Avleen Kaur has a reputation at Te Awamutu College for solving problems.
The Year 13 student, who won the dux award last week, is tackling the problem of a shortage of medical professionals after winning a $10,000 scholarship from the University of Auckland.
Avleen, 18, is planning to study for a Bachelor of Health degree and a career in healthcare and medicine.
“I’d like to become a general practitioner,” she said. “I am planning on coming back here to Te Awamutu.”
Born in Wellington, Avleen moved to Te Awamutu with her family in 2008.
“There’s such major shortage of doctors that waiting times are ridiculously long. It’s absolutely ridiculous how long you have to wait to get well again.”
Avleen has a special interest in the brain and is also considering specialising in neurology.
“There’s so much we don’t know about the brain,” she said.
The scholarship, alongside a $5000 dux award, was announced at the school’s senior prizegiving awards night last week.
It is the third year in a row Avleen has received an award, having been top of Years 11 and 12 in the last two years.
She was presented the Ag Freeman Medal for Dux Litterarum and $5000 from Canon New Zealand area sales manager David Balsom, who sponsored the award, alongside Waipā District mayor Susan O’Regan.
She was first presented seven first in subject cups by Te Awamutu College principal Tony Membery after attaining all 52 credits attempted at excellence level.
Avleen was presented the KF Miller Cup for biology, the McKinnon Cup for chemistry, the Cath Parr Cup for English extension, the Senior English Essay Cup, the Bill Crombie Cup for mathematics and statistics, the Rutherford Cup for physics, and the Mathewson Cup for excellence in the sciences.
She was also presented the Norris Hall Cup for best debater, Waikato Secondary Schools’ Debating Best Speaker Trophy. She is a member of the New Zealand Sikh Society for whom she has done speeches and presentations in Punjabi as part of its schooling programme.
Avleen has also served on various college committees and privately tutored a student in English and science.
Reed Waugh received the Mexted Cup for Proxime Accessit, and $2500, from the mayor.
Avé Culpan won the General Excellence Cup Year 13 Cup for academic, cultural, participatory, service and sporting achievements.
Sienna Sanders and Xavier Scott were presented RSA Peace Scholarships of $2000 each by Lou Brown for contribution, service and leadership.
Avé Culpan and Ruben Kasper received the Rotary Shield for Service to the School from Te Awamutu Rotary Club Youth Director Vicky Wallis.
Sophie Yarndley received the Waipā District Council Service
to the Community Award from the mayor in recognition of her work chairing the school’s Service Committee.
2024 Ball Committee chair Olivia Bell won the Te Awamutu Business and Professional Women Trophy for Initiative and Enterprise. The June 22 ball was called A Night in Ancient Greece.
Medical career beckons
Ruth Downs received the General Excellence Cup Year 12 2024 Trebilco Cup for academic, cultural, participatory, service and sporting achievement. Te Awamutu College announced, in September, it would not accept students from outside its year-old zone – because it is full in 2025.
• Boost for health programmes –
See Page 12
Coming up roses
Te Awamutu Rose Society’s 60th anniversary Spring rose show attracted plenty of interest at the weekend. The rose-covered 60th anniversary jubilee sign was put together by Lisa Fisher, aided by Rose Society treasurer Lorraine Flynn; the structure was made by the Te Awamutu Menzshed. The society was given permission to use roses from the Te Awamutu Rose Gardens for the display
they then filled in the gaps with blooms and green foliage donated by members.
Photo: Viv Posselt.
See: Show 60 was blooming great, page 9.
Invites members and friends to:
A Christmas Luncheon
$43 per head for a sumptuous buffet Waipa Workingmen’s Club, Albert Park Drive.
Thursday 21 November, 11:30 am for a 12 noon start
For further information contact Sharon, 027 280 4010 or tagreypower@gmail.com
Letters…
Consultant fees
Recent reports indicate the Waipa District Council has over 100 staff who are on $100,000 or more and that 10 council employees are earning between $180,000 to $339,999.
This remuneration reflects what the council has to pay to attract highly skilled professionals. However, with this level of remuneration for highly skilled professionals, one would have to question why the council paid $14m to consultants, over and above the remuneration for their highly skilled employees. Do the highly skilled professionals not have the skills the district council needs, hence their reliance on consultants?
The government has clearly stated they expect councils to get back to core business and for government agencies to address what they spend on consultants. It would appear that maybe, the
Waipa District Council did not get the government memo.
David Natzke
Cambridge
Fluoride
debate
Fluoridation science and why some countries do not do it, are easily read in the online article “Water fluoridation controversy”. It’s a shame that the Community Board do not check the facts properly; even Te Whatu Ora recommends fluoridation. It says some water supplies have natural fluoride and may be topped up with just enough fluoride to help protect our teeth from decay.
Waipa council have approximately 22,000 dwellings which means fluoridation costs about $6.40 rate a household – a drop in the ocean for rate payers. To not fluoridate will cost the rate payers and their children poor dental health forever.
