Cambridge News | July 25, 2024

Roundabout ruckus

By Mary Anne Gill

Truckies say Waipā District Council is ignoring them and riding roughshod over their claims recent road and roundabout changes in Cambridge are dangerous and damaging their vehicles.

They are calling on the council to redesign two roundabouts – in Leamington and Hautapu – and remove what they say are the “excessive number” of recently installed speed humps. The humps are designed to slow traffic down but it is claimed they cause severe damage to truck tyres and underbellies.

Dave Wilkinson, a truck driver for 50 years, and Mike Ross from C & R Developments met deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk, Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kelly Bouzaid and Cambridge Community Board chair Jo DaviesColley at the Shakespeare St roundabout earlier this month.

“They are killing this town,” said Wilkinson of the council. “They’re pandering so much to the cyclists that they’ve forgotten about the heavy transport industry which this town relies on.”

Matters came to a head last week when it was revealed a housemoving truck gouged a newly laid grass verge at the Shakespeare St roundabout.

Instead of going around the roundabout north of Fergusson (Low Level) Bridge into Cook Street, the truck and trailer - with house on board -turned right before the roundabout and over

the verge on the wrong side of the road.

Service delivery group manager Dawn Inglis told The News the council would attempt to recover costs from the trucking company and rejected suggestions poor roundabout design was to blame.

“We are confident the design is appropriate for the types of traffic using the roundabout and this has been subject to external audit.”

She suggested some drivers were intentionally mounting grass verges at the roundabout.

Stolwyk said she was not impressed with the roundabout design. A new pedestrian-cycle crossing area less than five metres south of the roundabout was

a blind spot for truck drivers entering the roundabout from Cook Street because they could not see pedestrians or cyclists from the cab. Their view was limited to four to five metres.

She visited the roundabout last week to see for herself from inside a truck cab.

“The truck drivers are coming into a high developed area and they’re looking right for oncoming traffic.

“I’m unhappy with the roundabout (design). My priority is the crossing and the concerns of the heavy haulage operators,” she said.

“The purpose of providing a crossing was to make it safer. I think we are providing the public

with a false sense of security. Have we put that crossing in the right place?

“I’ve made my views known to staff,” she said.

“(Truck) drivers don’t want to run anyone over.”

Truckies’ preference was for the crossing to be installed 100 metres north of the roundabout, further up Shakespeare St.

Wilkinson said trucking operators had been telling the council for months that their road and roundabout designs were substandard and damaging their vehicles.

Shakespeare St roundabout –which is used by oversized truck and trailer units on their way to

and from the Port of Taurangawas the last straw, he said.

“They do everything on computer modelling and because the computer says so, that’s what they design.

“I’m speaking out because of my knowledge and the arrogance of this council. They are not listening to the ratepayers and to experts,” said Wilkinson.

The News has seen a letter the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association sent to the council on behalf of several contractors about the new roundabout in Victoria Road outside APL’s Hautapu headquarters.

Chief executive Jonathan BhanaThomson said it was critical the roundabout could cater to large oversize transporters. Contractors in the area include APL, C & R Developments and pre-build house construction companies Elevate and Leisurecom.

“From my initial viewing of the design of the roundabouts and the lane widths, I would very much doubt that the roundabout would enable large transporters (and their loads) to travel through.”

Wilkinson said the roundabout was now so tight, he doubted transporters could get through without mounting the centre islands.

“They’re not giving us enough room to get around.

“The council are riding roughshod over the transport industry,” he said.

• Roundabout review released, Page 5

• See more cambridgenews.nz

Truckies say this roundabout in Shakespeare St, and one in Hautapu, are not fit for purpose. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Symbol of history

Cambridge has been my home town all of my life. Among other notable landmarks, the unique water tower is a symbol of history and pride in our town. It is all too easy to demolish architectural history.

I’m of the opinion it should be preserved and indeed, money spent on it to make it a safe tourist attraction with a renewed viewing platform.

Yes, it will cost money, but with the growth we have seen in Cambridge in recent years, I’m sure our local ratepayers (like myself) will ultimately benefit from it and continue to enjoy its dominance on our landscape.

Cabby Keyte

Cambridge

Save the tower

I support James Casey’s objective to do all

he can to save “a lovely piece of history” by requesting the Waipā District Council to put on hold their resource consent for demolition to allow time for the community to work with the council to find a viable solution that will result in preservation of the tower. A Cambridge resident for 21 years, I have seen the restoration of the illuminated cross, the National Hotel 1912, the Cambridge Museum and the town clock tower. In my opinion these restorations would not have occurred without community support and teamwork.

Thomas Fuller

Cambridge

More support

I agree with James Casey that we should save the water tower regardless.

Dennis Tribe Karāpiro

It’s a landmark

I agree that we should save the water tower due to its historical importance. It is a lovely building and a Cambridge landmark. Just like the town clock, it should be a no brainer. If $12 million can be spent on complete disruption of the Cambridge town, roads and traffic for the

new Cambridge cycleway, $6 million to save the water tower should be overlooked. Saving the water tower and looking after the town clock benefits the whole community, not just a minority. I’m happy for my rates to go to this.

Heidi Osborn-Dunn

Cambridge

A tinny idea

I oppose the demolition and note that local government up and down the country has used earthquake safety legislation to destroy the character of many provincial towns - character buildings being replaced by lookalike tin sheds. If Waipā District Council is serious about marketing Cambridge they need to preserve as many character structures as possible.

The water tower is unoccupied, standalone and easily fenced off. We suspect too, that the older Resthaven buildings are earmarked for demolition anyway, thereby eliminating any real risk to adjoining structures. Resthaven uses the Tower as its logo. Is the council prepared to sell the tower to Resthaven? Even if not, the council might be successfully challenged in court.

Richard Swarbrick Cambridge

Wait and see

I was very disappointed to read that Waipa councillors have given council staff the go ahead to apply for resource consent to demolish the Cambridge Water Tower. When faced with a 15 per cent rates increase, of course submitters will support the $800,000 demolition option especially when the only other option given was $6 million for restoration. By my calculation 62 per cent of 223 submitters, in favour of demolition, is only 138 people. I am heartened to read of a third ‘wait and see’ option and add my support to save the water tower.

My plea to the council is please don’t be shortsighted, don’t be in a hurry to demolish a 1903 water tower built from handmade bricks. The very fact that it is the only one of its kind left in the North Island and one of only two left in New Zealand should be enough to guarantee its preservation.

Christine Lewell

Leamington

Counter view

editor@goodlocal.nz

maryanne@goodlocal.nz

viv@goodlocal.nz

janine@goodlocal.nz

Greetings, I hope the start to term 3 is going well. I know you will be paying extra attention on the roads now that our school aged pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly around as they commute. I also hope you are managing to avoid those winter bugs that are hitting so many of us.

First up this week, there is a saying, ‘Not all superheroes wear capes.’ I saw some direct examples last week when working a Thursday late shift. When a visiting man driving on Maungatautari road experienced a medical event, his partner in the passenger seat, managed to bring the vehicle to a stop off the road. Several passers-by quickly recognised her distress and need for help. They stopped, extracted the man from his vehicle and as a group, immediately began administering first aid until ambulance could reach him. Some, like the man, were not local to Cambridge and on a journey elsewhere, while others lived nearby. Working together, they gave the man the best possible chance they could through their actions, whilst ensuring that the road was secured for safety reasons. The subsequent care they showed his partner, putting her needs above their own were admirable. I appreciate their quick thinking, selfless actions and say Thank You.

Secondly, I regularly say our neighbours are our ‘capable guardians’; those people who get to know our ‘normal’ - our routines and visitors. Later on Thursday, one such

guardian in Taylor Street noticed her elderly neighbour’s security light activate. She observed a young man run from the garage, down the driveway and away. He was followed by a second, a short time later. Being aware this was hugely suspicious and concerned for her neighbour’s wellbeing, she called 111. I responded and discovered the garage door had been forced open. When subsequently clearing the house, the homeowner was naturally surprised by my arrival, but grateful for her neighbour’s vigilance. I am in no doubt that our good Samaritan’s early intervention stymied the pair’s plans to steal, as nothing was taken. A Police dog handler responded but was unable to track the pair far. It appears however that the two offenders may have been subsequently involved in another incident later that same evening, so the reporting of both provides important information.

I believe the cost to keep this is mad as it’s now become an eyesore, dangerous, and falling down in areas. In the summer all the birds live up there and the smell and noise is terrible. Surely all documentation can be at the Cambridge Museum and using the bricks a small monument with a plaque on it would suffice, at a lot less cost than keeping it. Come on Waipā, sort this out and stand by the right decision and let’s move forward. This towns needs this amount of money put into the right things to move us forward.

Linda Gorham

Resthaven

It takes a community working together to keep Cambridge safe. Get to know your neighbours and consider joining Cambridge Neighbourhood Support to build resilience in your neighbourhood. Until next week, keep up the good work!

Water tower

The man behind a bid to stop the demolition of Cambridge’s water tower has been inundated with support. James Casey says that because of the response he is looking to call a meeting to plan the next action. Meanwhile The News has received several letters to the editor which we have published today on pages 2 and 8.

New chair

David Wybourne has been elected the St Peter’s School, Cambridge Alumni Association chair. Wybourne recently returned to Waipā after living in the United Kingdom for the last 35 years.

Nominations

Trelawney Stud, Waikato Stud and Ray and the estate of Martha Johnson are nominees for the Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan Breeder of the Year award which will be presented on Saturday at the Don Rowlands Event Centre in Karāpiro.

Festival

lights up

Organisers of the Great Kiwi Summer Festival at Lake Karāpiro in November have secured the return of the Illuminate Light and Sound show. Last year’s show at the domain was a star attraction at the two-day event, which is scheduled for the second weekend in November. Event Manager Janette Douglas said the festival will also host an outdoor expo, Armistice in Cambridge, the BMX Big Air Championships and water demonstrations.

Drysdale elected Cambridge financial advisor and former Olympic Games gold medallist and world champion rower Mahé Drysdale is Tauranga’s new mayor. Drysdale, 45, was raised in Tauranga and attended Tauranga Boys’ College but now lives in Maungatautari with wife Juliette (nee Haigh) – herself a former world champion rower and Olympic bronze medallist – and their three children Frankie, 4, Boston, 7 and Bronte, 9.

