCA won’t take.

Charlie and Ben are common cockatoos who make up for their poor aviation prowess with riveting conversations.

Lindsey thinks it’s almost time for these two to leave the nest. She thinks she may have found the right place for Charlie, but Ben still has a bit of growing up to do.

“Cambridge is great. The birds learn about risks like cars and dogs, and the community are mostly supportive. We’ve never had a bird stolen,” says Lindsey. She has rehomed more than 100 exotic birds since she began her non-profit rehoming work over a decade ago.

“It was really hard sometimes, finding the right homes for the birds, dealing with unprepared people, and working with highly neglected cases.”

“Birds are meant to be free,” Lindsey said as Rockey, Charlie and Ben decided to strike up a three-part harmony warning of the dog who wanted pats.

Like her birds, Lindsey has a rebellious ‘free-flyer’

attitude. When asked what legal parameters she works under she said "I don’t care, I’ll keep looking after these birds until I can’t anymore." She conceded it would be a different story in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland because they have specific bylaws governing exoctic birds who are free-flying.

Lindsey’s Facebook page, Cockatoo Rescue, was taken down as a result of posting misinformation contrary to Meta’s guidelines. She’s faced the consequences of staying true to her beliefs and has struggled to get her message out since supporting the Parliament Protests of 2022.

She began a GoFundMe campaign to aid with the work, it had little success but Lindsey isn’t deterred from keeping up her role as surrogate mother to exotic birds she believes need her love and care.

“I’ll never stop,” she said Lindsey and partner Brendon Knight would like to stop renting and have land of their own soon. Lindsey wants to build a large free-flyer cage so the transition from a caged bird to a trained free-flyer bird is easier.

2 Albert Street, Cambridge 3434

• Benji Allen is a Wintec journalism student.

Jeanen Lindsey talking about finding the right home for her rescued birds with Rockey, Charlie and Ben.

Council keeps mum on payments

By Mary Anne Gill

Waipā District Council has declined to say how many consultants and contractors it uses and how much it costs the council.

The request came from an activist group which supports lower taxes, less waste and more accountability.

The Taxpayers Union last week released its latest Ratepayers’ Report which analysed the 2021-2022 financial reports of the country’s 78 local authorities.

Hamilton had the highest expenditure on consultants and contractors out of any council at $314.97 million – almost three times more than Auckland. Waipā was one of 12 councils to refuse the request.

However, the council’s 2021/22 annual report did say contractors were used to assist where there were staff vacancies. It also noted an audit recommendation to establish a central register for contractors working at the district council that is reconciled against payments made to contractors and the network.

Taxpayers’ Union national campaigns manager Callum Purves said the activist group’s report provided transparency for ratepayers and allowed them to compare their council against others.

The average residential rates across the country were $2781 – Waipā was above the average on $3194.51. Carterton and Manawatu were the highest on $3938.91 and $3713.23 and Buller the lowest on $2155.98.

Auckland’s net debt per rating unit of $17,451 represented 525 per cent of the rates’ income and its interest of $673 per rating unit was also the highest.

Waipā’s $6225 was 218 per cent and $83.48 of interest per rating unit.

South Waikato and Selwyn councils have the highest number of staff on a per-household basis – a staff member for every 24 and 25 households, respectively. In contrast, Thames-Coromandel District Council serves 120 households for each of its staff members.

Waipā serves 62 households for every one of its 339 staff. Purves said each council was able to review and check the information for any errors.

The report was first published in 2014 and this year was the first time regional councils were included.

Other Waipā responses:

• Population served: 59,500

• Number of households: 21,168

• Area (square km): 1470

• Average residential rates: $3,194.51

• Average non-residential rates: $4,191.64

• Full-time Equivalent Staff (FTE): 339

• Number of performance related dismissals: 0

• Staff over $100,000: 70

• Proportion of staff earning over $100,000: 20.65%

• Staff over $200,000: 4

• Management: 14.60

• Infrastructure: 67.65

• Regulatory: 41.10

• Customer service: 97.3

• Average salary of managers: $147,000

• Median salary of managers: $148.000.00

• Communications and marketing staff: 7

• Average salary of comms staff: $67,540

• Median salary of comms staff: $71,200

• Payments to third parties - Chamber of Commerce: $2,418, Local Government New Zealand: $65,795, New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers $38,724.

• Debt - Net debt % rates income: 218%, debt per rating unit $6,225, interest paid per rating unit $83.48.

Home price fall slows

Waipā home values are an average 8.1 per cent below what they were 12 months ago at a tad under $830,000.

The Quotable Value House Price Index for July indicated the decline is easing and is just under $890,000 nationally.

The 8.1 per cent fall compared to a national average of 10.2 per cent, the values dipped by 0.7 per cent last month and are down 2.9 per cent in the quarter.

QV’s rolling three-month rate of reduction in Waipā have been influenced by reduced sale activity – going from -4.3% in May to -2% in

June, and 2.8% in July.

QV operations manager James Wilson, in his national commentary, said the longer term trend was “pretty clearly a residential property market that is bottoming out after some very significant home value reductions over the last 18 months or so”. Hamilton recorded its first quarterly increase in average home value for more than a year – albeit a very small one. House values fell across the wider Waikato region by 2.3% for the quarter –compared 1.5 per cent across the country

Callum Purves

Apprentices get backing

Home, and loving it

By Janine Krippner

Somewhere during my nearly 16-hourlong flight back from the Canary Islands (flight number three!) it hit me that I was on my way home to New Zealand.

After 11 years overseas when heading “home” from work-based travel meant flying back to a foreign country, I was flooded with gratitude.

There have been countless benefits from living overseas and one that I appreciate the most is how I see New Zealand differently having experienced other cultures and living with the challenges that come with living abroad.

I loved living overseas, yet my final two years in the United States the call for home grew stronger before the pandemic was the deciding factor.

I had long missed our beautiful landscape that changes so quickly within a short distance.

Ten apprentices have been presented with $1000 each as part of the Rotary Cambridge Apprenticeship Grant Scheme.

The presentation marked the second year of the scheme. Each was awarded the $1000 to go towards ongoing costs for items such as tools and course fees, and was presented with a certificate confirming their achievement by the then Rotary President, John Bishop.

The 10 are electrician Dale Wolfsbauer (Bo & Co); builder Ben Stephenson (GD Pringle Building); assistant turf manager Craig McCurdy (Cambridge Golf Club); builder Sara Turton (Downing Construction); electrician

Jubilee Dawson (BTG Electrical); plumber Ben Douglas (JVO Plumbing); electrician Steven O‘Shaughnessy (Cambridge Electrical); glazier Daniel Overington (Cambridge Glass); builder Callum Paterson (Rob May Builders); and electrician Blake Royce (Cambridge Electrical).