Jack Sharman
Cambridge
On the beat
On line stats
Our teawamutunews.nz website continues to gain new readers led by our best post last month, Chris Gardner’s piece on Viability ‘destroyed’, about the pressure farmers are finding themselves under.
In yet another record month for the site, columnist Janine Krippner’s piece on moving back to her stable base in Te Awamutu came in second followed by our ever popular News in brief.
Faith in Waipā’s Christine Bryant was third with her column on visiting Ketchikan
in Alaska and finding a totem pole carved in vision of a local museum and likening that to the deaths this year of Alan Empson and Keith Storey.
Fourth was On the road again, Waipā District Council’s Ahu Ake roadshow, and rounding out the top five was Te Awamutu Grey Power having its say about parking in town.
Home is still the most visited page followed by pdf versions of the newspaper, Good Local Media contact details and advertising rates.
Cancer fundraiser
The Te Awamutu Cancer Support Group, which meets at the Te Awamutu RSA on the first Wednesday of every month is holding a garage sale on Saturday to raise funds to help members in need of frozen meals, petrol vouchers, lawns mowed etc.
The group currently has 22 members.
with Senior Constable DEB HANN
Family harm case ends in court
Cambridge Police had a good catch following a family harm incident last week. A male seriously assaulted his partner, threatened others and forcibly removed their young child before speeding away in a vehicle.
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steal or stolen vehicles, three burglaries, five family harm incidents, three drunk drivers and a bail breach.
Police observed the vehicle on Golf Road, Te Awamutu and its tyres were successfully spiked. The vehicle continued south and was soon located on a rural property south of Kihikihi. Police arrested the male and the child was safely returned. A subsequent search of the vehicle found firearms, ammunition, offensive weapons and drugs. The male has appeared in court on several charges.
Family harm offending does not reach this stage of severity without a period of escalation. Due to a number of factors, the victim is not always able to make the call for help or assist police with the prosecution process. This is why they (and police) need support from the public who may have witnessed what was happening.
Where those people are willing and able to make a formal statement and stand up in court if necessary, we have a much greater chance of demonstrating the true severity of the offending and be able to intervene in a dangerous cycle. We can put supports in place to prevent ongoing harm to the victim and their children and help the offender to try to address their issues and break the cycle.
In other news, I have been asked to remind all about the liquor ban area covering Victoria Square. If you see anyone drinking alcohol on the square or the parking spaces attached to it, please call 111.
In general, a liquor ban in Leamington covers the central area bordered by Browning Street from Tennyson to Burns Streets, down to Cook Street as far as Shakespeare Street and along Wordsworth Street to Tennyson Street and back up to Browning Street.
In town, the central liquor ban extends inwards from the North side of the river along to Dick Street to the west and Tirau Road to the east. The eastern boundary then follows Albert Street up to Thornton Road including Lake Te Koo Utu, across to Victoria Street, extending slight west again at Queen Street back to Dick Street.
In the last seven days, police in Cambridge also dealt with two incidents of fighting in a public place, eight traffic crashes, two driving complaints, one mental health incident, four assaults, 16 thefts, 10 attempts to interfere with, attempt to
Finally, I am looking forward to working at Shaw’s Illuminate Light and Sound show on Saturday night and to seeing everyone at what I know will be another fun family event.
07 222 3346 thall@jacal.co.nz
Book a free, no-obligation chat with Tracey or Tarsha in our Tamahere office to explore how we can help you and your business.
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Consents rise
Waipā building consents in the quarter starting July 1 were up eight percent to 236 on the same quarter last year but still well down on the 338 in 2022. August was the busiest month with 87. New dwelling numbers are also up in the three months by 11 percent to 92 but again lagging behind 2022’s 131.
Parking complaints
Over a third of the people who copped parking fines in Cambridge and Te Awamutu in the quarter starting July 1 have complained to Waipā council. Of the 361 parking infringements issued, 128 queried the fine. The majority were for overstaying in time limited parking spaces.
Winning students
Two Waikato University public relations students with Waipā connections have won the Waikato Management School Public Relations Campaigns competition with their Puumanawa PR team.
George Poolman from Te Awamutu and Zack Robertson of Cambridge joined team mates Seamus Lohrey and Ben Woodgates in pitching the idea of GoEco launching an accreditation scheme of farms’ sustainable practices.
Transport refresh
Regional bus users from Waipā and King Country now have access to upgraded facilities at Hamilton Transport Centre following a $6.6 million refresh funded by New Zealand Transport Agency and Hamilton City Council. The upgrades focused on increasing security, promoting a feeling of safety and creating better accessibility.
Correction
District councillors Lou Brown and Bruce Thomas declared a conflict of interest and did not vote on the Te AwamutuKihikihi Community Board decision to ask the council to push back on orders to add fluoride to the Cambridge water supply. John Wood voted against the recommendation, not Lou Brown as we reported last week.
Bollard for bench trade rejected
By Chris Gardner
Waipa District Council is being asked not to spend thousands of dollars replacing around a dozen wooden benches at Te Awamutu and District War Memorial Park - and put money into bollards instead.