Waipā move a good idea

By Mary Anne Gill

When David Huxtable peered into the window of an Alpha Street building in Cambridge back in March, he had an inkling his two-year search was over.

The Waikato-King Country Idea Services area manager’s team had been sharing office facilities in Hamilton but they had outgrown them and the search until then had produced nothing suitable.

Huxtable, who lives in Cambridge, has been working for Idea Services – part of the IHC Group of Charities – for 30 years.

For his first decade Idea Services had a base in Cambridge – in Queen Street and then in Dick Street – but 20 years ago moved into Hamilton.

Idea Services supports adults of all ages with intellectual disabilities to live independently and be part of their local communities.

This includes residential care, supported living and vocational support.

They have four residential homes in Cambridge, two in Te Awamutu, three in Te Kūiti and Ōtorohanga and three in Taumarunui as well as a rural block in Ōhaupō for people with high and complex needs.

“We’ve got a massive green house there that we want to open up more for gardening opportunities.”

The Tarr Road property – off Kaipaki Road near Mystery Creek Polo Club – has three houses called Cottage, Farmhouse and Flat with around the clock care workers for up to 10 people who require support.

They grow vegetables, have chickens and fruit trees which provide an abundance of food.

A recent review resulted in two Idea Services areas becoming amalgamated into Waikato-King Country which takes in Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Ōtorohanga, Te Kūiti, Taumarunui, Thames,

Paeroa and Waihi.

The service area supports 264 people.

Cambridge was tagged for the headquarters provided Huxtable could find something big enough, easily accessible, central to town and close to public transport.

The concrete block space next to Anytime Fitness and opposite Briscoes was perfect.

Two days later, Huxtable had signed a tenancy agreement with landlord Andrew Minett who agreed to fit out the shell for the disability services organisation.

It was opened on Monday by deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk and included a performance by Idea Services kapa haka group Te Roopu o Hauraki me Te Rohe Potae which is preparing for the kapa haka nationals in November.

“It’s now time to get this place going, get the team happy and make it a place to come and work from and families can come too,” said Huxtable.

“It’s been a long time but we’re back in Cambridge.”

There will be the chance to have more open forums, meeting space in the building is perfect for family meetings and for sharing resources with other like-minded organisations.

“Why invent something people have already got?”

Artwork hanging on the wall has been completed by people Idea Services support – some of the artists have been prize winners in the annual IHC art awards - and is for sale.

The public is welcome to “wander in, have a look,” said Huxtable.

Community relationships already exist with groups like InterlockNZ Trust – which connects people through crafts, woodwork, cooking and social activities – and Hautapu Sports who give the kapa haka group somewhere to practice.

• More photos cambridgenews.nz

Artists on show

The IHC Art Awards provide artists with an intellectual disability the opportunity to have their talent recognised, their voices heard and to sell their work.

Auckland’s Amy Hall won the awards and a $5000 prize with her needlework selfportrait Love Cats. Hamilton’s Cherie Mellsopp, who won in 2009, was third with her work Veil of Gold.

Voting for the L’affare People’s Choice Award closes on Sunday.

Work in the exhibition includes pieces entered by Waipā artists Kathleen Bayer, Ben Bayer, Stevi Taylor, Cameron Viles, Peter Crawford, Ian Cotterell, Caitlin Thomas, Paul Morriss, Willy Bardoul, Julie Tate, Karma Grieveson Pask, Andrea Meddings and Pauline Bueno.

• More photos cambridgenews.nz

Celebrating Life - Your Way

Grinter’s Funeral Home are dedicated to providing personalised and meaningful funeral services, and are happy to discuss new ideas, pre-planning and/or pre-paying for your funeral. We are here for you in your time of need, so please get in touch anytime to discuss your options.

Helen Carter Funeral Director

Kim Colquhoun of Te Awamutu helps area manager David Huxtable put client artwork up in Idea Services new Cambridge office.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

The work of several artists utilising Waipā disability services feature in the IHC Art Awards exhibition at Webb’s Auction House in Wellington and in an online gallery.

Waipā artist Willy Bardoul with his Road Trip artwork completed at Enrich Plus in Te Awamutu which features in the IHC art exhibition in Wellington. It reminds him of places he has seen when travelling around New Zealand.

Water – joint approach best

A new report into water services says the greater Waikato will be better off if councils work together – and it will prompt discussions over setting up joint entities.

The document, commissioned by the Waikato Mayoral Forum, was released on Tuesday and suggests working together could lead to savings of almost $340 million over 10 years.

Mayors from Hamilton city, Waikato, Waipā, Ōtorohanga, Waitomo, Taupō, South Waikato, Matamata Piako, Hauraki and Thames-Coromandel districts make up the forum.

They will now discuss with their councils whether they will take non-binding steps towards forming a joint entity to deliver functions like capital works planning and delivery.

It could lead to the formation of a multicouncil regulated water services entity.

The report notes multiple independent reports over more than a decade show water infrastructure would be cheaper if councils joined together and leveraged scale.

In June Local Government Minister Simeon Brown confirmed the government was looking for a joined-up approach to three waters delivery, including in the Waikato.

Matamata Piako District Council chief executive Don McLeod, who led the workstream for 10 council chief executives, said each council would now need to consider what the findings mean for their communities and the wider region.

He said over time all ratepayers would be better off if councils worked more closely

together, rather than continue to go it alone.

“Councils are between a rock and a hard place. Our ratepayers simply cannot afford to pay for the water infrastructure we need to build, yet we must build it. And we are required by law to meet increasing levels of compliance which is only going to get more expensive.

The current system is fundamentally broken – our contractors, our staff, the water experts, the ratepayers… are all telling us that. Something must change.”

Over the next 10 years, Waikato councils have budgeted nearly $5 billion for drinking water, stormwater and wastewater for capital works. All up, including operating costs, water services will cost more than $7.5 billion. The report says working together could see savings of $338 million over a decade. Most savings come from combining capital planning works and delivery.

The report also points to increasingly unaffordable water charges under the status quo, saying by 2035 average household water charges could range from $1652 a year in Ōtorohanga to $7921 in the Waikato district.

The report says council waters staff and contractors were under pressure given the ageing workforce, competition from other employers and an environment of ongoing uncertainty. The contracting industry had warned it did not have the staff to build necessary infrastructure.

The report also noted councils could not make a firm commitment on the final form of any potential regional waters entity until there is more clarity from the government.

Roundabout review released

By Mary Anne Gill

A peer review of the controversial Shakespeare Street roundabout did consider truck and trailer and semi-trailer vehicles in its comments on the design.

Safe System Solutions in Hamilton made 15 recommendations to Waipā District Council.

The sight distances for the new crossing points were compliant, they said.

The council released the report to The News following criticism of the design.

Safe System Solution - a global company with offices in Sweden, Australia and New Zealand – visited the site on a fine day in April.

“The proposed interim design aims to calm traffic speeds at the roundabout by increasing deflection and enhancing the visibility of the crossing.

“Additional measures include further calming traffic at the crossing point and providing adequate refuge space at the traffic medians for cyclists and pedestrians, which is

Hamilton Gardens changes coming soon

Hamilton Gardens will introduce paid entry to its Enclosed Gardens on 18 September 2024.

The Enclosed Gardens are 18 award-winning themed gardens. Visitor-favourites include the Indian Charbagh Garden, Surrealist Garden, Ancient Egyptian Garden, Chinese Scholars’ Garden, and the Italian Renaissance Garden.

$20 single admission

$50 annual pass

Cardholders, including SuperGold, will receive a 10% discount on their entry fee.

currently lacking, particularly for cyclists, as it forces then to encroach into traffic lanes.

“These changes are designed to improve safety without compromising the potential for future comprehensive redesign efforts,” the peer review notes.

At that time Shakespeare Street traffic counts showed 13,000 vehicles a day – 7.6 per cent of them heavy vehicles – and Cook Street with 9388 vehicles, 11 per cent of them heavy vehicles.

The reviewers commented on the large volume of heavy commercial vehicles and that drivers were travelling into the roundabout without slowing down.

The review said there were truck and trailer units of up to 22 metres and 19.45 metre semitrailers regularly using the roundabout.

The design should not impede vehicular movements “while simultaneously tightening the roundabout to optimise speed reduction.”

The reviewers did not suggest moving the priority pedestrian crossing but did suggest adding a cycle holding rail at the crossing as well as additional signage.

If you live or pay rates in Hamilton, you can continue to explore the Enclosed Gardens for free with a validated MyGardens pass (proof of address required). All under 16s can explore for free.

There’s still so much to see and do without a pass. Outer areas of the Gardens (not part of the Enclosed Gardens) can be visited by anyone without a pass. Everyone, no matter where you live, can continue explore the bush walks, spot fish in Turtle Lake by the waterfall, walk through the rhododendrons, enjoy a picnic amongst the roses, visit the cafe, and play on the playground.

A section of the Safe System Solutions peer review done in April deals with the proposed raised courtesy crossing at this spot. Read the review cambridgenews.nz

Charter school planned

By Mary Anne Gill

A Waipā couple hopes to set up one of 15 charter schools the coalition government approved in this year’s Budget.

Ray and Maxine Nelson - founders and directors of Ignite Arts Academy in Cambridge - are working with education consultant and former principal Alwyn Poole on an application due August 9.

If successful, the charter school would open in term one next year.

The government has set aside $153 million for charter schools over the next four years.

Maxine Nelson said the couple had put feelers out to lease suitable premises able to accommodate 120 students aged from 11-15 years.

It has been a dream for them to establish a charter school since their return to New Zealand from the United States in 2011.

They started Ignite which delivers music, dance, drama and holiday workshops for children and provides the community with a place to discover and nurture their performing arts passion.

“We see so many different kids that don’t fit in the box,” she said.

“We need to do something – it’s a sense of calling (for us).”

The two are committed Christians but that would not mean they would be Bible bashing in the classroom.

“Children are very, very capable. When children are having fun, they learn like crazy,” she said.