Each applicant had to provide a 300word submission outlining their reasons for choosing their trade and their future aspirations. They then faced a 20-minute panel interview.

Rotary Cambridge wants to repeat the Apprentice Grant Scheme again in 2024.

Destination chair resigns

Destination Cambridge chair Martin Buglass, who was elected in August last year, has resigned.

It continues an uneasy time for the organisation which runs the town’s iSite for Waipā District Council. It lost the management contract for the Town Hall

when the council set up an independent trust to reactivate the historic facility and saw chief executive Miff Macdiarmid resign in March to take a marketing position at Shoof. The News understands the Destination Cambridge board will meet next week to approve a new chair.

Is it even possible to recognise how truly fortunate we are without the perspective gained from being elsewhere?

That’s not to say that I am blind to the challenges we have here, some communities and groups much more than others.

No country is without its issues or areas where we need to make change, and here we openly talk about these issues without worrying about our lives automatically being at risk.

There will always be things that annoy us, things that should anger us so that we progress into a better society, areas where we don’t agree.

This is life anywhere. We can do all of those things while taking the time to appreciate the good stuff and view our home country with fresh eyes.

What would we think if we had never been here? From the countless conversations I have had around the world, I am confident that we would be impressed by Aotearoa and probably see it as an exotic location we might dream of visiting.

Providing knowledge, support and hope

Brain Injury Waikato is dedicated to suppor�ng both individuals and their whanau who have encountered Trauma�c Brain Injury (TBI). TBI’s can caused by an impact to the head, disrup�ng the way the brain usually works including but not limited to; concussion, stroke/ tumour, assault and/or accident. TBI can affect each person and their loved ones differently, causing distress, loss of sense of belonging and loss of autonomy. Our mission is to provide knowledge, support and hope.

We would like to reach out to those who are isolated due to both their injury and loca�on where they may feel alone, misunderstood and feeling a loss of autonomy.

Services that are provided include educa�on, support and advocacy for individuals and their whanau who have been impacted by a brain injury.

While we do not provide clinical

care we can support facilita�ng the ACC pathway, connect with social support, legal advisors or other specialist groups.

• Tokoroa Support group/ Te Kaokaoeroa o Petetere rōpū tautoko rōpū tautoko

2nd Thursday of each month

10.30-12pm at TCOSS, Tokoroa Social Services, Gate one Tokoroa hospital

• Cambridge Support Group/ Kemure� rōpū tautoko

3rd Tuesday of the month

10.30am -12pm at Cambridge Community house

• Hamilton Carers Support group/Kirikiriroa kaiiaki rōpū tautoko

4th Thursday of the month.

5.30-6.30pm at 8 Keddell Street

• Hamilton Support group/ Kirikiriroa rōpū tautoko

4th Friday of the Month

10.30am-12pm at 8 Keddell street

For more informa�on please visit our website

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Seriously, I could go on about how much I love this land for days. We have mountains (some of which are the volcanic kind!), gorgeous beaches, beautiful blue/ green water, rolling green hills, clean air, stunning lakes…I met very few people who didn’t want to visit New Zealand (other than those who mistake us for Australia).

The Waipā is a truly beautiful districtthe most effective way to describe home is to tell people to picture The Shire from Lord of the Rings.

I missed the relatively relaxed and friendly nature of Kiwis, who are also known abroad as being very hard workers along with the attitude of ‘if you see a problem, fix it’ that I certainly grew up with.

Work-life balance isn’t just a myth here. I missed the rich culture we have here, how intertwined the Māori language and world views are with everyday life.

I moved back in late-2020 and a couple of years in I am still deeply grateful that I get to live here, I choose to not take it for granted.

This is the lingering gift of all the hard, character-building times in the United States and Australia, and one I am reminded of when I venture abroad. I am so happy to be home.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Educa�on Session: Maps and Pathways

11th August, Friday 10am-12pm

8 Keddell Street or via zoom

Educa�on Session: Whiki Whi�whi� Kōrero

22nd August, Tuesday 1pm-3pm

8 Keddell Street

Educa�on Session: En�tlements to work

19th September, Tuesday 1pm-3pm

8 Keddell Street or via zoom

Flanking the then Rotary Cambridge president John Bishop are, back from left, Ben Stephenson, Craig McCurdy, Sara Turton, Steven O’Shaughnessy, Jubilee Dawson and Blake Royce. Front from left are Daniel Overington, Ben Douglas and Dale Wolfsbauer.

Business Showcase

Colleen, Brain Injury Waikato manager (left) with Marion, Brain Injury Waikato Laison o cer.

Charity rider bounces back

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

A year ago he cycled 142km for charity – now Leo Piper is on the receiving end of kindness after a crash that left him hospitalised with concussion, broken teeth and facial injuries.

The 11-year-old was knocked unconscious on July 10 after his bicycle collided with a car on the Hamilton Rd cycleway.

His mother, Jude Fitness, called his phone when he failed to arrive home on time and said her “heart nearly stopped” when a policeman answered.

She arrived at the scene on Hamilton Rd between Grey and Hall streets to find her son in the back of an ambulance being treated by paramedics.

“He was awake but he was really distressed, like agitated and throwing himself around,” she said.

“It was pretty horrific, pretty scary... you could tell his brain wasn’t with it. It wasn’t a choice thing, his brain was just reacting.”

Police are investigating the collision, which happened about 2.40pm.

Leo spent nine days in Waikato Hospital. He broke his two front teeth, bruised his face and body and needed surgery to repair his top lip. He has no recollection of his first four days in hospital and his memory is still glitching, but he is expected to make a full recovery.

“The first few days I was really nervous that it was going to be full on brain damage or something because he just wasn’t himself and he was so, so far gone,” Jude said. “It’s hard to believe, 10 days later, he was virtually back to normal. It was pretty scary.”

Had he not been wearing a helmet his injuries could have been far more serious, or even fatal, she said.

Jude is urging anyone using cycle paths to be vigilant.

“You think you’re in a safe place but you can’t switch your brain off in those places, you’ve got to keep treating it like a road and being constantly aware of what’s going on around you,” she said.

“And I guess, for drivers, if you see a cyclist, stop and try and judge their speed before you decide it’s safe to go.”

Leo is now recovering at home and is making a gradual return to school.

Cambridge Middle School has raised more than $700 to help Leo buy a new bicycle.

“That was so cool,” Leo said. “When I heard about it, I was so happy.”

The Year 7 student recently represented Cambridge Middle School at the North Island schools’ road cycling championships and again at the national schools track cycling championships.

Last year, while a student at Leamington School, he rode his stationary bike for six hours straight to support the Cancer Society, covering 142km and raising more than $3000.

Now, Leo and his mum are grateful to the wider community for the support they’ve received.

Leo said he was feeling “a bit anxious and nervous” about returning to cycling but was looking forward to getting a new bike so he could go riding with his mates again.