But the idea is not being taken up.
Te Awamutu-Kihikihi
Community Board chair Ange Holt recommended the council install bollards at Tawhiao Street and Christe Avenue to prevent vehicles entering the park.
She wants volunteers to repair and repaint the wooden seats, many of which were original.
The World War II memorial park opened in 1955, making some of the benches 69 years old.
Holt told the board’s October meeting she had already had a conversation with council community services manager Brad Ward on the idea of seat maintenance becoming a community led project but “we’re not getting anywhere”.
“We’re saying to staff thank you for your response, we don’t agree with it, this is an opportunity for savings, we would like to see this proceed,” she added.
A tradesman has already visited the park to replace rusty bolts and done some cosmetic repairs to benches.
“I would have thought that under the current situation we’ve got a bunch of volunteers that are prepared to do this mahi and make sure that we can retain these assets for a bit longer,” Holt said.
“It’s a win-win because that
potentially could provide the funding to put in bollards to prevent significant vandalism that we’ve seen.”
Holt said there were now deep wheel ruts in the park after a vehicle had entered and done doughnuts on the grass.
“Nothing has been done to address it. When there’s water, the water will sit in there, and it’s uneven under foot for anyone wanting to play on that field,” she said.
Board member John Wood visited the park with Te Awamutu councillor Lou Brown and the pair have developed a programme of work on top of that includes repairing the memorial fence and maintaining and repainting the benches.
“Priority one at the moment is the fountain,” Brown said.
“The next priority is moving the perfume garden for logistic reasons. It’s falling apart, and we all know that.”
The perfume garden’s wooden retaining wall is rotting. Moving the garden would give more room for ANZAC Day parades.
“It looks terrible,” Holt said.
“There’s nor even any annuals or anything planted in there to make it even look half respectable.”
The pair would also like to organise the town’s service groups to move the rotunda.
Wood said he would like to bring the front fence and benches up to standard by sanding them down and painting them, with the consent of council staff.
“I’ve got an engineer whose given
me a good price to do the repairs, and I’ve looked into getting some new wire netting fence,” Wood said.
“I hope we can get the staff on board with this. We’re trying to improve something that’s easy to do. And they can use the budget money somewhere else.”
“This is massive,” said board member Sally Whitaker. “This gets the buy in of the community. I’m all in support. People are very fond of Memorial Park, and they want to be involved, they want to give it some loving, tender care.”
In a statement provided by council’s communications’ team, Ward declined the bollards offer.
“We need to replace assets that have reached the end of their useful lives,” he said.
“We also need to ensure any maintenance is done to meet our
policies and standards, and the work complies with all relevant legislative requirements, particularly regarding health and safety.
“It is not possible for council staff to repurpose or reprioritise budgets from one renewal project to another at the request of the community board. We prioritise maintenance and renewals across all of our parks and reserves, and if additional budget was available due to a cancelled or deferred project, or savings found elsewhere, it would be allocated to the project with the highest priority.
“We are well aware of the vandalism at the park and have plans in place to deal with it as budgets permit. The planned renewal of bollards around the car park will be the first step to help reduce vehicles accessing the park.”
Dirty rats help protect pests
By Chris Gardner
Thieves stole four predator traps from Te Awamutu and District Memorial Garden towards the end of last month.
The thefts are the latest in a long line of activities disrupting the work of four volunteers who run Predator Free Te Awamutu and Pirongia as part of the Predator Free NZ project.
Coordinator Michael Arthur, of Te Awamutu, said the thefts had followed a note “asking us to stop trapping rats because they love them so much”.
“It’s pretty disappointing for our volunteers who spend their free time doing
this,” he said.
But Arthur and his friends are not deterred, as it’s all about protecting native bats, birds and insects from introduced species. “We have passed one thousand kills,” he said.
That’s an average of one predator a day over the three years the project has been in operation.
“In the last 30 days we have caught 33 rats, 22 mice, 13 possums, and three hedgehogs,” he said.
Two rats can start a population that grows to 2000 in a year, eating birds, seeds, snails, lizards, fruit, weta, eggs, chicks, larvae and flowers.
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Jim Goddin JP Funeral Director
Predator Free Te Awamutu and Pirongia co-ordinator Michael Arthur, right, and fellow volunteer Emma Tyler are frustrated with trap thefts.
The council wants to replace memorial park benches
Wartime nurse has links to Waipā
By Viv Posselt
As RSAs around the country prepare to mark Armistice Day on November 11, one 105-year-old with links to Te Awamutu will be sifting through her own wartime memories.
Armistice Day relates to the ending of World War 1. But it is Joan Daniel and her late husband Maurice’s World War 11 experiences that will likely play on her mind.
Joan is believed to the oldest surviving New Zealand army nurse who served in the Middle East during World War 11.
Her daughter is Te Awamutu’s Elizabeth Bayley-Jull, who grew up with her siblings in Auckland where their parents Joan and Maurice settled after the war, and where Maurice established his legal practice.