The environment would suit teachers who wanted to teach outside of the box and children struggling in traditional schools.

Charter schools aim to provide teachers and parents with more choice.

An average school day is split with academic work in the morning – English, maths, science, technology and science studies - and arts and activities in the afternoon which would include learning and service in the community.

There would be a maximum of 15 students in each class and 40-minute lunch breaks. The new school would be fees-free and government-funded.

Poole, who moved from Cambridge to Auckland earlier this year, said if successful it would be the third charter school he helped establish.

Twenty years ago, he wrote a projectbased curriculum model that resulted in Mount Hobson Middle School, where he was principal for 18 years.

Two more schools based on the same system were later opened in south and west Auckland, following charter school legislation in 2012.

The first charter schools opened in 2014 but four years later then education minister Chris Hipkins shut them down saying they were a “failed expensive experiment.”

Poole said the Nelsons’ track record with Ignite and their background made them ideal candidates to run a charter school.

“Their reputation is very good,” he said.

On the right path

Mother of three Ana Almanza says one of the major reasons her family moved from Argentina to settle in Cambridge was the opportunity to walk and cycle safely.

She and her three children Lourdes, 7, Clara, 5, and Mateo, seven months were spotted trying out the new upper Duke Street section of the Cambridge Pathway last week.

“It’s so convenient for us and the connections around the town are good,” she said.

Most of the cones around the pathway were removed last week and finishing touches applied by Waipā contractors in Bryce, Alpha and Dick streets in time for the new school term.

Trying out the new Cambridge Pathway upper Duke Street section were, from left, Clara, Lourdes and Mateo Del Monte with their mother Ana Almanza.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Keep the tower

We did not submit to Council to save our iconic water tower but strongly feel it must be retained. We have lost enough historic landmarks to the so-called ‘destruction generations’ prior and it is high time we stopped and thought harder about preserving our heritage. When something is gone it won’t ever come back. James Casey’s, and others, third option idea to defer its removal is the only sensible measure at this time. It is part of our history along with the Moonspring below Resthaven which used to feed it. The question has to be asked, why did the Resthaven planners and builders put their buildings right up underneath it? The water tower must stay.

Peter and Niki Russell Cambridge

It’s an icon

It is an interesting old historical landmark that has stood for 120 years. It is such heritage icons that give Cambridge its special character. Why were the Resthaven buildings even allowed to be built so close to such an old structure?

It would have been quite easy to miss seeing the notice for submissions on the fate of the tower in the newspaper, and many older people I have spoken to around town, seem to have not heard that the tower could be demolished, and they would be very sad to see it go. Please don’t demolish it.

Marg Henwood Leamington

Thank you

HeartSafe Cambridge would like to thank your paper for supporting us over the last year by publishing the full list of 24 by 7 Automated External Defibrillator (AED) locations in and around Cambridge. This information has helped the public become familiar with the

location of these lifesaving devices.

Henry Strong HeartSafe Cambridge

Cross to bear

I was talking with a client last week who resides in Te Awamutu, but also has property in Cambridge. He made the point that it is easier to walk into town from Cambridge suburbs than it is here in Te Awamutu. This is due to Cambridge having more pedestrian crossings than Te Awamutu.

That made me curious - so I asked Waipā District Council to confirm how many pedestrian crossings are in each town. WDC replied confirming that Te Awamutu has six normal crossings, whereas Cambridge has 11 normal crossings plus five or so traffic light crossings.

So - Cambridge has almost three times the pedestrian crossings that Te Awamutu does. Which leads to the question - is that fair and reasonable? I wish to raise this issue in terms of the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable members of the community. The youngest and oldest are more likely to need safe passage around their town to access services or schooling.

If you are a pupil at Cambridge High or Intermediate schools, you have multiple access points across the old State Highway 1/1B. However, if you are a student of Te Awamutu College or Intermediate - there is no designated pedestrian crossing across the whole length of State Highway 3. Why should Te Awamutu students and other members of the community be put at greater risk when traveling around town on foot or bike? The WDC Ahu Ake spatial plan makes great mention of greater walking and cycling networks - but why don’t we have those now?

Jarrod Godfrey Te Awamutu

Letting go of ‘offences’

By Murray Smith, Bridges Church

Recently I spoke at a gathering on the topic of ‘offences’. The feedback suggested this was a very relatable issue for many. Being human and just interacting normally with others in the course of life, we’ll inevitably encounter multiple opportunities for ‘taking on’ offences that come our way… we’ll find irritating things about people’s behaviour, their beliefs or choices… certain things will bug us. Their practices, manner, style, their ‘wiring’… somehow they grind our gears. They offend us. But equally, we too could well be the cause of offence to others in various ways…perhaps they find us disagreeable or see us as irritable and intolerant……(fill in the blank).

I’ve come to see that being offended is a choice we make; it is not simply a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or some circumstance. Taking on board an offence is a choice. It’s not necessarily a fact, it’s a feeling. A person might claim that it’s their right holding onto an offence - that it’s entirely justifiable - yet the ‘internal’ damage it does to them is incalculable. Offended hearts become ‘breeding grounds’ for bitterness, unforgiveness, self-righteousness, isolation, loneliness, judgmentalism, criticism and so many other disordered, undesirable personality traits.

We can’t remain healthy nurturing and brooding over feelings of pain or injury we’ve felt from other’s words and actions… imbibing and holding offences, is as destructive as having a wrecking ball crashing around in your inner life… emotionally, mentally and spiritually. At the same time, we must take responsibility for working on not being a cause of offence as best we can.

Throughout society, divisive walls form when offences rise between family members,

friends, neighbours, colleagues, associateswherever there’s people, there’s potential for breaches to rupture even the most solid of relationships and create seemingly unresolvable alienation that can endure for years, even generations.

How ought we respond when ‘offences’ come our way? We must get real - because ‘crouching at the door’ for everyone of us, is the potential to incubate offence. And what we do with it is so important. Forgiveness is such a key to finding release and freedom… and humility, to let offence go.

We faced a time of great national difficulty during Covid. It would be fair to say that the challenges of navigating the polarising range of opinions - pro-vax, anti vax, the mandates and the division that resulted from offences people felt with one another, still exist to some degree. That’s a sad reality largely due to pride and the need many feel to assert their ‘rightness’… to prove their opinion and stance was the right one. Actually, wrongs were done regardless of the position anyone took.

I mentioned forgiveness and humility as essential keys to unlock and dismantle the deadlock of offences. Being courageous enough to choose the path of love, extending forbearance will go a long way. Letting go of hurts or grudges over words spoken, angry, blaming or judging attitudes, breaks down walls and heals divisive rifts.

Here’s timeless wisdom from the Bible in closing… “Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offence.” Proverbs 19:11

Kuriger to discuss maunga funds

By Chris Gardner

Confusion surrounds the Department of Conservation’s promise to partially fund the world’s largest predator proof fence at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, says Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger.

A cash flow crisis at the $5000 a day 3400ha project could force the closure of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari by the end of August after the loss of $1.5 million of DOC baseline funding over four years.

Sanctuary Mountain general manager Helen Hughes has been told by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka it is an operational matter and DOC Waikato District operations manager Jane Wheeler hopes “something can be worked out”.

Kuriger, who was present at the May meeting when Hughes made Potaka aware of the project’s plight, is joining Sanctuary Mountain’s board and DOC representatives for a meeting next month to discuss the cash flow crisis. The meeting will either be held on August 5 online, or on August 26 in person.

“From the conversations I’ve had, there seems to be confusion about what was promised in the first place,” Kuriger said.

Sanctuary Mountain’s baseline funding was initially divided by DOC,

Waikato Regional Council and Waipā District Council.

“The third is to keep the place going,” Kuriger said.

“That’s where I am seeing my part of the discussion going. Seeing what was promised and making sure it is delivered. If we sit around a table, we can get things straight. I don’t like to see what’s been happening to that precious place.”

DOC has withdrawn from baseline funding, switching to project specific funding – and that leaves the trust with less cash to fund the operation of the predator proof fence.

Over the last four years DOC had supported Maungatautari with $589,000 of Jobs for Nature funding to support the work of mountain rangers, $441,000 worth of threatened species monitoring funding, such as kākāpō and hihi (stitch bird), and $140,000 worth of operating costs funding.

Bright spark Amy honoured

Former Cambridge student Amy FitzPatrick has been celebrated for her leadership skills.

She was named outstanding leader of the year (site-based) at last week’s National Association of Women in Construction Awards.

Her award celebrates women who make a significant leadership contribution to the building, construction or infrastructure industries.

In 2016, FitzPatrick – who had attended Cambridge High School - founded Pink Sparky, based in Matangi.

The business has become a training hub for tradeswomen.

She was recognised by the judges for her role as a leader who motivates and inspires, advocates for increased female representation in the construction industry and supports women in excelling in their careers.

“Mentorship is so important to me, and motivating others to advance and grow in their careers is hugely rewarding and satisfying,” FitzPatrick said.

National Association of Women in Construction members work in various roles, including quantity surveyors, project managers, planners, designers, architects, engineers, tradespeople, students, apprentices, health and safety managers, and lawyers.

Please meet in the hall at the beginning of your chosen session. There will be an address by our Senior Leadership Team and tours of our school will be available.

Come and see Cambridge Middle School in action!

Amy Fitzpatrick with her trophy.

Barbara Kuriger

ON SHAKY GROUND

Communities and volcanoes

By Janine Krippner

Much of my work in volcanology is around the intersection of communities and volcanoes.

I have been spending a couple of weeks here in Tenerife leading a group of university students through an exercise that is teaching them how to begin to prepare a town for the possibility of future eruptions. We know that there will be eruptions, we don’t know where, when, or how big. There is no list of steps to take to prepare a community for an event or disaster because the community itself is such a critical part of the equation.

I don’t believe scientists should just waltz on into a town and tell people what to do. The first step is listening and understanding who the people are and what their needs are. There is so much we can do to empower our communities to be prepared for the events that might impact us, and to know how to act instead of waiting around for help. This isn’t just applicable to volcanoes or natural hazards.