“I’d say to kids, wear a helmet and clip it on so it can’t come off and damage your brain,” he said.

“Even on a footpath, just take care and wear a helmet.”

PICTURED RIGHT: Cambridge Middle School student Leo Piper is looking forward to replacing his mangled bike. Photo Steph Bell-Jenkins.

Applause for the women

By Peter Carr

The Beautiful Game continues throughout Australasia in the form of the Women’s World Cup – a display of skill, finesse, grace and fairness.

The footballers have been – and continue to be – a joy to watch as they prove very clearly that professional sport is not the total domain of the male sex.

Firstly, to the organisers, a well deserve congratulations on putting together a duo of spectaculars covering both sides of the Tasman.

The television coverage has been superb, the grounds in spectacular condition and general crowd attendance well up with the expectations of the sponsors.

And a word for the 100 percent feminine group of on-field officials who have kept the game flowing – a stark example to the staccato-like whistle-frenzied activities on the netball court.

That sport is also embroiled in a world event and the fine young women who give their all to it (including social and family life) are to be admired.

But employing an Amazon-proportioned goal attack who has the bodily attribute to almost drop the ball through the hoop belies the overall skills that are displayed.

The game does not flow as it should and becomes a stop-go stutter with over-zealous officials and no doubt frustration for the players.

What is apparent at the top level is that the current New Zealand coach has the strength of her convictions and does not shy away from telling it as it is.

Returning to the ladies’ soccer. I had not realised that the fine athletic ladies roaming the pitch are mainly drawn from professional teams where the names

Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid are standard fodder.

There is clearly a need for a wider education on the feminine side of the game which in New Zealand – both male and female – draws poor spectator numbers and deserves much more. I sincerely hope that they are well paid and have not had to suffer the longevity and struggle of improving pay scales that Portia Woodman and her colleagues have in the rugby franchise.

Whether it is soccer, rugby or netball we are watching professionals at play – and at work - they deserve our support and an appropriate return for their labours.

That said there are many other sports where the ladies shine – on the Cambridge local scene both rowing and cycling come to mind.

Their financial return for their labours is pitiful unless they manage to gain an Olympic slot every four years.

The hard grit of pre-dawn, cold morning starts for rowers, whether on the water or attached to the hateful erg, must be admired.

This gritty input - mainly outside of their normal working hours – calls for a different degree of admiration and a suitable reward in addition to medal around their necks. Meanwhile velodrome-bound exertions are equally hard on the body where domination of coaches brings its own (sometimes unfortunate) pressures and social mores.

Ladies we salute you in all your sporting endeavours. You have a right to feel proud and, similarly, you have a right to be justly rewarded.

Nail the spider to remove the web

By Murray Smith, Bridges Church

Often we’re more concerned with alleviating the effects (symptoms) of our problems and difficulties rather than identifying and tackling the cause of those problems - that is, getting to the root, or source.

To be blunt, that’s like brushing away spiders' webs in the hope that we’ll be able to say ‘good riddance’ to webs ever returning. The reality is, we’ll forever be dealing with recurring webs - so long as there’s spiders there. The answer: evict the spiders.

Over the years I’ve had opportunity to share this simple principle with people and it’s been helpful in bringing release to many lives. Often a person will recognise things which might have been a bewildering feature in their ‘make-up’ for years…things about their responses to certain situations, or how they find themselves reacting to an event or an experience, even a conversation just seems to trigger feelings inside them. Somehow, a reverberation or ‘echo’ of something much deeper than what is actually ‘presenting’ triggers inexplicable responses inside us. Frequently this dynamic is written off with a glib explanation we claim, “it’s probably just part of my personality…”

That may appear reasonable when something has been present in our life for a long time - a sense of resignation tells us, “well this must be who I am…”

But it’s there’s likely another explanation. We are incredibly made by God with a physical part to our life, but importantly we have a soul and a spiritual part to us as well. Our soul is where emotions originate, while our spirit is the seat of intuition, fellowship and conscience. Together as an integrated

being, we are extremely receptive to receiving information and forming perceptions far beyond just what our brain and physical senses can process…as marvellous as those faculties are!

Life events are proven to readily imprint deeply into our being- especially when shock or trauma is involved. Remarkably, we can be exposed to activating events as early on as while developing in our mother’s womb, carrying residual effects from birth, throughout a lifetime. These can be of a positive nature - or negative. I have spoken with many people whose backstories confirm clearly how fears, insecurity, emotional feelings such as rejection, abandonment, originated en utero. Where there is effect… there’s cause. Years ago my wife Michelle used to become highly agitated in the front passenger seat of a carparticularly driving winding roads at night. She’d cover it, but ‘applying the brakes’ and sweaty palms, said it all. A respected friend once visited us and Michelle casually asked, with no particular sense of need or expectation in mind, if he would pray with her - our friend felt to ‘pray off’ a ‘spirit of death’. Interestingly, Michelle had narrowly escaped a near fatal car accident in her late teens but we’d never connected any ongoing relevance. That prayer, brought amazing deliverance - specifically the incredible realisation of being totally, dramatically free from tormenting ‘driving’ fears. A ‘spider’ had been evicted - and no trace of a web ever returned.

The incomparable joy of experiencing freedom is God’s purpose for everyone.

Welcome to Interlock, a Cambridge based charity serving all Waikato, where life, disability, and community unite in an inspiring journey of empowerment! We are a compassionate charity providing life-changing programmes for individuals with disabilities. At Interlock, we rmly believe that every person deserves to lead a ful lling life, regardless of their challenges.

With our exciting initiatives, we create a harmonious blend of support, independence, and social integration. From innovative skillbuilding workshops to inclusive community events, we nurture a sense of belonging for all participants.

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Embrace the joy of giving! Support the Interlock NZ Trust today and help us shape a world where everyone thrives. Remember, when life, disability, and community connect, magic happens!

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Cookie and Price – at the double!

Louise Upston

By Lachlan Douglas

Brad Cook can tell every darts playing colleague that he’s played with, and been up against, the best.

Cook – ‘Cookie’ – was one of several players who were drawn last Thursday at the Hamilton Workingmen’s Club to go up to the oche with international players who were a day away from competing in the New Zealand Darts Masters at Claudelands.

The club gathering attracted players from throughout the Waikato and Cook, who plays for Cambridge C Town Brothers in the Hamilton Darts Association’s premier league, was named in the same team as

Letters

On the roundabout

In response to Don Good‘s article (Not such a magic roundabout, The News July 27) and letters to the editor August 3, NZTA raised four points in response to my enquiry in January 2022 about a flyover.

They said for traffic capacity, the roundabout met (and exceeded) adequate levels of service (it could cope with the anticipated traffic) for next 40 years plus.

But the traffic capacity figures are from 2019, before the Waikato expressway around Hamilton opened. We are seeing a 40-50% increase at the intersection now.