Joan was born in Auckland
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on April 1, 1919, and still lives there. Maurice died in 1983. Their daughter Elizabeth and one grandson live in Te Awamutu, while two other grandchildren and three great-granddaughters live in Cambridge.
Elizabeth received confirmation from the Kippenberger Research Centre at the National Army Museum Te Mata Toa in Wellington that Joan was the last known surviving Kiwi army nurse who served in the Middle East during WW2. They said although several women still alive also served in Africa and the Mediterranean, Joan is the only nurse.
“All my life I have heard mum’s story… and my father’s,” Elizabeth said. “Joan was involved with the RSA in Auckland for many years … mostly on the admin side, organising things like reunions, hospital visits and poppy sales.”
In 2017, Joan recorded an interview for the RSA’s Memories of Service series. In it, she told the story of meeting her husband-tobe Maurice Daniel when she was working at the Auckland law firm he then joined as a law clerk.
The couple were engaged before Maurice enlisted at the end of 1940. He was captured in Greece and spent most of the rest of the war in a German POW camp.
Joan, meanwhile, had joined the Red Cross. Although she nurtured no early thoughts of war service, she later applied with a friend. After a staggered start primarily linked to
her age, she finally joined up, and with her friend trained at Trentham before embarking for Egypt on the hospital ship Maunganui.
She was initially based in Cairo working at 1NZ General Hospital at Helwan, near Maadi Camp, before being moved later to different centres in the region. There were many good times – one of them the marriage of the best friend who had been with Joan from the start.
The death of three fellow nurses in a vehicle accident was the biggest blight in those early days.
When Joan transferred to Italy, she nursed men with terrible injuries sustained in the Battle of Cassino. She remembers soldiers
of the Māori Battalion being particularly good patients, always good natured no matter how serious their wounds.
At the end of three years’ service, Joan applied to come home; she did so and returned to her legal job in Auckland.
Maurice completed his outstanding two law papers while awaiting return to New Zealand following his release. He then went back to work and later started his own practice in Onehunga.
The pair married a month after Maurice’s return in 1945. They had three children. Joan now has nine grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren.
SUNDAY 10 NOVEMBER 9AM-4.30PM
Joan in her WW2 uniform.
Joan Daniel is something of a recordbreaker in military terms.
Waipā connection: At McKenzie Centre’s 40th anniversary in Hamilton on Saturday was, from left Archer MacDonald of Te Awamutu, Holly Jones, Ismail Mohamud and his mother Felicia Wood, Tuscany Davis Havill from Cambridge, Sam Morrison and Aaron Douglas. About 200 people attended the celebrations.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Service groups invited to sign up
By Chris Gardner
The last remnants of Te Awamutu Women’s Institute will be swept away when its faded plaque is removed from a dilapidated sign at the Ōhaupō Road entrance to the town.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt told members the faded plaque would soon be removed from the brick sign after the board allocated $1725 for a spruce up in September.
A faded sign carrying the moto “For home and country” is all that remains of the town’s Women’s Institute, the Waikato having three institutes in Hamilton and one in Te Pahu. Another sign is completely lost, with no clue of what group it commemorates, leaving a blank white plaque behind.
The community board has been discussing the state of the sign, and what to do with it, since June.
“There’s some signs on there like the Women’s Institute one that are gone,” Holt said.
“But we probably need to try and advise
as many service groups as possible if they want to be on the sign. We think we need to at least invite everybody to be on it.”
Holt said the town’s service groups were meeting to discuss a plan.
“I will get a better idea on who wants to do what and what’s possible from that support in that space,” she said.
“One of the ideas is instead of having all these individual signs, that we get a sign board done and the logos put on, because we might be able to make it a little more compact and unform, rather than having all these different sorts of things stuck to the sign.”
Te Awamutu councillor Lou Brown said any group benefitting from having their name on the sign should contribute to the cost.
Board member John Wood asked if the RSA could be invited to the meeting.
“I can’t add the RSA in because I didn’t organise the service groups,” Holt said. “It’s their own function that they do.”
Altrusa had expressed interest in cleaning the sign.
Dog complaints on ‘par’ with 2023
By Mary Anne Gill
Wandering and barking dogs continue to test Waipā’s animal control team.
In the three months from July 1, the council fielded 1115 calls on behalf of the team with 580 of them relating to animal control issues, including reports of lost dogs and stock.
Top complaints were the 220 about wandering dogs and 186 about excessive barking.
There were 58 lost dogs, 21 wandering dogs causing stock issue and 15 requests for signs or bins to be replaced.
District Growth and Regulatory Services group manager Wayne Allan said attack numbers were on a par with last year and relatively minor injuries suffered.
Seventy dogs were impounded and
owners claimed 47 of them. Eight dogs were put down, six rehomed and the rest were still in council’s care at the end of September.