The town we picked is close to where we are staying and is high up on the

side of the island, surrounded by scoria cones and old lava flows. Some of the questions the students have been asking are about trust and where people get their information from. Who are the trusted community members who can help us to understand the community’s needs and to also help get the right information to their people? This also changes within the community with aspects like age. Would you turn straight to social media for information if a crisis hit, would you turn on the television, or would you turn to friends, family, and neighbours?

Science is most impactful when it goes hand in hand with our everyday lives and considers the diversity, challenges, interests, and cultural aspects of who we are as a group of people living in an area. If, for some reason, we had to evacuate our town (like for a large fire), we would need to know who would need help. Who doesn’t have a car? Who has health issues or disabilities that would require assistance? Where are our elderly care facilities? Would our children be

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in school with parents working somewhere else like Hamilton? There would be so many moving parts and we, as a community, would need to do our best to not leave people behind.

Would you know what to take with you? I have encouraged you to have a list somewhere of the things that are important for you to take if you needed to leave quickly, having heard stories of how you can’t think straight about this during a crisis. Having a go bag, something you can grab with some essential supplies, is a great idea. Having cash in case we have a power cut (or a global IT crisis) is a good idea for buying things like food or petrol. Knowing that many in our towns can’t afford to have cash and spare food on hand is also important.

The complexities of humans (and our animals) living on an active planet are endless. It’s good to remember that at the end of the day we are in this together. If disaster strikes, your neighbours could be your first responders.

More AEDs, none lost

HeartSafe Cambridge has reported a successful 2023-24 year where it was involved in several projects and was not the target of thieves.

HeartSafe provides and maintains Automated External DefibrillatorsAEDs - to the community.

During the year it provided a lockbox and street sign to the Leamington Rugby Club to house their AED, worked with Tamahere Lions to provide a facility outside the village shops’ doctor’s office and started a project to place a third unit at the 4 Square shop on Thornton Rd, Cambridge.

All three AEDs will be available around the clock.

HeartSafe also helped

the Cambridge Town Hall purchase a unit so the building would be covered for all events.

HeartSafe chair Henry Strong noted in his annual report it was “good news” that no AEDs were stolen during the year. An AED can increase someone’s chance of surviving a heart attack by up to 80 per cent if applied immediately.

On the fundraising front grants were received from Jumble Around and the Cambridge Lions for AED maintenance and the purchase of five new AED signs – and a sausage sizzle raised $2000.

The list of Cambridge’s 24 by 7 AEDs is published regularly in The News.

CAMBRIDGE VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE CALLS OVER THE LAST WEEK

WEDNESDAY

12:50am, Building Alarm Activation, Vogel Street

3:35am, Domestic flooding, Maungatautari Road

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THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

2:06pm, Building Alarm Activation, Duke Street

9:55am, Cardiac Arrest, Bryce Street

6:12pm, Smoke showing from unit, Gillies Street

1:09pm, Building Alarm and evacuation, Ruakura Road 11:56pm, Building Alarm and evacuation, Hautapu Road

FRIDAY 6:55am, Multiple car MVC, Waikato Expressway 9:37pm, House Fire, Puketaha Road

SATURDAY 7:11am, Three car MVC, Waikato Expressway 4:14pm, Building Alarm Activation, Raleigh Street

8:24pm, Medical, Cardiac Arrest, Aland Livingstone Drive

FRIDAY 8:42am, Building Alarm and evacuation. Maungatautari Road

SUNDAY

SUNDAY 9:49am, Building Alarm Activation, Albert Street

3:53am, Medical assistance, Karapiro Road

MONDAY 9:52am, Gas leak, Wilson Street

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An idea to flag

By Peter Carr

Initially I was going to write about anthems – or to be more focussed, anthems declared by countries as national. National anthems are written and ‘performed’ as either (Collins) ‘rousing or uplifting songs identified with a particular group or cause - sometimes national’ and/or ‘a musical setting of a religious text during a church service’.

What brings me to this subject today was the weekend TV sharing, with a group of about 20 others, the screeching warbling of a lady in San Diego attempting to, almost successfully, murder the New Zealand national song. We cringed as she drew the rendition out to well over 120 per cent of its normal timed length noting, also, with the camera closeups that the majority of the All Blacks were not mouthing the words (in either language).

Now place this shambolic spectacle alongside groups of Americans, French, Argentinian and even Australians when their anthems are used for kick-starters at sporting and other group events. Stirring, patriotic, tear-jerking (certainly the French), meaningful, understandable and presenting an aura and perception of total national pride.

Now this especially comes to a peak when more than one language is used as here in New Zealand (still the official name despite TV1) and also in South Africa. Further, New Zealand has two ‘official’ national anthems –as does Denmark. God Save the King remains as the other anthem officially in vogue. And there may well be others. But putting aside multi-lingual demands what does our current national song do for national pride? Further does the Maōri version directly reflect the meaning and ethos of the English version?

Go into a classroom of five-year-old children at a school in the United States where a clean and non-tatty national flag

flies proudly outside. These wee children can all stand proudly, hands on hearts, pounding out their national anthem.

Incidentally while the words of the American anthem were written by an American lawyer the stirring music originated in England –something that the Americans would rather not mention. That aside they are extremely patriotic.

Likewise, the stirring words (and music) heard in France centre very much on national pride although the translation to English is a bit blood-curdling. Reference to the blood of one’s enemies ‘watering our furrows’ is possibly only apt at Stadium France in Paris when the boys in blue face the All Blacks. That said the pre-match throat slashing gesture at the end of the current pre-match haka leave something to be desired. Certainly ‘up there’ with the furrow watering rendition.

So back to the beginning. The administrators of New Zealand Rugby either have a blinkered approach to falsetto-range warbling and desecration of the national anthem - or perhaps they do not care. Do they vet the well-meaning singers who are experiencing their moment of individual glory? A return to a strong male voice (sorry ladies) has far more chance of bringing the All Blacks and the crowd on board. A former (now deceased) Mayor of Dunedin was a splendid leader of a desired rendition of the anthem, and one could well think that the whole of that fine city were in the crowd with the deafening support of the lead singer.

If we are going to experience national pride perhaps the start point should be in the primary schools. Starting with the flag could be an apt action.

It’s what we do

By Jo Davies-Colley, Chair, Cambridge Community Board

As the Cambridge Community Board reaches the halfway point of our three-year term, we are proud of the progress we have made in diligently advocating for our residents.

The board’s role is to be the voice of the community to council and our members remain committed to working hard for our town’s needs.

We are a vibrant and diverse group of individuals who have come together, elected by the public, with a shared purpose of serving and representing the residents of Cambridge, both rural and urban.

Our common goal is to ensure community voices - no matter the issue and our individual thoughts on it - are heard and that we address the needs of our residents.

We do this by holding monthly meetings with a focus on hearing from the public, making decisions on the delegations given to us from council, attending public meetings, council workshops, project working groups and by being a part of, or working alongside, organisations such as Rotary, Cambridge Safer Community Trust, Cambridge Social Services and the Cambridge Business Chamber.

We also give feedback to council on decisions they are making, including Ahu Ake, Waipā Community Spatial Plan, the Cambridge Pathway plan, Cambridge Connections, the 2024/25 Enhanced Annual Plan, and Council policy reviews on fees and charges, class four gambling, dog control, the sports field lease model and many more.

Cambridge has a diverse community; sometimes the position the board takes doesn’t align with everyone’s points of view, it’s a balance we work hard on and

regardless, all opinions are heard and passed on.

We have a positive relationship with council staff and elected members while remembering that our primary focus lies with the community members we represent.

While at times our independent thinking may mean taking a stance that differs from council, we work together with them towards our common goals with mutual respect and collaboration.

By balancing our focus on the community with our partnership with council, we strive to create an effective approach to governance that benefits everyone.

During this term, we have advocated strongly for a new Cambridge library and community hub to better serve our residents.

We also pushed for safer crossings in Shakespeare Street after hearing from members of the community concerned with the lack of safe connections on one of our busiest roads.

We advocated for safe, connected and convenient walking and cycling paths through the CBD, allowing school children to get to school safely.

The vibrancy of our town centre is another area we are focused on, as well as delivering meaningful Anzac and Armistice commemorations, strengthening our sister city relationships with Bihoro and Le Quesnoy and allocating funding to community groups in our town, supporting them further in their important work.

We remain committed to serving as a voice for our residents and will continue to work hard to make Cambridge a better place for all.

Searching for Sarah - 128

By Viv Posselt

An almost 50-year-old Plunket record book with Hamilton connections is tugging at the heartstrings

of staff and volunteers at the Cambridge Hospice Shop. The book, numbered 128 on the cover, is dated 1975 and has a difficult-toread name inside. It was

buried in a box of bingo, craft papers and cardboard dropped off to the Anzac St outlet a couple of months ago. Knowing what it might

HEAD DOWN TO THE SNOW

mean to the family involved and thinking it may have been dropped off in error, they have since tried to find its owner. The team displayed it on the counter and popped something up on social media, but no-one has come forward to claim it.

The baby’s name reads ‘Sarah Jane Maquiness (?) of 2A Chelmsford St Hillcrest’. Her birth date is listed as 8-6-75.

“These things mean a great deal to people and we’d like to see it returned to its owner, or to someone in their family,” said Cambridge Hospice Shop manager Justine WebbElliott.

• Does it ring a bell with you? Email editor@ goodlocal.nz

PICTURED LEFT: The hospice shop has tried in vain to find the family this book belongs to.

Get Gardening

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A monthly gardening column, courtesy of Amber Garden Centre Winter in the garden can still be full of colour! Add winter annuals to pots and sheltered gardens like Primula, Polyanthus Sweet 16, Primlets and Pansies. Looking for something longer lasting? Hellebores, Bergenia, Osmanthes Pearly Gates are all flowering now and Nandina’s give great foliage colour, this will continue right through to mid Spring. Get those strawberries planted! Well established plants will fruit earlier and for longer. Lastly, the wait is over... new season deciduous trees are available. Grab your favourite fruit trees like apple, pear, plum, peach and nectarine. Or choose from a wide range of ornamental options like Flowering Cherries, Prunus Awanui, Prunus Shimidsu Sakura and Shirotae, Weeping Cherries, Cornus, Magnolias and of course Maples, just to name a few.