They said there was a potential risk of wasted investment if future improvement to SH1 south and/or SH29 were made and then the interchange became incompatible to those upgrades.

But by using the present infrastructure and a flyover the interchange is not needed. A flyover has traffic flowing safety.

world number four Gerwyn Price against a team led by current word champ Michael Smith, who produced a strong finish to win the tie.

“It’s not everyday you get a chance to talk to some of the best darts players in the world, let alone play against them,” Cook, who managed to get his blue club darts polo signed by a number of the professionals, said.

He was also able to chat with other leading players – the colourful Peter Wright, known as Snakebite, Danny Noppert and Rob Cross.

• Lachlan Douglas is a Wintec Journalism student

They said the roundabout will provide for immediate safety improvement at the intersection and a flyover construction now not allow for connection to a future expressway leg.

But the expressway can join the present highway hundreds of metres before the intersection.

They said any slowing or stopping at a roundabout is relatively minor in comparison to the overall journey taken.

But when traffic is queued for up to 3 km and waiting for over half an hour, that is not „minor“. This is a major port intersection.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty are planning for an efficient transport infrastructures – yet the Waikato, Waipā, Matamata-Piako and South Waikato mayors have not come out against this plan, and neither has politicians from Bay of Plenty.

John Hansen Cambridge.

Brad Cook at the oche, watched by Gerwyn Price, left, and Michael Smith.

Authorised by Louise Upston, Parliament Buildings, Wgtn.

What residents told Waipā District Council

• The guys who do the parks and gardens do a wonderful job.

• I am confident in my local council‘s ability to look after this community and move us into the next decade in a financial position that does not bare a burden on the ratepayers.

• It‘s the best council I‘ve lived in within 60 years or so.

• Keep up the good work. There has been a high standard set, may it continue!

• Very happy with all that they do.

• I like all the parks/green spaces to walk around. The cycle track by the river/ velodrome is awesome.

• Great work team.

• I elected you because I felt you were the best at the job. Keep going.

• Great new mayor.

• Communication is generally regular.

• I might complain about it, but it‘s still the best council I‘ve ever lived with.

• We have such an incredible team of people all working together to make our town a beautiful place to live.

• I am very impressed with the new rain gardens that have been installed to filter stormwater that runs into Lake Te Koutu. This is both innovative and attractive and in time will mean the lake is healthier. I also found a small community garden on a kerbside, which is very pleasing to see.

• Waipā District Council has a good record of providing these services. Also, I am totally opposed to the Three Waters proposal.

• The Antenno app is an absolute lifesaver with reminders about which rubbish bins are due to be collected and additional

updates if there won’t be a pickup due to unfortunate situations. It’s very informative all the time, but not too much.

• Information is always put out to consumers if recycling is not going to happen in the allocated week. Good communication.

• I like that we receive information in the mail about what is happening within Cambridge.

• Our council provides wonderful services to our whole community and even though I don‘t use them all, I am happy for my rates to provide them to everyone.

• The new children‘s playgrounds and the new pool in the centre of town are great community assets which were worth every cent of the ratepayer’s contribution.

• It is great having so many free things and places to take the kids like bike rides, playgrounds, toilets, libraries, and parks.

• Keep up the great work. Te Awamutu town is awesome.

• The community has progressed significantly over the past few years with money well spent on infrastructure to support this growth.

• As I am a pensioner, I don’t use a lot of the facilities I’m charged for, however, I think I still get value for money.

• I believe we get good value for the rates and fees we pay to Waipā District Council.

• Generally, the council keeps basic expenditure and the provision of services under control.

• Parking is a real problem. My husband and I have health problems that prevent us from walking too far. Although

Grains

we have a mobility parking permit, there aren‘t that many around town and we both feel it would be great to have a parking building.

• Utilise the spaces between trees down the older roads in urban areas to create more parking for cars. Roads become narrow when cars are parked on both sides.

• They need to stop spending money on playgrounds no one uses and spend money on fixing the roads. The roading conditions are disgusting.

• There are nowhere near enough mobility parks in the area. It is impossible to watch kids‘ netball games on Saturdays because the place is impossible to get around with all the changes in level and lack of accessible parking.

• I would like to see improvements on the upper Hall Street footpaths. Lots of elderly residents in that area are unable to walk the street due to the uneven and broken path.

• Stop putting manufacturing and other noisy industries adjacent to housing areas.

• The streets are dirty with rubbish and graffiti. The walkway from the parking area by Stirling Sports has vomit down it. Dirt and graffiti are not a good look for the town.

• There have been problems with the kerbside recycling collection in that the contractors have not always been making the collection when they are supposed to.

• There should be a transfer station. Recycling has become very unreliable

lately. Covid-19 should not be used as an excuse for poor service.

• It‘s way too expensive to use the dump. It‘s cheaper to drive to Cambridge, which is crazy as it‘s the same council. Recycling is a joke as far as glass is concerned. I would like to see food waste recycling started as they have it in other towns.

• The kerbside collection of recycling in Ōhaupō is sometimes missed.

• The contractors for the recycling bins need to be more accountable for the non-pickup of bins. They seem to be having many issues this year.

• I don’t use the pool or velodrome, but I have to pay for them.

• I am getting charged for services that do not apply to me.

• My rates have gone up over 30 per cent in the last five years and I now get fewer services than I used to. I pay for a private company to deal with my water, rubbish, and green waste. I have minimal use of other council-provided services.

• When I moved here, I paid roughly the same rates as I did in Auckland on a property that had double the value. Cambridge is expensive.

• They spend on feel-good projects instead of basic services.

• Rates are expensive. The cost for things like pools on top of that seems excessive compared to other councils in the area.

• Rates just always increase but it is hard to see what we get in return.

In the past year sceptics, at 54 per cent, have overtaken champions when it comes to rating the Waipā District Council.

We take a snapshot of comments from the district council’s residents’ survey which is our page 1 lead story today.

Oaks residents come to the party

By Marion Pinfold

Flood-ravaged families in Hawkes Bay, first responders, and low-income families in south Auckland are benefiting from the work of an enthusiastic group of Cambridge Oaks Village residents.

Soon after Cambridge Oaks opened around 2019, one of the many groups formed within the Village was a craft group. Comprising knitters and sewers, the group gravitated to focus on quilting. Membership over the past four years has grown to about 15 women, about half sewers and half knitters.

The group meet twice a week, usually for five hours in each session, meaning that an impressive 150 hours labour each

week goes into our work. Each member typically has one or two quilts on the go at any time.

Quilting is quite a challenge. It’s expensive in both time and materials, and there’s a real precision required to selecting exactly the right colour matches.

We’ve been lucky to have generous donations towards our materials like backing and batting from groups such as Cambridge Lions, as well as residents within our village. And we’re lucky being in a village with ample community space where we can spread our work out easily across the tables.