As a result of a parvo-virus outbreak at the Cambridge pound and building improvements at Kihikihi all pounds were at full capacity and staff had to find temporary space for the animals. Some were temporarily moved into office space, said Allan, while staff fostered longer-term dogs waiting to be rehomed.
Work in Kihikihi is now complete. “The improved drainage and exercise facilities have been welcomed by staff and dogs alike,” he said.
Meanwhile council staff are on the hunt for unregistered dogs and checking properties where dogs were previously registered. If the dogs were still there then they issue a sevenday waiver infringement notice.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board has discussed improving Te Awamutu’s welcome sign on Ōhaupō Road for months.
Parking limit review to start
By Chris Gardner
Te Awamutu Business Chamber and Grey Power have welcomed news they are to be consulted on a proposal to extend parking limits in the rural service town.
Both organisations are pushing to extend the town’s parking limit from one to two hours, after shoppers and retailers complained that one hour was not enough time to enjoy a coffee or haircut and shop.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board chair Ange Holt told members last month that there was a strong feeling against the one-hour limit and wide support to extend parking limits to two hours.
“There is very strong support to go to two hours. The retailers are expressing a real concern around the downturn due to people not being able to have a bite to eat and do a bit of shopping. They are just in and out and leaving,” Holt said.
“So, it’s coming from the retailers, it’s coming from the residents, it’s coming from our elderly.”
Waipā District Council
transport manager Bryan Hudson told the board the current time limits had existed for many years.
“There’s certainly nothing wrong with experimenting with having some change as suggested by residents, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce,” he said.
“We do have to be careful that we don’t say that parking time limits might be causing people to spend less money in town. We know there is an economic downturn which is impacting all retailers and mall spaces, not just where there’s parking time limits of a certain time.
“If we’re going to change time limits then just be aware of some of the issues that might arise. We will get some retailers who really value that fast turnover of parking places, whether they be food shops or other places where people are calling in to drop of things, so they only want a relatively quick time limit.
“We know when the time limits are longer people will stay longer and therefore there will be people driving about the town looking for an empty parking space
because there won’t be as many empty parking spaces as we have with the 60-minute time limit.”
Hudson spoke of the need for a publicity campaign before any changes were carried out.
Te Awamutu councillor Lou Brown suggested retaining a 60-minute parking limit outside takeaways but moving to two hours elsewhere, particularly near the cinema.
“We hadn’t had the problems prior, because we haven’t had the enforcement levels,” he said.
Holt said she would consult with business chamber chief executive Shane Walsh and Grey Power president Michael Cullen after Hudson took the request on board. He suggested the group mark up a map with suggested changes and bring it back to November’s community board meeting.
“I would be looking at making it as simple as possible,” Walsh told The News. “The less confusion the better.”
Cullen said he welcomed news of the meeting.
Armistice day remembered
By Viv Posselt
Armistice Day plans across the region are in place to mark November 11 – the day on which guns fell silent in 1918 at the end of World War 1.
Te Awamutu RSA will begin marking the anniversary at 11am on Sunday by leading a Remembrance Day service at Pukeatua War Memorial Church. Several members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club will attend as they do each year.
The main service will take place at 11am the following day, Monday November 11, at Te Awamutu’s Anzac Green. It will be followed by a Veterans’ Lunch at the RSA in Alexandra Street.
Armistice Day commemorations in Cambridge will be marked across several days.
On Saturday and Sunday, November 9-10, Armistice in Cambridge returns to Mighty River Domain at Lake Karāpiro. It will be part of the Great Kiwi Summer Festival at the lake.
From 7pm on Saturday, an ‘Armistice Remembrance’ concert will be in the Cambridge Town Hall. Presented by the Cambridge Little Big Band in partnership with the Cambridge Community Board, Waipā District Council’s Armistice committee and the Cambridge Brass Band, the gold coin entry ‘Sentimental Journey’ event will see proceeds go towards the RSA Welfare Fund.
A Remembrance Sunday ceremony will take place at the plaza outside the Cambridge Town Hall, starting at 10.45am on Sunday, and there will be a smaller ceremony at the same place on Monday, starting at 10.50am.
Parking in Te Awamutu under the microscope.
The capital gains tax debate
By Peter Nicholl
The issue of whether or not New Zealand needs to introduce a capital gains tax is back in the news.
A recent survey by Ipsos said 65 per cent of 1000 respondents would support a capital gains tax in some form. There was substantially less agreement on what should be taxed.
A month earlier, the NZ Herald Mood of the Boardroom survey had 77 per cent of the 100 business leaders surveyed saying the Government needs to introduce a capital gains tax. They gave both economic and equity reasons for their views.
The IMF and the OECD in their reports this year said New Zealand needs to broaden its tax base by introducing a capital gains tax.
The chief executive of ANZ Bank and the departing Head of the Treasury have also publicly supported its introduction.
This got me thinking about what New Zealand thinks it is gaining by being one of the few developed countries in the world to not have a capital gains tax. We are an exception. What does the country gain from that?