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Cambridge Hospice Shop manager Justine Webb-Elliott holding the lost Plunket book.

Photo: Viv Posselt

Fewer on the buses

By Mary Anne Gill

Waikato-King Country regional bus passenger numbers dipped last month and are likely to take another hit this month.

Fares for Busit and Te Huia train services increased from July 1 and with two weeks of school holidays, the numbers using public transport are unlikely to reach the heady days in May when records fell as services increased.

Figures supplied to The News by Waikato Regional Council showed 9419 people used the 20 Cambridge service in June – down 2211 on the previous month - and 10,476 hopping on board the 24 Kihikihi - Te Awamutu run – down 2535.

But disturbingly for the regional council, numbers on the 32 Tokoroa and 26 Te Kūiti connectors continue to plummet. Only 800 passengers travelled on the South Waikato service and 817 on the King Country run.

Both are heavily subsidised services and local authorities in South Waikato, Waitomo and Ōtorohanga will be asking questions of the regional council as their budgets tighten.

Government subsidies for age-based public transport fares – part of the extended Community Connect scheme - ended nationwide on April 20 but the regional council maintained the fares until June 30.

Free fares for children aged 12 and under and halfprice fares for people aged 24 and under ended then.

Half-price fares on Total Mobility services and for Community Services Card holders will remain as they were part of the original Community Connect scheme. So too will free travel for SuperGold card holders.

When passengers use a Bee Card, the regional council has a weekly fare cap – 6.5 trips for children aged 5-18 and nine for adults.

Cambridge Tree Trust

www.treetrust.org.nz

Rimu 1 (Dacrydium cupressinum)

This is a rare treasure in the urban landscape, although there is a small grove of young rimu planted by Tree Trust in the Green Belt near Maclean St. In the forest mature rimu trees tower over the canopy, sometimes living for 1000 years and reaching 50 metres in height.

Adventists to celebrate at 50

Cambridge’s Seventh Day Adventist church members will mark their 50th anniversary on August 3. Harvey Gangadeen, pastor for the Cambridge, Tīrau and Matamata churches recounts the church’s history.

The story of Cambridge Church began circa1890 amidst great tragedy but ultimately divine deliverance and providence.

Mr Anderson and his 21-year-old son Otto left Norway for Australia and new beginnings. Otto’s mother had died when he was an infant and that was not the only loss Otto would endure. Mr Andersen senior died enroute of cholera.

Perhaps fearing he had contracted the disease, Otto was inhumanely placed in a lifeboat and towed all the way to Sydney, braving the weather and rough seas for a significant part of the journey.

After tragedy and trying circumstances, skies brightened when he met his wife Ada. The young couple, eking out a life together, moved to Townsville and then to New Zealand in 1902.

Eventually they settled in Cambridge and Otto, a Christian, began holding house meetings which were attended by a few notable families such as the Bartletts and the Richards.

They were soon joined by the Lewins, who had come from England in 1898. Having converted to Adventism, they moved to Cambridge in 1903 as they wished their sons to attend New Zealand Missionary College on All Saints Road, not too far away.

By 1908, the seed germinated and roots sprung watered by grace and providence. Four years later, when the college closed down, Mr Richards, whose family lived on site, procured a traction engine and

Along with kahikatea, totara, matai and miro, rimu is a member of the podocarp family but it is the only New Zealand member of the genus dacrydium, which is found across the Pacific and East Asia.

The old Pākeha name for rimu was ‘red pine’, as the wood, gum and sap of the tree all have a deep red colour. Māori attributed this to the blood of Tūnaroa, the giant eel god slain by Māui, and they valued the wood for

hauled the small children’s school from the college site to Bracken Street onto land owned by Otto Anderson. Faith and faithfulness saw numbers grow through both biological and missional growth.

The children of the initial members grew up, married and had children of their own and soon the numbers militated against continued worship at Bracken Street. Of necessity, a larger building, fitting of their numbers and needs was required. Once more, 59 years later, divine guidance and providence led

to the procurement a parcel of land on the corner of Browning and Shakespeare Street.

A casual viewer would have seen just a paddock with a huge sink in the middle, overgrown with tough grass and mudholes left by animals. But to this group of worshippers it was a vision to behold.

It was to be the site of a church complex to host a dedicated sanctuary, separate Church Hall and ample space for God to continue to reach this area where the church was to be planted.

making tools, waka and weapons, such as spears. The missionary, William Colenso noted that rimu were used as ‘fire trees’; a large hollow tree was set alight inside, the fire slowly burning up the living tree and providing a constant source of fire for Māori. Pākeha found rimu provided very fine building wood for houses and furniture, especially in those areas from the Waikato and south where there was no kauri. Due to extensive logging its range and use is restricted today. Robert Vennell records that the red colouring would stain the hands of the sawmillers, so only the lowest-paid workers were assigned to mill it. At the local Saturday night dances these men then found it hard to get partners as their stained hands marked them out as poorer workers. Some mills solved this by working only white pine (kahikatea) the day before the dance.

Cambridge Tree Trust would like to thank Mitre 10 for their support for these monthly articles which are intended to raise interest and awareness of trees in Cambridge.

Advertorial

President Partis signs off

By Viv Posselt

Cambridge Rotary Club

David Partis immediate past president reckons he couldn’t have asked for a better year in office than the one just ended.

Speaking to The News soon after the club changeover for the 2024/25 year, Partis described his year as extraordinary.

One highlight was the 2024 Rotary District 9930 Conference, hosted in May. That was particularly unusual in that it was the first time since 2007 that a Rotary club had hosted

the club of a sitting District Governor, then Cambridge’s Bill Robinson.

Soon afterwards came the visit to the region of Rotary International president Gordon McInally and his wife Heather. McInally, a former Edinburgh dentist, was the first Rotary International president to visit New Zealand. So impressed was he with the Rotary’s Urban Miners’ recycling operation he expressed determination to take the concept back to Scotland.

Aside from those events, plus the normal run of

Rotary activities, Partis and his partner hosted International Youth Exchange (IYE) student, Louise Zakrzewski, who returned to her home in Arras, France, last week. She narrowly missed the flight disruptions caused by the international CrowdStrike global tech upheaval.

Having the 18-year-old in Cambridge wasn’t initially on the cards, but it proved to be a nifty shift from the norm.

“She was Te Awamutu Rotary’s exchange student,” Partis explained, “but after a few months there, her interest in taking up opportunities here in Cambridge meant we worked together with their club to have her here for a while. She started at Cambridge High School at the beginning of the year… we had her for just over five months, but she returned to her Te Awamutu host family for the school holidays. It was a very unusual situation, but it worked well for everybody.

“At the end of the day, Rotary’s intention is to give our exchange students the very best experience we can.”

Louise’s interest in cycling at the Grassroots

Trust Velodrome was central to that decision. She did several hours a week there and rode with the Cambridge High School club that regularly trains there.

Partis and his team were involved in hosting the Cambridge IYE student, Austrian Marie Witzel, ensuring she enjoyed as many activities as possible. She also returned home last week.

He has also set in motion the establishment of a sistercity relationship between Rotary clubs in Cambridge and Le Quesnoy.

Partis is moving to Melbourne for a spell, while remaining a member

of Cambridge Rotary. He plans to meet up with Louise in Le Quesnoy at the end of August to finalise details of the sister-city club relationship. Joining them will be fellow Cambridge Rotarians David and Anne Blewden.

Cambridge Rotary’s recent changeover saw a handover to new president Gary Smith. There was also a presentation of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Community award to Greg Liddy, and two other Paul Harris Fellowship awards to club members Bev Maul-Rogers and Mark Hanlon.

Briefs…

Moon walk

A conservation project centred around a natural spring at Cambridge Resthaven is a step closer to completion thanks to a $40,000 donation by Cambridge Lions. Cambridge Resthaven representatives and 11 Cambridge Lions members recently visited the Te Puna Marama (Moon Spring) to view the new bridge, stairs and track funded by Cambridge Lions.

Cameras go up

Cambridge’s newest playground – which has been a target of vandals – is now being monitored by cameras. Waipā District Council announced the move after a second attack on the Terry Came Drive playground took the sum of vandalism there to $16,500. The vandals have not yet been identified.

Volunteers galore

More than 40 people answered a Department of Conservation call for volunteers to help set bait as part of a pest eradication programme in the Pureora Forest to protect kōkako. The call was published in The News and with a well populated team, DOC has announced it will run the baiting days from August 16 to 18.

David Partis, left, hands the chains of office to Gary Smith.

Cambridge Rotary Club’s immediate past president David Partis with the two International Youth Exchange students hosted during his year –Austria’s Marie Witzel, left, and Louise Zakrzewski from northern France. Photo: supplied

Post inquiry denied

By Chris Gardner

Waipā posties whose RD3 contract was cancelled after they complained their freight was being delivered by other contractors have been denied a ministerial inquiry.

Ian and Danny Kennedy were contracted by NZ Post to sort, process, uplift and deliver “all mail and other items for delivery” for the Tamahere RD3 rural post run from April 1, 2019. They invested $500,000 into the business which ran six vans with five staff.

Their contract was cancelled on November 10, 2023, after they asked why other contractors were sorting, processing, uplifting, and delivering mail in the district.

Professional driver advocate ProDrive chief executive Peter Gallagher

Support heard for Ōrākau bill

By Sigrid Christiansen

The next step of an “iwi led outcome” has been taken with submissions being heard on the Ōrākau Remembrance Bill.

The Government’s Māori Affairs Select Committee and its chair, National MP Dan Bidois, met at Parawera Marae near Te Awamutu on Monday to hear oral submssions.

Ōrākau was where 300 Māori held off 1500 British troops for three days in the final battle of the Waikato war in 1864.

The bill proposes to vest the site near Kihikihi in the names of the Maniapoto, Raukawa, and Waikato ancestors who fought there.

The committee asked descendants whether on not the bill reflected their aspirations.

Raukawa Settlement Trust chair – and Waikato regional councillor -Kataraina Hodge, who spoke of the legal process and its “long journey” said “we are here today to support this bill, and the outcome it represents”.

One clause received significant approval – how the land title for the site would work.