It was the Hawke’s Bay floods that really focused us on cranking up production. Early this year 27 quilts

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CAMBRIDGE VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE CALLS OVER THE LAST WEEK

FRIDAY: Building Alarm and Evacuation, Williams Street

Building Alarm and Evacuation, Cambridge Road

TUESDAY: Gas pipe strike, Williams Street

were sent to Gisborne though a church organisation.

They were followed by another 12 quilts and some blankets to Wairoa. Now a marae out of Napier which has become “home” to 30 children and some adults will become the next group to benefit and the quilters hope to deliver these in person this month.

The quilts, many of which are collectors’ standard, have also become sought after as raffle prizes for Village residents, with proceeds used to buy more materials.

Our Group have found the projects have given inspiration, focus and meaning to our gatherings. The results have been astounding and well received.

Alys Antiques & Fine Art

Ivan Babbage, Au/N, 1875-1916, St.Ives Seaside, Oil on Board, Signed, Dated, Newly Framed.

Quilters Win Rose, Marion Pinfold and Careen Lincoln show off some of the group’s work.

Serving Fencourt for 89 years

By Steph Bell-Jenkins

Members of Fencourt Hall’s administrative committee have been given confidence that they will have successors when they stand down.

The committee, which has been searching for new members for years, held a successful meeting on Monday night to find new volunteers.

Fencourt Hall has stood in its quiet rural setting, next to Goodwood School at 529 Fencourt Rd, for 89 years.

– and district’s – beginnings in On a Saturday Night –Community Halls of Small Town New Zealand. There was no hall and no school when Fencourt was originally opened up as a farming settlement around the turn of the 20th century, the books says.

“In the early days a handsome two-storey barn belonging to farmer Edward Button was used regularly as a hall. The upper floor was always kept in perfect condition for dancing with the liberal use of candle grease; the music was supplied by Jack O’Keefe on

his accordion.”

Although the property changed hands over the years, residents continued to enjoy “a lot of fun and frivolity” there.

Fencourt found a new social centre when Goodwood School opened in 1902 with a roll of 18 pupils, the book says, and “the old barn and school served the community’s needs for many years”, but eventually “locals decided a proper hall was needed”.

Jack and Eileen O’Keefe donated land, subscriptions brought in £100 and a further £80 was raised from

garden parties and social events.

The hall officially opened on July 4, 1934.

Since then, it has been home to indoor bowls and table tennis clubs and hosted pre-school play groups, Women’s Institute meetings and a variety of classes including karate, yoga and dance.

“Back in the old days, every time someone left the district or arrived they were farewelled or welcomed with a function in the hall,” said Don Heaslip, who has chaired the hall’s administrative committee for 54 years.

He also recalls a rather memorable circus in 1974.

“All the animals were tied up to the nice new trees and what have you out the back and one of the guys was a fire-breather,” Don said.

“We wondered where he was getting the petrol from, but on the way home quite a few people ran out of petrol in their cars... and all the trees got well and truly pruned by the horses.”

Don, who has lived in Fencourt his whole life, remembers walking to school from Flume Rd, where he grew up, in frosts “so heavy that in the

afternoon when you went back the ice was still on the puddles on the side of the road”.

“The school didn’t have its own hall because the roll numbers were only 48 around that stage, and the hall was used as an extra classroom,” he said.

“All they had in the hall was a little pot bellied stove to keep you warm...your toes used to just about make you cry with the cold.”

The hall has also been hired for countless celebrations over the years, such as New Year’s Eve socials, wedding anniversary bashes and birthday parties.

Its silver anniversary was celebrated in 1959 and its jubilee on July 7, 1984, when an afternoon of celebrations wrapped up with an evening ball.

Today the hall is still used for weekly community classes and regularly hired for local events.

Strive Performing Arts dance teacher Erin Chester ran dance classes there for three years, before relocating to a new leased building recently due to growth in her business.

“It’s cool that it’s a community hall and cheap for local groups like this,” she said.

Michele Frey and Sara Newman document the hall

Heather and Don Heaslip are long time supporters of Fencourt Hall.

Strive Performing Arts students enjoy a class in Fencourt Hall.

Train of thought Pushing out the plastic

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce has reaffirmed its concern at the viability of the Hamilton to Auckland commuter rail service.

Waka Kotahi has just lifted a ban on Te Huia from completing its journey to the heart of Auckland after two reports of running red lights. The service, run by KiwiRail, was prohibited from operating within the Auckland metro rail network.

Te Huia was launched in 2021 and it was seen as a push for a return to rail. An impediment, though, is the fact the train takes longer to complete the journey to Auckland than a car.

The chamber’s concerns are financial.

“…we have significant concerns when the operating loss for the past 11 months is $5,716,504, or an operating subsidy of $88.31 per passenger,” chief executive Don Good

Let Tiles Make Your Statement

said in his regular newsletter.

The chamber quoted figures from the Minister of Transport showing the service attracted about 5900 patrons a month and they were subsidised to the tune of about $88 each.

The rail service runs twice a day from Monday to Friday, while a more economic bus service ran nine times each weekday.

The chamber message stayed on the transport theme by encouraging members to take their next holiday on the Coromandel peninsular.

“The economic impact of State Highway 25A being out of action until at least March next year and the variable reliability of State Highway 25, has been catastrophic for businesses on the Coromandel Peninsula,” Good said.

By Sarah Morcomb

Two volunteers from the Plastic Free Cambridge sewed and donated around 30 reusable produce bags to a Cambridge grocery store to replace the recently banned plastic produce bags.

Sam Brydon and Lesley Galbraith, members of the Plastic Free Cambridge group, made the reusable bags for VegeFresh in Cambridge.

Brydon decided to get help to sew the bags after hearing VegeFresh dealt with customers who were not prepared with their own bags and were unaware of the change.

Waipā District Council also distributed 4000 cotton mesh reusable bags to grocery stores.

The bags were snapped up, and shoppers began to opt for less sustainable produce bag options, such as the brown paper bags distributed by VegeFresh.

“I have seen a few more customers remembering to bring their own reusable bags, but not many,” Brydon said. “Paper bags are problematic of course because not only do they cost the shop more, but they have a higher carbon footprint and can almost never be reused”.

The plastic produce bag ban is the second step in a plan to phase out all “hard-torecycle and single-use plastics”. Last October plastic products such as PVC food trays and plastic stemmed cotton buds were targeted.

The latest ban includes plastic straws, cutlery, plates, bowls, and fruit stickers. All other PVC and polystyrene food and drink packaging is scheduled to be phased out in 2025.

Waipā District Council’s waste minimisation advisor Sally Fraser the change doesn’t have to be at any cost to businesses or shoppers.

“People can use bags they already have or embrace ‘nude food’ by putting produce directly into a trolley or basket”.