One advantage often cited for not having a capital gains tax is that it encourages investment. But our overall investment record is relatively poor. The lack of a capital gains tax can also distort investment decisions towards areas where capital gains are regarded as being strong and reliable, such as housing.
This argument for why New Zealand is one of the few exceptions in this area doesn’t look very strong.
A related argument for not having a capital gains tax is that it will encourage
more foreign investment, but our record in this area has also been relatively poor.
This argument for not having a capital gains tax doesn’t seem to be very strong either.
Another argument against capital gains taxes is that they deter risk-taking and this isn’t good for an economy.
Most countries in the world have some form of capital gains taxes and they still have risk-taking and economic growth that is better than our recent record. Another argument is that such a tax will make the tax system more complicated and generate more work for accountants and lawyers. There is some truth in this argument and careful design of a capital gains tax system would be very important.
If readers can think of anything that New Zealand gains by being one of the few countries not to have a capital gains tax I would like to hear them. I could easily have missed something but can’t see what we have gained.
On the other side of the debate, when one looks at the huge problems NZ has in many important infrastructure areas such as schools, hospitals, roads and power it is hard to see how the country is going to solve any of these infrastructure problems without a broadening of the tax base.
The NZ population is also ageing. The fiscal consequences of this will need to be addressed either by expanding the tax base or changing the entitlement criteria – or probably it will need a mix of both policies.
ON SHAKY GROUND
When lightning stikes
By Janine Krippner
A couple of weeks ago my friend and American meteorologist Chris Vagasky was mentioned in a news article after he detected over 50,000 lightning events in the eyewall of Hurricane Milton over 14 hours.
He uses a network called GLD360 that uses antennae that are sensitive to the radio waves produced by lightning, detecting events up to 10,000 km away.
We have had many lightning chats over the years, usually related to volcanic lightning, and he also works to educate people about the dangers. He agreed to help me write this to share his expertise with all of you.
November through January is our peak time for lightning in Aotearoa, with early to mid-afternoon being our peak time of day. Did you know that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning? In fact, the longest measured flash was nearly 800 km long. They say “when thunder roars, do indoors” - I have honestly become much more cautious after becoming friends with a lightning expert. Lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun (around 8000°C) and is thousands of times more powerful than the electricity in our homes at 20 million to 1 billion volts.
This incredible but hazardous event causes about 25,000 fatalities and roughly 250,000 injuries around the world yearly. That tells us that about 90 per cent of people struck survive (that we know of). It is important that first aid is applied to any victims right away, which might include CPR if cardiac or respiratory arrest occurs, and call 111 immediately.
Lightning can cause electrical burns and
it interferes with the electrical components of our bodies - the heart and nervous system. Other complications include trauma from falling or being thrown, unconsciousness/coma, or blown out ear drums/hearing loss. Pain is often a lifelong issue for survivors.
If you think it’s unlikely that you might get directly hit by lightning, you’re right. About 5 per cent of incidents are direct strikes and about 50 per cent of injuries or deaths are from lightning striking nearby and traveling through the ground then into them. About 30 per cent are from lightning striking a nearby object and electricity jumping into them. A key message here is to avoid trees when you can hear thunder. What are safe places? We want to be inside fully enclosed metal vehicles or substantial buildings. I think it’s a pretty neat fact that planes are also safe places to be. Each passenger plane is thought to be struck around once a year, and they are designed with this in mind.
As we head into our Kiwi summer and relax near the ocean or lake, it’s good to know that being anywhere near water during a lightning storm is very unsafe. This includes boating, fishing, and just being at the beach. You’re usually isolated and the tallest thing around, which makes you more prone to being struck.
We live on a crazy-active planet and these small actions can help us to avoid catastrophe when our beautiful natural processes occur near us. Enjoy the warmer weather, folks.
FAITH IN WAIP
Ā
‘A rose by any other
By Christine Bryant, Lay minister, St John’s Anglican Church
Last week I picked a perfect rose from my garden. It’s called “Deep Secret”. It’s a deep, velvety red, with an almost overpowering fragrance.
One bloom can perfume an entire room. It doesn’t flower prolifically – just one blossom at a time – but it has a long season, and I will be picking the last bloom in late autumn.
It’s that time of the year again when garden shows abound, especially rose shows.
For further information email: info@monavaleblueberries.co.nz
Te Awamutu has an active Rose Society to thank for the stunning show last weekend (see story page 9) which was testimony to months of love and care by all the growers and gardeners who exhibited.
The rose is more lauded in poetry than any other flower. From Chaucer’s The Legend of Cleopatra, through Shakespeare: What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet (Romeo and Juliet Act II), to Robert Burns: My love is like a red, red rose… a German carol says about the birth of Jesus: Es ist ein Ros entsprungen… (A rose has sprung …)
And so, by this meandering route, I came to contemplate again how therapeutic gardens and gardening are.