Raukawa trust’s Baden Vertongen said that clause was an iwi lead outcome, recognising the many perspectives involved.

He said it was “a flexible mechanism” allowing iwi to continue to put names forward as they felt comfortable to do so.

He also supported the bill’s initiatives to raise awareness of Ōrākau’s history.

wrote to New Zealand Post chair Carol Campbell and state-owned enterprises minister Paul Goldsmith over the matter on June 5 and again on July 10. Gallagher’s letters were passed to Chris Bishop because Goldsmith is renegotiating the Government’s postal carrier contract with NZ Post and had a conflict of interest, Bishop’s senior press secretary Mikaela Bossley said. The letter was passed on again to Deputy Leader of the House Simeon Brown because Bishop was on leave.

In a statement provided by Brown’s senior press secretary Ben Craven, Brown said: “Under section 5(2) of the State-Owned Enterprises Act 1986, operational matters such as those relating to contractors are the responsibility of

the company’s board and management. Correspondence has been passed on to NZ Post and it will respond directly to Mr Gallagher.

“The Government is not intending to establish a Ministerial inquiry into this issue.”

Taranaki-King Country National MP Barbara Kuriger, who has been briefed by Gallagher, was surprised to hear that the case had been passed from Bishop to Brown and that Brown’s reply had declined an inquiry.

“I do believe that this needs to be looked at. I have seen some things that made me feel pretty uncomfortable,” Kuriger said.

“It’s not a good idea for people to be investigating themselves. I don’t know what I can change, but I am

obliged to try.”

Responding to a request to interview Campbell, NZ Post external communications lead Greta Parker said: “NZ Post politely declines to comment on the matter.”

Danny Kennedy has spoken of the toll the cancellation of their contract has taken on her and her husband.

“When New Zealand Post cancelled our run we lost our livelihood,” she said.

“We lost the ability to pay the mortgage on the business loan. We had no means or no way to pay that business loan, and we were forced into a sell situation because we were unable to pay that business mortgage because we lost everything.”

After moving out on June 27 the couple moved to the South Island because they couldn’t afford to stay in the

Waikato.

“I’ve left my son and grandkids in Hamilton and a daughter in Auckland. I’ve only ever lived in Waikato and Auckland, it has a terrible cost, and I can’t get back that time I have lost with my children,” Kennedy said.

“Ian is 63 years old, without a job currently, and I am nearly 60. You can’t start again at that age when a company has ripped your

Pirongia bar appeal fails

By Chris Gardner

The operator of Pirongia’s Five Stags Restaurant and Bar has lost its appeal against Waipā District Licencing Committee’s decision not to renew its on-licence.

Night Pearl Ltd, whose sole shareholder is Nora Fu, did not have its on-licence renewed in May following a committee hearing that started in September 2023 and concluded in February.

The Five Stags continued to serve alcohol on parts of the premises not covered by the licence between hearing dates, serve alcohol to an underage drinker during a police-led controlled purchase operation in November 2023, and failed to properly appoint and notify a duty manager.

All of this occurred after the Employment Relations Authority ordered the company to pay more than $21,000 following the unjustified dismissal of an employee.

“Our primary concern is the suitability of Night Pearl, under the control and management of Ms Fu,” the committee said in its decision. “We are not confident that Ms Fu understands the obligations of a licensee . . . or the conditions of the licence, or that she

can be trusted to comply in the future. Ms Fu’s confusion and lack of clarity about how to operate the premises in a compliant manner was evident.”

Fu took her appeal to the Alcohol and Regulatory and Licensing Authority in Hamilton District Court on June 27, her counsel Sarah Rawcliffe saying Fu felt it was incorrect in finding the licence should not be renewed as there was “a significant amount of confusion” throughout the prior process.

Dismissing Fu’s appeal in a 23-page decision, Alcohol and Regulatory and Licensing Authority deputy chair Simon Menzies said the picture that had emerged through the hearing was a licensee who, through its principal operator Fu, has shown a concerning attitude towards compliance with the obligations under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and as well, obligations under employment law.

“Even by the time of the appeal hearing, it became apparent that the appellant downplayed the gravity of the situation and was either unable or unwilling to understand and comply with the obligations attaching to a licence,” Judge Menzies said.

“Similarly, it was the appellant’s responsibility to be aware of and comply with the Act’s requirements relating to the appointment of managers.”

Judge Menzies said the lack of training appears to have contributed to the failed controlled purchase order.

He also commented on an exchange between Fu and the committee chair.

Told by the chair checking ID was a basic function of anyone serving alcohol, Fu said: “Yes, it is not complicated. But sometimes I forget it.”

“The exchange with the DLC and Ms Fu relating to the service of minors reflected a lack of understanding of the obligations arising in relation to a critical area of the Act – sales to under aged persons,” Judge Menzies said.

The appeal argued that undue weight was given by the committee to these issues and other positive features such as the lack of opposition was given insufficient weight.

“We disagree,” said Judge Menzies.

“The lack of compliance by the appellant on a sustained basis was surprising and concerning.”

Some of the issues arose when the renewal application was before the committee, he said.

“Most parties in that position would be putting their best foot forward while the application and the business generally were under scrutiny.

Fu told The News on Monday she was on holiday and was not aware of the decision.

Kākāpō put to the test

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has been testing the escaping skills of kākāpō to give Department of Conservation staff insights into how the flightless birds have been escaping from the sanctuary. It’s been a year since the fenced habitat trial at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari began, and the birds’ regular escapes over a predator proof fence

at the sanctuary became an issue soon after their move from the South Island.

As a result some were sent “home”.

In the test, a pen was set up with one side replicating the two-metre perimeter fence, complete with overhanging vegetation and other climbing opportunities. One at a time, three kākāpō took turns in the pen after dark, while

two observers and infra-red cameras watched.

The results provided some key insights into kākāpō behaviour. Over five nights two birds - each repeat escapees - made multiple escapes. A third bird which had never escaped the Sanctuary, showcased his climbing abilities but didn’t leave the pen.

The trials confirmed the birds cannot climb the fence

but likely use overhanging vegetation that moves with their body weight to get over it. Kākāpō have a good memory for previous escape options. The results will be used to help target areas that need the most attention as part of ongoing vegetation clearance work.

The arrival of the kākāpō last year signalled their first appearance in the North Island for generations.

that we built that was going to be our forever home.”

Briefs…

Final week

Applications to be part of the Cambridge delegation to Le Quesnoy in France for Anzac Day commemorations next year close next week. Meanwhile members of a delegation heading to Cambridge’s other sister city Bihoro later this year have been confirmed. They are Liz Stolwyk, Mike Montgomerie, Philip Coles, Alana Mackay, Andrew Myers, Alisha Robinson, Robyn Maxwell and Greg Thornton. Delegates pay for the trips themselves.

Boarders on bikes

Young Oliphant House boarders at St Peter’s School will cycle for 12 hours on Saturday to raise funds for the St John Cambridge Station upgrade. It is the second event in two years the boarding students have undertaken for St John and they have set a target of $20,000. During the event, they’ll also be learning the Three Steps for Life (CPR) programme, and some of the St John team will cycle with them to show support.

Students’ concert

A concert at Te Awamutu’s St John’s Anglican Church on Sunday afternoon will feature performances by students from the Waikato Conservatorium of Music.

Health expo

Te Awamutu Menz Shed’s planned health session for men is attracting plenty of interest – and shed leader Richard Cato says it’s also prompted two new members to join. The public expo will be held in the Baptist Church in Teasdale Street on Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Hospital upgrade

Waikato Hospital has completed an upgrade to its laboratory it says provides more space, services “co-located” and adds a new Molecular Biology Laboratory.

financial life apart. Now we live in a 1930s home instead of a brand-new home

Danny and Ian Kennedy, pictured last year while on their run.

Battling Hautapu beaten

By Mary Anne Gill

Hautapu dreamed to believeand at one point midway in the second half it looked possible - but in the end the unbeaten Hamilton Marist premier rugby team was simply too good.

The green and whites won the Breweries Shield Waikato premiership title beating the defending champion Cambridge club 22-8 on the club’s new artificial turf at Marist Park in Hamilton on Saturday.

Hautapu opened the scoring with a Quintony Ngatai penalty followed soon after by an unconverted Liam Gilheany-Black try to give Marist a lead it never relinquished.

Referee Michael Winter sent Hautapu’s Quentin Hill to the sin bin and awarded a penalty try and just before the break Māori All Black Mason Tupaea - in his Marist blazer game – sold a huge dummy and stormed over for a try which Fletcher Morgan converted to give the home team a 19-3 halftime lead.

Flanker David Morris gave Hautapu hope with a try in the corner. Ngatai narrowly missed the conversion and despite some battling plays, it was all too much for the visitors.

Driving rain, wind and sunshine made it a game for all four seasons and despite this the handling by both sides was spot on.

under 85kg side who have entered the New Zealand under 85kg knockout competition.

Elsewhere other Waipā teams had mixed fortunes.

Kihikihi Stallions remain top in the President’s grade following their 24-14 away win over secondplaced Melville with Pirongia in third after its 17-0 win over Leamington.

In the division one Mooloo Shield, Suburbs beat Leamington 16-12 at Flagstaff Park and Ōhaupō edged Hinuera 7-5 at home while it was a great day out at Pirongia Domain with the home team thrashing Kereone 79-0 in division one Championship and 31-7 in the division one B Championship curtain raiser.

Ōtorohanga lost the Premiership B Rowe Cup final 40-31 against Hamilton Old Boys. Waikato club rugby results: Premier: Hamilton Marist 22 (Liam Gilheany-Black, Mason Tupaea, penalty try, Fletcher Morgan penalty, conversion) Hautapu 8 (David Morris try, Quintony Ngatai pen) Halftime 19-3.

Morgan extended Marist’s lead with a penalty and then the team defended mightily to keep Hautapu out.

Marist won its last title in 2015 – its third in a row - but its dominance this season has been such that defending champions

Hautapu went in as underdogs. But the Cambridge club has arguably been Waikato’s most successful in the last 25 years with 12 grand final appearances, seven wins, including three sets of backto-back victories and 20 semi-final appearances.