Brydon and Plastic Free Cambridge members have made some suggestions for alternatives to plastic produce bags that most shoppers will have access to.

“The most long-lasting solution is to make or buy reusable mesh bags. Net curtain offcuts can be found at curtain shops or in op shops, and sewn into simple drawstring bags”, said Brydon.

Brydon said that while the change is difficult, it’s also necessary.

“It's always difficult adapting to changes but remembering to take reusable produce bags can become a habit, just as shopping bags did.

“People are going to need to make ongoing changes to reverse the damage that unsustainable but convenient practices have done to the planet”.

• Sarah Morcomb is a Wintec journalism student.

Plastic bags are out.

Para riders go gold

Waipā and King Country are celebrating two new world champions.

Paralympians Nicole Murray (Ōtorohanga) and Cambridge’s Anna Taylor’s strong results at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow added up to Omnium golds in their respective classes this week.

Their successes took the running total of medals won by the New Zealand Para cycling team to 10 by Tuesday morning.

C4 rider Taylor celebrated her first medal of the championships on her 32nd birthday.

Previously an accomplished rower, Taylor received a C4 classification after Acute Cauda Equina Syndrome (compression of the nerve roots in the spine).

Murray has now won the C5 Omnium gold two years in a row. Earlier she claimed New Zealand’s first medal at the games - and Cambridge’s Devon Briggs added another a day later.

Murray won bronze in the 500m C5 Time Trial – which is not one of favoured events.

Murray has been in the Paralympics New Zealand Para Cycling Programme since 2015, competing in the C5 classification as a left-hand amputee.

Briggs, who was born with severe club feet, claimed a bronze in the C3 Kilometre Time Trial.

He followed that by winning a 200m time trial – and points toward the six event Omnium – and later collected a second bronze with a late sprint in the Individual Pursuit after final lap prompting from coach Damien Wiseman.

The UCI Cycling World Championships, dubbed the Super Worlds, bring together 13 different World Championships in cycling disciplines.

Para cyclists competed in track events to Tuesday, then began five days of road racing yesterday.

Showjumpers picked

Two Waipā riders have been named in Equestrian Sport New Zealand’s young rider team for the Trans-Tasman clash being held in Sydney next week.

Georgia Bouzaid of Cambridge and Te Awamutu’s Liam Rutland will compete on borrowed horses in the clash at the Sydney Show Jumping World Cup from August 17-20.

The Australians will be looking to back up their victory during the last meeting held in Gisborne earlier this year.

The team is Georgia Bouzaid (Cambridge), Johanna Wylaars (Christchurch), Liam Rutland (Te Awamutu), Samantha Gillies (Oamaru) and reserve Dylan Bibby (Central Hawkes Bay).

Briefs…

Players selected

Two players who grew up and learned their rugby in Waipā have been selected in the All Blacks’ team named this week for the World Rugby Cup in France starting on September 9 (NZ time). Halfback Cam Roigard and utility loose forward Luke Jacobson made the 33-strong squad but are unlikely to make the starting full-strength lineup for the opening match against France, one of the pretournament favourites.

Medals stripped

St Peter’s School in Cambridge will share the Derbyshire Shield trophy with Waikato Diocesan School for Girls for best overall school at last year’s North Island secondary school champs after Hamilton Boys’ High School was stripped of the title for rule breaches involving novice rowers in 22 races over 10 events at four regattas. Hamilton BHS headmaster Susan Hassall, who lives in Cambridge, apologised “unreservedly” to all the schools competing in the regattas, three of which - including the Maadi Cup this year - were on Lake Karāpiro.

Derby fixture

Waipā Southern Conference teams Te Awamutu and Cambridge face off in a local football derby at The Stadium in Te Awamutu on Saturday. The second placed Cambridge side goes in as favourites against second to bottom Te Awamutu following their 4-2 win over Taupō last week and their 10-1 win over Te Awamutu early last month. But Te Awamutu’s 3-0 victory over Papamoa at home will have supporters feeling their fortunes might have changed since that drubbing six weeks ago.

We want you!

We’re running our first ever ‘World Café’ as we continue to develop Ahu Ake - Waipā Community Spatial Plan – our plan for the future and we’d love for you to join us.

It will bring residents, Council staff and experts together to share knowledge, collaborate and generate ideas on complex issues in the spatial plan.

Ideas will then be presented to our Mayor and councillors for consideration as we work towards finalising Ahu Ake next year.

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Anna Taylor in action in Glasgow

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ki te kore nga putake e mākukungia e kore te rakau e tupu

If the roots of the tree are not watered, the tree will not grow.

We invite all people living with a brain injury, their family/whanau and carers to join us. Support groups can provide a sense of belonging, make social connections, and share ideas, issues, and worries. It is a place to share, listen and support surrounded by people who understand or are walking a similar path.

Everybody welcome

When: Tuesday 15 August 2023

Where: Community House, 193 Shakespeare Street, Cambridge

Time: 10.30 am till 12

We look forward to seeing you for a hot drink and biscuit and a chat. A gold coin donation is appreciated.

Please RSVP

Phone: (07) 839 1191

Marion 022 128 4154 admin@braininjurywaikato.org.nz www.braininjurywaikato.org.nz

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Sudoku

Across

1. Something handed down (6)

4. Profoundly (6)

9. Lukewarm (5)

10. Public facility (7)

Luxuriant (7) 13. Part of foot (4) 14. Adhesive used by painters (7,4)

Luxury car (abbr) (4)

Last week

21. Fruit with large stone (7)

Conditions (5)

Expensive (6)

Colour/fruit (6) Down 1. Balm (6) 2. Space (3) 3. Scrounge (5) 5. Graceful, stylish (7)

6. Head of a school (9)

Across: 1. Abet, 4. Queasy, 8. Condone, 9. Enemy, 10. Plot, 11. Straddle, 13. Frivolous, 17. Loose end, 19. Fall, 21. Bathe, 22. Imagine, 23. Mousse, 24. Loam.

Down: 2. Bunk off, 3. Tool, 4. Questionnaire, 5. Elevator, 6. Speed, 7. Hyper,

8. Copy, 12. Tireless, 14. Stamina, 15. Globe, 16. Flue, 18. Outdo, 20. Tail.

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Ball boy

CAMBRIDGE OPEN HOMES

Hautapu School 10-year-old Max Bulling was given the task of running the match ball out when Waikato and Counties clashed in a Farah Palmer Cup match on Saturday at St Paul’s college. The match, won 13-5 by Waikato, attracted a good crowd – and it was one of two significant rugby clashes on school grounds on the day as Hamilton Boys High regained the Super 8 title with a 56-22 win over Napier. There was plenty of rugby action in Cambridge on Sunday as 21 teams competed in over three grades in the annual Power Farming Cup primary schools rugby competition which continues in Matamata this weekend.