Taking time to smell the roses is one of the most powerful antidotes to feelings of being overwhelmed by anxiety and stress. The sight of a flourishing rose garden, the bees buzzing around the blooms, the many colours and the fragrance of the roses combine to remind one that, however stressful life is, the calming effect of a
name…’
beautiful rose can help create balance in a busy life.
There is, of course, no avoiding a world that causes anxiety, whether it is students who are about to sit exams, farmers feeling overwhelmed with all the tasks to be done or parents striving to meet the needs of their children.
Jesus, 2000 years ago, gave us sound advice about how it is important not to worry needlessly, but to focus on what is important.
In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, there is no “Blessed are the those who rush about frenetically”; instead: Blessed are the peacemakers, that is, those who take time to listen and to create a calm space where everyone feels valued.
He did not speak about roses, but about lilies: And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. (Matt. 8).
Jesus said: Seek first the kingdom of God – this is the key which enables us to prioritise all aspects of our lives.
It follows then that all the other things we need will flow from this.
I am grateful that contemplating a beautiful rose and smelling its perfume is a way to put life back into perspective.
So, take out the picnic basket, head for the Rose Gardens and revel in the beauty of nature and the skill of our local gardeners.
Show 60 was blooming great
By Viv Posselt
Organisers of the Te Awamutu
Rose Society’s 60th anniversary spring rose show hope a new generation of enthusiasts will grow from this year’s 339 exhibitors.
The November 1-3 show at the Te Awamutu Rugby Sports and Recreation Club marked the anniversary by introducing two new classes to the event – First Time Exhibitor in the Members of the Public Awards, for adults and children up to age 16. An impressive 57 children entered
the under-16 category in that new award, and 19 adults.
That was outstanding … we hope some of them will become regulars,” said Te Awamutu Rose Society president and show manager Diana Jones.
Te Awamutu’s Hunter Hastie Jones, 5, took first in the children’s section of the First Time Exhibitor awards, while Wilma Henwick took both first and second in the adult section.
Jan Lusty won an armful of trophies. In the large type roses division, she won the Champion of
Champion, Best Exhibition Bloom, Best Decorative Bloom, Best Small Stem, and Best Vase of Roses. She also won the Best Large Stem in the MT (miniature) type roses division.
Sheree Gare, who was away judging another rose show at the time of the presentation, won Best Decorative Bloom, Best Fully Open Bloom, and Best Vase of Roses in the miniature roses division. She also won trophies for the Highest Overall Points of Show, and the Highest Overall Points for MT Roses.
In the Members of the Public Awards, Gare also won the Premier MT Five Award, and the Rosetown MT Award.
Ōhaupō’s Janet Pike won the Champion of Champion title in the MT type roses, and the Best Small Stem in MT type roses, as well as Best Fully Open Bloom in the large roses category. Society president Diana Jones won the Best Exhibition Bloom in the MT category, and took the Rosetown Premier Five Award in the Members of Public Awards section.
Carol and Murray Hunter won the trophy for the Highest Overall Points for All Novice Classes, and Tom and Karen O’Hanlon won the Best Exhibition Bloom or Stem Novice for large type roses.
Lisa Fisher won a trophy for the Diamond Jubilee Pedestal Arrangement.
Several other awards given included for Miniature Rose in a Porta Frame (Diana Jones), One
Vase of Roses (Michael Budd), Vase of Large Type Roses and Vase of David Austin Roses (both Eileen Wilcox), Basket of Large Roses (Linelle Disher), and Six Large Rose Blooms in a Display Box (Linnie Jones).
The judging team of 10 was led by longtime national judge, Janet Pike. The Favourite Perfumed Rose judged by the public was ‘Papa Meilland’ grown by Hadassah Jones. • See more photos at teawamutunews.nz
Gribbling Day Parade
(Steampunk Parade)
Saturday November 9th
11am Pollen Street Thames
Trying hard to balance her many trophies is Te Awamutu’s Jan Lusky – and there were more to come.
Photo: Viv Posselt
Hunter Hastie Jones, 5, being presented with his award by rose show steward Laurel Smith, watched on by Te Awamutu Rose Society president Diana Jones. Giving Hunter a helping hand was his Nana, Katrina Hastie. Photo: Viv Posselt.
Spoiled for choice with flooring
There’s never been a time when flooring has come in so many ranges from colours and textures through to natural and man-made products.
Whether you are looking at renovating your home or building a new one, there’s always some good advice to take on board however.
Start by considering each room’s purpose and the amount of foot traffic it is likely to get. For high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens, and living rooms, durable options like hardwood, tile, or luxury vinyl plank (LVP) are often ideal choices. Hardwood offers a timeless look but requires regular maintenance to protect against wear and moisture. LVP, (luxury vinyl flooring) is made up of planks instead of one large sheet of vinyl or individual tiles. It is popular because gives a wood-look product that shares characteristics of hardwood, is easy to install and is
INSIDE UT AND
waterproof. If you are renovating and have old lino that could have asbestos, use a thin layer of hardwood to lay new flooring on if taking it up isn’t what you want to do.