Ring return for Masson

Brisbane based Te Awamutu cruiser weight boxer Floyd Masson (pictured) will launch his comeback next month against a fellow kiwi.

Masson lost his IBO cruiserweight title when he was stopped in six rounds by Belgian Yves Ngabu last September and returns on August 17 to face Auckland born Joshua Francis in Mansfield, Brisbane.

Boxing scribe Benjamin Watt indicated the brutality of the Ngabu fight when reporting southpaw Masson – handicapped by an awful cut over his right eye - had been “recovering after having such a tough fight, and surgically repairing injuries he sustained”.

“The New Zealand Cruiserweight division has become one of the hottest divisions in sport currently. We can see this with the rise of David Nyika, John Parker's first attempt at a major regional title, Joshua Francis getting fights in Australia, and now the return of Floyd Masson,” Watt said.

Parker – brother of heavyweight Joseph Parker –has signed to fight unbeaten Fijian Alivereti Kauyaca in Hamilton in September.

Francis was in former heavyweight Shane

Cameron’s stable before suffering his second loss to London born New Zealand based Jerome Pampellone, whose own perfect record ended in April. He is now working with Terry Reid-Batchelor and in May won on all the judges’ cards in beating the highly

rated Benjamin Kelleher. Francis’ record is 15 wins and two defeats, Masson’s is 13 and one.

“This is a very tough fight for both boxers as they have similar boxing styles, heavy punchers and strong chins that are hard to knockdown let alone stop,” Watt said.

All four senior teams this year finished in the top four of their respective competitions with the Colts runner up last weekend against Marist.

The focus now goes onto the

Premiership B Rowe Cup: Hamilton Old Boys 40 Ōtorohanga 31. Div 1 - Mooloo Shield: Suburbs 16 Leamington 12, Ōhaupō 7 Hinuera 5; Championship: Pirongia 79 Kereone 0; Div 1 A: Ōhaupō 7 Hinuera 5. Div 1 B: Suburbs 10 Leamington 20, Ōhaupō 7 Hinuera 27, Pirongia 31 Kereone 7. Presidents: Pirongia 17 Leamington 0, Melville 14 Kihikihi 24. • More photos cambridgenews.nz

TUESDAY 30TH JULY AT 2PM

Quentin Hill has the shirt ripped off his back as he holds off the Hamilton Marist tacklers.

Photo: Jane Thompson.

Spotlight on Cambridge

A place for everyone to enjoy

One of the best kept “secrets” in Cambridge is now fast becoming a favoured destination with locals and visitors alike.

Joe’s Garage, at 107 Swayne Rd –“halfway between the high school and the motorway,” says owner Megan Mahaffey – is part of a nation-wide franchise designed to fit the entire community of every town it serves. Originally started in 2000 in Queenstown, it became so popular that franchises were developed to meet the need, and you’ll find Joe’s Garages being enjoyed by customers who know exactly what great quality and options they are getting every time.

For Megan, who also owns the Hamilton one, its popularity is a testament to the hard knocks that came their way early in the piece. The opening in 2021 happened just one month before Covid hit, in another

instance a patron accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the break and demolished part of the building.

“But you know, once the doors opened after Covid, people kept coming and the reasons for that are simple.

“It’s great food, great staff, a great environment that fits everyone’s needs,” she says.

The food range is extensive. You can have a cooked breakfast, including the newly introduced poached eggs to add to the choice of fried or scrambled; a good range of burgers, fish and chips, pizza, steak meals.

There is a wide variety in the cabinet of sweet and savoury, hot and cold foods, with Megan saying her son makes “the best cheese scones in Cambridge”.

More importantly, she makes sure she caters to all needs.

“There are gluten free, vegan and vegetarian choices and I make sure

if there are known allergens that we have something that that customer can eat,” she says.

OzoneCoffee teamed up with Joe’s Garage in 2012 and came up with a spectacular coffee blend that is specific to it, and this along with a great variety of drinks ranging from smoothies and shakes to cold drinks is on offer.

“We often have walking groups come through who buy their coffees and keep on going on a regular basis. Because Joe’s Garage is open for meals most nights, it is also fully licensed –popular with the lunch diners as well. It’s a big enough place that is has also become a favourite with groups, from the pink breakfasts to sports teams,

the seating area allows for good sized groups to enjoy themselves.

That’s not all. There is a great outdoor garden area which is dog friendly and is well utilized.

For the children, there are colouring in books and the now very popular “fluffies” they like to drink while mum has her cappuccino or flat white.

Joe’s Garage also does outcatering for events big and small and Megan will deliver for the larger ones when required.

Joe’s Garage is open seven days a week, from 7am till 8pm or 9pm, depending on how busy they are, except for Monday’s when they close at 4pm.

Where every bite is a delight!

MARGHERITA POMODORO, MOZZARELLA, BASIL $20

SPUTA FUOCO (FIRE BREATHING) POMODORO, MOZZARELLA, SPICY SALAMI, NDUJA, MASCARPONE $25

TARTUFOSA MOZZARELLA, MUSHROOM, TRUFFLE PASTE, ROCKET, TRUFFLE OIL $25

VERDUROSA POMODORO, MOZZARELLA, SEASONAL VEGES, EVO $22

PORCA POMODORO, MOZZARELLA, SALAME, HAM, SAUSAGE, EVO $26

Stags Leamington is the home of Stonegrill in the Waikato

your meat to perfection on a 400 degree stone

ORTO DI MARE MOZZARELLA, ZUCCHINI, GARLIC PRAWNS, ROCKET, PARMESAN $25

PIEDINA ROMAGNOLA PROVOLONE, PARMESAN, ROCKET, PARMA, HOT HONEY, GORGONZOLA $26

SMALL SHARE

PUFFY BREAD EVO, FLAKY SALT $13

MARINARA BURNT BUTTER, POMODORO, ANCHOVIES, OREGANO $17

GARLIC BREAD GARLIC GINGER CHILLI, BUTTER, MOZZARELLA, PARMESAN, EVO $17

CAMBRIDGE AUTO DIRECTORY

Check off your ABC’s this autumn

Autumn has come early this year, with cooler temperatures signalling a likely early turn to winter. And with that, now is a great time to check your batteries, says Oliver Wilson from Cambridge Auto Electric.

The well-established business with the personal touch offers a free ABC (alternator, battery, charging) check on just about every type of vehicles from motorcycles, side-by-sides, cars, SUVs, trucks, to mobile homes and horse trucks.

Oliver says there are three main contributing factors that lead to batteries dying in the winter: reduced capacity, increased draw from starter motors, and increased draw from accessories. A car battery can die in cold weather due to several interconnected factors that collectively strain its ability to provide sufficient power to start the vehicle. Cold temperatures exacerbate the challenges faced by batteries, particularly those nearing the end of their lifespan or lacking proper maintenance.

harder to overcome the resistance posed by the thickened oil.

Firstly, in cold weather, the chemical reactions within the battery slow down significantly, yet there will be more asked of the battery, when accessories such as heaters, defrosters, and headlights are often used more frequently.

Secondly, cold weather increases the viscosity of engine oil, making it thicker and more resistant to flow. This, in turn, places additional strain on the battery when starting the engine because

Thirdly, the cold temperature increases the internal resistance of the battery itself. Higher internal resistance means that the battery cannot deliver as much current as it would in warmer conditions, further reducing its ability to supply the required power to start the engine.

Additionally, batteries lose some of their charge naturally over time, and cold weather can exacerbate this process. If the battery is already weakened or old, the combination of cold temperatures and reduced charge can lead to a failure to start the vehicle.

In addition to the free battery check, they will also do a free “C and B Seen” check on your bulbs and wiper blades to make sure they are all good to go for

the colder, darker season.

Cambridge Auto Electric sell what Oliver believes are the biggest range of batteries in Cambridge, with a full range of the well-known Koba brand; but they also do a whole lot more.

“We do warrants of fitness – and that includes motorbikes and caravans, trailers and horse floats; servicing, diagnostics scanning, repairs – just about everything,” Oliver says.

Students and Gold Card holders are offered discounts, as are those in essential services.”

Cambridge Auto Electric is open Monday to Friday from 8am till 5pm and by appointment on Saturdays.

If you’d like your free ABC check – make sure you call Cambridge Auto Electric now.

the starter motor must work

(6)

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Slogan (5)

Cherubic (7)

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Across: 1. Spam, 4. Parish, 8. Prowler, 9. Slave, 10. Echo, 11. Fearless, 13. Treatment, 17. Ambition, 19. Diva, 21. Mince, 22. Idolise, 23. Corset, 24. Yo-yo.

Down: 2. Prophet, 3. Melt, 4. Perfectionist, 5. Reserved, 6. Shake, 7. Heist, 8. Peek, 12. Restless, 14. Trinity, 15. Balmy, 16. Bare, 18. Banjo, 20. Posy.

+ gst Plus FREE, tailor-made marketing worth $2,500+

Close to Central Town - Perfect Backyard

- Cute weather board home, well positioned on a generous 1012m² (more or less) section opposite the scenic Recreation Reserve.

- Homely, sweet and inviting, offering everything you need for comfortable living.

- Features include: Fisher & Paykel stove and dishwasher, carpet floor coverings, open fireplace providing cosy warmth year-round, fully fenced & gated section, plus fenced back section – ample yard.

- An ideal development waiting to happen! Cutie Pie - Reserve Outlook

Loving Family Home - Space Galore!

- Offering generous living spaces, four bedrooms, two

and an office/ TV snug; a perfect blend of versatility & functionality.

- Updates include a brand-new ensuite bathroom and walk-in robe, fresh interior paint and new carpet.

- With retro double glazing, log fireplace, heat pump and HRV system, comfortable temperatures can be guaranteed year-round.

- Beautifully presented and optimally positioned – 4A Queen, a generous 250m² (more or less) family home.

- Enchanting living areas include kitchen with scullery; formal dining/ family room; open plan layout and separate lounge.

- Master bedroom wing with walk-in robe, generous ensuite bathroom and large bi-fold doors which open to the outdoors.

- Further features: 2.7m stud ceilings throughout; LED & pendulum lighting; scullery with sink; double oven & 3 zoned air conditioning.