Kaipaki 37 Tarr Road

Constructed in 1980, this house features a range of modern amenities and comforts. The open plan kitchen and dining area is perfect for entertaining guests, while the separate lounge provides a cozy space for relaxation.

The property boasts a number of additional features, including a separate laundry, in-ground swimming pool, and fully fenced backyard. The deck/ patio area is ideal for outdoor dining and entertaining, while the double garage provides ample space for parking and storage. Additional features of this property include a bore pump, electric fence unit, water pump for the tank, pool shed and gear, round barn two bay, old cow shed, and a three bay implement shed.

For Sale Deadline Treaty 7 September 2023, unless sold prior View by appointment or scheduled open home times www.kdre.co.nz/ CB6329

Gary Stokes M 021 351 112

155 Boyd Road

4 2 2 1

Karapiro 103 Fergusson Gully Road

5 2 1 1

Entering via an attractive tree clad driveway you will find this cedar clad 5 bedroom home sitting nicely on an elevated setting with stunning views of Mangatautari and surrounding farm land. Large lawn with fruit trees complement the home, and with 3.65ha of rolling country there’s room for horses/sheep or a few beefies. Concrete floored workshop complete with lean to, provides options for hobbies and storage. With an easy commute to Cambridge or Hamilton and Lake Karapiro nearby this location is sure to impress.

Gary Stokes M 021 351 112

For Sale $1,090,000

View by appointment or scheduled open day www.harcourts.co.nz/CB4014

Gary Stokes M 021 351 112

Mark Ingram M 027 495 5941

Comfort, Secure and Homely OPEN

- Features & Comforts include: Solar power & battery; light, refreshed décor; new ceiling fans; family bathroom with large shower and double basin vanity; master bedroom ensuited with toilet and vanity.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 16th August 2023, 4.00pm

The Total Package In Premium Position

Your Cutie On Clare

Deadline Sale

OPEN HOMES SAT & SUN 1.00 - 1.30PM

55 Whare Marama Drive, Pukekura

- Set on an established, landscaped 3,393m² (more or less) section with views to Maungatautari mountain.

- 4 Spacious bedrooms, 3 with ensuites and the fourth with Jack and Jill access to main bathroom. 2 living, triple garage.

- 2 Smeg pyrolithic ovens, large 5 burner gas hobs, scullery, covered outdoor entertaining and extended deck.

- Perfect for B&B or plenty of room for the whole family.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 31st August 2023, 4.00pm

Deadline Sale

OPEN HOME SUNDAY 12.00 - 12.30PM

57F Clare Street, Cambridge

- Enjoy this sunny home with single garage, newish kitchen and two bedrooms of generous size.

- A separate toilet and bathroom with shower, separate laundry, heat pump and spacious open plan living make this home very comfortable to live in.

- A well fenced backyard with a large shed offers ample room for a kitchen garden however is not too large.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 16th August 2023, 4.00pm

Like No Other - An Icon in Cambridge

A fairer commission rate of 2.8% to first $300,000 then 1.8% on balance + gst Plus FREE, tailor-made marketing worth $2,500+ 4+ 2 2

HOMES SAT & SUN 1.00-11.30AM Deadline Sale 23 Oaklands Drive, Cambridge 3+ 3 2 3 1 2 2 1 1 4 4 3

- Delightful! A journey to reward the senses day & night. Discover the balance of practical, low maintenance design & heart-felt artistic flair blending to create a home of distinction, prestige and enjoyment.

- Mesmerising industrial themes, thoughtful dedicated spaces, tailor-made landscaping, the privacy of the courtyard sanctuary and unparallelled building design features showcase the style and tranquility of this executive property.

Auction (unless sold prior)24th August 2023, 12.00pm

Auction 4 2 2

- The covered entertainment area is a wonderful area to enjoy alfresco dining and covered front patio is ideal for morning tea.

- Plenty of off-road parking, a privatised front yard and an ambience of tidy secure living is apparent.

FEATUREDLISTINGS

OPEN DAY

FINAL NOTICE

Rustic home maximising the views and great indoor-outdoor flow

Set in a backdrop of native bush area just ready to be explored

Panoramic views & spectacular sunsets set the stage for this tranquil haven on

BROWNLEE, Molly Doreen

– Passed away unexpectedly at home on Thursday, 3rd August 2023, aged 94 years. Loved wife of the late Arthur for 63 years. Beloved mother and mother in-law of Maurice & Susan, Russell, and Glen & Sheryn. Adored and treasured nana to Jessica, Katy, Georgia, and Monique. A celebration of Molly's life will be held at Raleigh Street Christian Centre, Raleigh Street, Leamington, Cambridge on Monday, the 14th of August 2023 at 1:00pm, followed by a private cremation. Donations to the Salvation Army would be appreciated and may be left at the service or plant a shrub in remembrance of Molly. All communications to the Brownlee Family, c/- 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434

GEANGE, Barry Wyndham Knox – 89 years. Passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Monday, 31 July 2023. Deeply loved husband of Ellen for 64 years. Loved father and father-in-law of Carol & Graham Thomas, Margaret & Michael Garrett, Warren & Sandra, Ross & Erin, Kevin & Kerrie and adored grandad to 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. The service for Barry has been held. All communications to the Geange Family, c/Grinter’s Funeral Home, 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434.

McFETRIDGE, Diana

Family Notices

FIREWOOD – mixed Oak, Blackwood, and Gum. Collect your own, shed stored. $110.00 per metre. Paul 0274 962 399

NOTHING OVER $20! Cash only. Saturday 12 August. 28 King St. 8.30am to 11am.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

The Baikie family are stoked to announce the arrival of Alicia and Corban’s little miracle Mila Kate SADLER born 25/7/23 seven weeks early at Waikato Hospital at a beautiful 5 pound 6 ounces. Mum & baby doing amazing.

Rosemary – Passed away peacefully at home on the 31st of July 2023, surrounded by loving family in her 77th year. Cherished soul mate of Maurice for a wonderful 56 years. Proud mother and mother-in-law of Lyndon and Karin, Phillip and Maree, Patrick and Erin, Andrew and Joanne, and Alistair and Vicki. Much loved by her grandchildren Stephanie, Lani, Dion, Jana, Olivia, Elise, Matthew, Fynn, Eva, Leo and Rory. A Requiem Mass Church Service to celebrate Diana’s life has been held.

OPEN DAY

A beautiful rural Green Gold Enviro S chool Years 1 to 8 CHANGE OF DATE: 20TH SEPTEMBER 10AM TO 12PM

We also welcome visitors and queries any time. NO ZONE

Any enquiries prior to our Open Day contact 07 827 8146 or o ce@temiro.school.nz

AGM

37 Hautapu Road

Wednesday 16th August 7.30pm

All Welcome.

JUMBLE AROUND OP SHOP

Distribution of Funds 2023

We love you so much Mila!