HOMES SAT 1 - 1.30PM & SUN 2 - 2.30PM

- Enjoy the sunny and spacious seamless floor plan.

- Delightful and good-sized kitchen, dining, living and sheltered rear deck creates a comfortable space to entertain family, friends and guests – indoor-outdoor flow can be appreciated year-round.

- Offering three bedrooms and a generous family bathroom with well-sized corner shower with dual shower heads, large free-standing bath set on a fully fenced section.

- Gas hot water; heat pump and HRV system and separate laundry. Cute Cottage - Location Is King!

Modern, Low Maintenance Living -Location

- A spacious family home offering low maintenance living and a superb floor plan.

- Good-sized bedrooms including master bedroom on a separate wing with walk-in robe and ensuite.

- Beautifully tiled bathroom and ensuite detailing.

- Features include: attractive kitchen, open plan living, sun-filled living spaces, formal (currently used as a bedroom) and informal lounges.

- Wonderfully located for schooling options & close to bike/walk trails.

Showcase Style

Tremendous Living - Private Section

- Super spacious and wonderfully presentable 190m² (more or less) family home in a quiet location.

- Well-designed floor plan includes modern and generous open plan kitchen superb for entertainment.

- Sunny layout with multiple accesses flowing out to the tranquil, huge covered outdoor living area.

- Internal access double garage with large attic space & versatile separate single garage (unconsented) providing endless options.

Sweet Spot On Scott

- Generous entertainers’ kitchen (with breakfast bar, walk-in pantry and Smeg double oven).

- Superb indoor-outdoor flow with multiple accesses to the peaceful outdoors north-facing portico, which highlights a roll down screen blind & generous space.

- Open plan living area plus spacious separate lounge.

- Fashionably tiled main bathroom with good-sized bath.

- Carpeted internal access double garage (attic storage & ladder).

- Appreciate the new, super stylish kitchen and open plan living area with park views.

- Two north-facing bedrooms with generous windows allowing for light-filled enjoyment master bedroom with private deck access).

- Renovated bathroom and toilet; separate laundry and internal access garage with auto door.

- This flawless abode is comfortably serviced by a heat pump and Smart Vent.

CAMBRIDGE OPEN HOMES

HARCOURTS

EXPERTS

NOTIFICATION OF INTENTION TO CONSIDER TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES

Waip-a District Council will consider an application to close the following roads to ordinary vehicular traffic, to enable Cambridge BMX Club to run the 2024 BMX New Zealand North Island Titles.

Milton Street Cambridge from 123 Milton Street to its intersection with Lamb Street

Saturday 26th October 2024 from 6:30 am to 3:30 pm

Sunday 27th October 2024 from 6:30 am to 3:30 pm

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

Arrangements will be made for access by emergency vehicles during the closure, if required.

Any objections to the proposal must be lodged with Waip-a District Council, in writing, to events@waipadc.govt.nz, before 4.00pm on Friday, 9th August 2024. 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 Waip-a District Council on 0800 924 723.

Garry Dyet CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Section 101, Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012

PUBLIC NOTICE

Of an application for On Licence

India Today 2018 Ltd, 36 Lake Street, Cambridge 3434, has made application to the Waipa District Licensing Committee for the renewal of a on-licence in respect of the premises at 36 Lake Street, Cambridge known as Koi Spice Craft & Whiskey Lounge.

The general nature of the business to be conducted under the licence is retaurant. The days on which and the hours during which alcohol is sold under the licence are: Monday to Sunday 7am-1am.

The application may be inspected during ordinary office hours at the office of the Waipa District Licensing Committee, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu or 23 Wilson Street, Cambridge.

Any person who is entitled to object and who wishes to object to the issue of the licence may, not later than 25 working days after the date of the publication of this notice, file a notice in writing of the objection with the Secretary of the District Licensing Committee at: Waipa District Council, Private Bag 2402, Te Awamutu 3840.

No objection to the issue of a renewal licence may be made in relation to a matter other than a matter specified in section 131 of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012.

This is the first publication of this notice.

CHURCH NOTICES

LAND for Cropping. 3ha or more. Interested in seasonal and long-term options. Email office@seachangefarm.nz or phone Kelvin 021 463 781 or Cameron 021 324 269.

LOTS of general household items due to relocation.

Saturday 27 July. Mackenzie Place (off Alpha Street). Not before 8am.

MOVING HOUSE. Everything must go! Sat 27th July, 8-11am. 8 McLarnon Road.

Got a problem that you can’t resolve?

Drop in to the Citizens Advice Bureau for some help

in price between the 6 insertion rate and 12 insertion rate multiplied by the number of ads published. You pay the rate reflective of the number of ads you actually publish.

Invoicing and Payments: For advertisers on a regular schedule invoices will be sent at the end of the month and payment is due by the 20th of the following month, otherwise payment is required by end of day Tuesday in advance of publishing. Accounts in arrears +60 days may be subject to a $95 + GST late payment fee per month. Advertiser is responsible for all debt collection fees. Cancellation deadline is one week prior to publication. By confirming and placing advertising in Good Local Media Ltd publications you are agreeing to our terms and conditions of trade.

Limitation of Liability: Good Local Media Limited (including its employees, contractors, officers, or agents) shall not be liable for a failure or breach arising from anything beyond their reasonable control e.g. an act of God, fire, earthquake, strike, explosion, or electrical supply failure, unavoidable accident or machine breakdown; and shall not be liable in tort, contract, or otherwise for loss of any kind (whether indirect loss, loss of profits, or consequential loss) to the Advertiser or

JENKIN, Bryan Charles –Passed away on Wednesday 17th July 2024. Beloved husband of Nanette. Dear Dad of Natalie and Steve, Simon, Carl, and Sarah. Proud grandfather of Hannah and Josie Fletcher, Alexandra, and Gabrielle Jenkin. A memorial service for Bryan will be held at Trinity St Pauls Union Parish church, cnr Queen and Bryce St, Cambridge on Saturday July 27th at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers donations to St Johns Ambulance would be appreciated and can be made online.

SEDDON, Margaret Ann, (nee Patrick) – Passed away peacefully on Wednesday, 17th July 2024 at Resthaven on Burns, with family at her side, aged 86 years. Dearly loved wife of the late Garth. Loved mother and mother in-law to Jo & David, Trish & Tim, Rainy & Mark, and Scott & Terri. Adored Nana Marg to 10 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Rest in Peace. At Marg’s request a private family farewell has taken place. All communications to the Seddon Family, c/3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434.

NOTIFICATION OF INTENTION TO CONSIDER TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES

Waip-a District Council will consider an application to close the following roads to ordinary vehicular traffic, to enable Targa NZ to run the Targa New Zealand Motorsport Event 2024.

Saturday 26 October 2024 between 12:35pm and 4:35pm

• Mangare Road – Between Rotongata Road and Waipa District Boundary Road affected by closure: Landing Road

Saturday 26 October 2024 between 12:15pm and 4:15pm

• Aotearoa Road from its intersection with Waipapa Road to the Waipa District Boundary

Sunday 27 October 2024 between 09:25am and 5:10pm

BERNEY, Diana Sophia Maria – Passed away peacefully after a brave battle on the 13th of July 2024 at her home surrounded by her loving family. A cherished and much loved wife of Peter, and an adored mother of Marika, Tessa and Greta. “A light in the life of everyone she met” A service to celebrate Diana’s has been held.

GOOCH, Alan Charles –Born 4 May 1939 passed away peacefully on 20 July 2024, aged 85, surrounded by family and friends after a short illness. Beloved husband of Marion, dearly loved father of Louise and Marc and adored grandad to Bella. Loved brother of William, and uncle to Gretchen. Cherished cousin of Robyn. He will be greatly missed by his family and wide circle of friends. A memorial service is being held on Saturday 27 July at 11.00am at St Stephens Church, 14 Tamahere Drive, Tamahere. All welcome.

• Waterworks Road – from its intersection with Chepmell to Te Miro Rd.

• Te Miro Road – from its intersection with Waterworks Rd to its intersection with Flume and Aspin Roads

• Aspin Road – from its intersection with Te Miro and Flume Roads to its intersection with Fencourt Road.

Roads affected by closure: Flume, Gray, Harbutt and Maungakawa Roads.

Sunday 27 October 2024 between 10:25am and 6:10pm•

• Maungakawa Road – from its intersection with Fencourt to Te Miro Road

• Te Miro Road – from its intersection with Maungakawa Road to its intersection with Brunskill Road

• Brunskill Road – from its intersection with Te Miro Road to its intersection with French Pass Road.

• French Pass Road – from its intersection with Brunskill Road to its intersection with Maungakawa and Thornton Roads.

HOOLEY, Gabrielle Jean, (nee Graham) – Passed away peacefully on Saturday, 20th July 2024, aged 85 years. Dearly loved wife of the late William. Cherished mother and mother in-law to David & Sue, Rebecca, and Chris & Shashi. Devoted grandmother to Ben, Lydia, and Charlotte. She will be greatly missed, but will now be at peace with her husband, parents, sister, brother, and cats. At Gay's request a private farewell has taken place. A memorial celebration is to be held at a later date. All communications to Hooley Family, c/- 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434.

Roads affected by closure: Gudex, Oliver, Baker, Lovells and Smart Roads.

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

Arrangements will be made for access by emergency vehicles during the closure, if required.

Any objections to the proposal must be lodged with Waip-a District Council, in writing, to events@waipadc.govt.nz, before 4.00pm on Friday, 9th August 2024. Please include the nature of the objection and the grounds for it.

KERR, Robin, (nee Dickson) – Peacefully slipped away at Waikato Hospital, surrounded by family on Tuesday, 16th July 2024, aged 86 years. Dearly loved mother to Brent, Derek and Delwyn & Nev. Proud grandmother of Jordyn, Sean, Henry and Arabella. Special thanks to the staff of Waikato Hospital for the love and care shown to Robin and her family, in her final days. A private family farewell has taken place. All communications c/- 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434.

See the Privacy Statement on the Council’s website for further information.

For more information, please contact Waip-a District Council on 0800 924 723.

Garry Dyet CHIEF EXECUTIVE