All local not for profit groups and organisations are welcome to apply for funding now.

Closing date 15/09/2023

Email admin@jumblearound.co.nz

Enquiries to Marianne 021 1746327

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Friends of Resthaven Foundation Trust will be held on Thursday 24th August 2023 at Cambridge Resthaven Village Centre, 2.30pm

PARISH OF ST JOHN TE AWAMUTU

We are looking for an administrator who can support the many ministries in the Parish.

• You will be engaging, friendly, and with excellent customer service skills.

• You will be well organised and be a great multitasker.

• You will work in a flexible and varied environment.

• You will have values that align with the Parish.

The hours are 20 hours per week, 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday.

For more information, including a job description, please contact Julie Guest (Vicar) julieguest7@gmail.com

PROPERTY WANTED

PROPERTY WANTED

Rural/Lifestyle section ½ acre to 1HA+ Cambridge or Hamilton. Cash Buyers. No agents. Ph 021 778073

Corner of Queen and Bryce Street

“A Spiritual iPod”

water.

Sunday service at 10am will be lead by Re v. Alistair McBride.

Sunday Service at 10am will be led by Rev. Mohu Lolohea

Bruntwood Hautapu Pukeroro Hall Society

Notification of Decision on Plan Change 17: Hautapu Industrial Zones

- to the Waipā District Plan

Public notification pursuant to clause 10(4) of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991.

In accordance with clauses 10(4) and cl29(5) of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991, Waipa District Council gives notice that Council’s decision to Plan Change 17: Hautapu Industrial Zones is now available. In summary, the amendments to the District Plan include the following sections:

• Part B – Definitions

• Section 7 – Industrial Zone

• Appendix S1 – Future Growth Cells

• Appendix S5 – Hautapu Structure Plan and Landscape Guidelines

• Planning Maps 4, 21, 22, 23 and 24

The full copy of the Council’s decisions on the above plan changes can be viewed at:

• Waipa District Council websitewww.waipadc.govt.nz/planchanges

• Waipa District Council Offices in Te Awamutu and Cambridge;

• Waipa District Council Public Libraries in Te Awamutu and Cambridge.

Any person who has made a submission on Plan Change 17, may appeal Council’s decisions on their submission to the Environment Court. Appeals to the Environment Court must be in the prescribed form and lodged with the Environment Court within 30 working days of the date of this public notice, that is by 5pm on Thursday 20 September 2023. The Waipa District Plan is deemed to have been amended in accordance with the decisions made and any amendments to the Waipa District Plan have legal effect from the date of this decision.

Garry Dyet CHIEF EXECUTIVE

For and on behalf of the Waipa District Council

Notice of Public Annual Meeting of Beneficiaries

Availability of the 2023 Chairperson’s Annual Report, Financial Statements, 2023-24 Annual Plan, and Waipa Networks Ltd Statement of Corporate Intent.

I hereby give notice that on Friday the 25th of August 2023, commencing at 10.00am, a Public Annual Meeting of Beneficiaries (Connected Consumers) will be held at Waipa Networks, 240 Harrison Drive, Te Awamutu.

At the meeting the Trustees will report on:

• The operation of Waipa Networks Trust for the year ended 31 March 2023.

• The Financial Statements of Waipa Networks Trust for the year ended 31 March 2023.

• The performance of Waipa Networks Limited for the year ended 31 March 2023.

• The compliance of Waipa Networks Limited with its Statement of Corporate Intent for the year ended 31 March 2023.

• The Annual Plan 2023/24 of Waipa Networks Trust.

At the meeting the Beneficiaries will be given the opportunity to:

• Appoint the Auditor for Waipa Networks Trust for the 2024 financial year.

• Speak on all matters being considered at the Annual Meeting.

Please note that the above named documents are available for public inspection on the Trust website or at the offices of Waipa Networks Limited at 240 Harrison Drive, Te Awamutu during ordinary business hours.

K M Heeringa - Secretary/Treasurer

NOTIFICATION OF INTENTION TO CONSIDER TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES

Waipa District Council will consider an application to close the following roads to ordinary vehicular traffic on Sunday, 3 December 2023 from 12pm to 4pm:

• Dick Street – between Queen Street and Alpha Street

• Alpha Street – between Dick Street and Victoria Street

• Victoria Street – between Queen Street and Commerce Street

• Commerce Street – whole street – access to Milicich Place via Fort Street only

• Duke Street – between Victoria Street and Commerce Street

• Empire Street – between Alpha Street and Victoria Street

To enable organisers to hold the New World Cambridge Christmas Parade 2023.

The application will be considered under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974.

Emergency Services will have complete right of way at all times during closure.

Any objections to the proposal must be lodged with Waipa District Council, in writing to events@waipadc.govt.nz, before 4.00pm on Friday, 25 August 2023. Please include the nature of the objection and the grounds for it. See the Privacy Statement on the Council’s website for further information. For more information, please contact Waipa District Council on 0800 924 723.

Garry Dyet CHIEF EXECUTIVE

ANTIQUES

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Based in Cambridge, Trelawney Stud is steeped in history and offers a picturesque workplace right in the heart of the farm.

The current office administrator is departing after 27 and a half years of service so the Taylor family are looking for an all-round administration star to take the reins of this varied and rewarding role.

A general understanding of thoroughbred bloodstock and farming accounting is desirable but not essential, with a keen attitude and attention to detail a priority.

Tasks include:

• Wages using MYOB

• Debtors ledger and data entry using Ardex

• Cashbook using Farm Focus

• Payments of New Zealand and international accounts

• Weekly reports

Preparation and filing of GST returns in New Zealand and Australia

Bloodstock Sale entries and associated reporting

• Some secretarial work and record keeping

• Regulatory requirements with NZ Thoroughbred Racing

This is a small, close knit team so the ability to work well with the existing staff is required.

This is a permanent position and is 2-3 days per week with flexibility around days worked.

Email your CV with work references to brent@trelawneystud.nz

www.trelawneystud.nz

User-friendly lawn tractor with footpedal operation, side injection cutting deck and powerful engine to tackle smaller blocks.

Compact side discharge tractor with smart, user-friendly design, developed for use in small to midsize gardens.

An e cient garden tractor that o ers excellent collection of grass clippings giving tidy cutting results.

A powerful and comfortable tractor with integrated rear collector, pedal-operated, hydrostatic transmission and low vibe deck drive.

Ideal for small to mid-size gardens. Side ejection, smart design plus a powerful engine and pedaloperated hydrostatic transmission.

Ideal for homeowners with larger gardens who need a durable and comfortable tractor with high manoeuvrability.

Ideal for regular use in medium-sized to large gardens with an e cient ClearCut ™ deck, intelligent design and simple starting process for ease of use.

A powerful and comfortable side discharge tractor with sturdy ClearCut ™ deck for medium to large-sized gardens