In bedrooms, where comfort is key, consider carpet or soft engineered hardwood.
aesthetic to solid wood but with more resilience in changing climates. For bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements, focus on moisture resistance. Porcelain or ceramic tile works well in these areas due to its water resistance and durability and it is easy to run heated areas
Carpet is cozy, reduces noise, and provides warmth, but can be harder to maintain. If you prefer a hard surface in bedrooms, engineered hardwood can provide a similar
under them. Some homeowners also choose waterproof vinyl flooring for a softer underfoot feel while maintaining water protection. Avoid hardwood or carpet in these spaces, as they
can warp or grow mold in humid conditions.
Also, think about maintenance requirements. If you want something low maintenance, go for materials like tile or LVP, which are easy to clean and highly resilient. Natural stone or hardwood, though beautiful, requires sealing and specific cleaning products. Finally, balance style and budget. Flooring is a significant investment, so explore samples and consider how each option will age within your home’s overall design. Trendier choices like boldcolored tiles or patterned vinyl can make a statement but think about longevity if you plan to keep the flooring for years. Prioritise quality and practicality to ensure your flooring suits both your lifestyle and personal taste.
Death of a settler
By Meghan Hawkes
Ewen McGregor slowed down in his car as he came upon Joseph Hodgson who was driving three restive horses attached to a chaff cutting machine on the Ngāhinapōuri Road at Harapepe.
It was a Saturday evening in late December 1919 and Joseph was returning home after a busy day operating the cutter - a mechanical device which chopped hay into small pieces to be mixed together with other forage and fed to horses or cattle. Ewen stopped and spoke with Joseph for a time then drove on.
The Hodgson family lived at Homewood in Te Rore and Joseph was one of several now adult children. At 53 he was a bachelor, a prominent member of the Alexandra Racing Club, and one of the trustees of the Pirongia sale yards committee. He was also a popular Master of Ceremonies at local dances.
His father, Isaac, had arrived in New Zealand aged 21 from Cumbria, England, in 1857 on the ship Heroes of Alma He went south, and along with Mr Cooper and Mr Wilson, bought the first section of 50 acres at Duvauchelle, Banks Peninsula, purchased under
the Canterbury Provincial Land Laws. In 1860 he married Margaret Donnett. Isaac started a prosperous saw milling business with Mr Piper which he ran for 18 years until 1874 when Mr Piper bought him out.
The Hodgson family came to reside in Te Rore where Isaac became a prominent farmer, known for his pedigree horses and cattle. He was one of the earliest members of the Raglan County Council, and an earnest member of the Presbyterian Church. In 1905 Margaret died aged 66 which was a great blow to the family, but especially Isaac, who it was said, never really recovered from it.
As Joseph brought the chaff cutting machine home the family were again in mourning, this time for his brother, 43-year-old William, who had died just weeks before at Birkdale, Auckland. There was more tragedy to come for the family.
Ewen McGregor, coming back along the Ngāhinapōuri Road, was alarmed to see the chaff cutter upturned in a ditch. Further up the road he found Joseph lying in a semiconscious condition. The machine, which had passed over his body, had come to a standstill a little distance away in a ditch. It appeared the horses
had bolted and thrown Joseph to the road into the path of the machine. Ewen rushed Joseph to Waikato Hospital where Dr Douglas performed surgery but Joseph died around 7pm.
At the inquest the verdict was given that death was due to hemorrhage and shock, the result of an accident. Chaff cutters were very dangerous – many people lost hands and arms in them; others fell under them, including children playing around them, but mainly men falling from the tractors or horses towing them, usually with fatal results.
Joseph was widely and popularly known throughout the district, and had a large circle of friends. He was an ardent worker in every public effort and his untimely death left a place that was extremely difficult to fill. Te Rore and the whole district lost a good settler by his death.
For Isaac Hodgson the loss of two sons on top of health problems proved too much and he died five months after Joseph, aged 83. Margaret, William, Joseph and Isaac are all buried at Paterangi cemetery.
Transporting a message
A group of Rotarians from District 9930 – which incorporates the heart of the North Island – travelled by train to Auckland to mark World Polio Day on October 24.
Dressed in red ‘End Polio Now’ t-shirts, Rotarians took the Te Huia train to join Auckland Rotarians in travelling every line on the city’s rail system.
District 9930 board secretary and past district governor Bill Robinson said it was amazing seeing the reactions from the public, “some not knowing what polio is as they never grew up with knowledge of the disease”.
“This is the first time members from our area have joined Auckland Rotarians, and we’ll be keen to repeat it next year.”
The eradication of polio is one of Rotary’s longest-standing and most significant projects and is considered to be the largest public health initiative the world has seen.
Robinson said 18 million people are alive today, or have not been left paralysed by the disease, because of the polio eradication campaign started by Rotarians.
“It was in the mid-1980s that Rotarians set their sights on global polio eradiation and persuaded the world’s most powerful organisations in the field of health to join us. The result was the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and with our partners, we have helped immunise children against polio in 122 countries,” he said. “We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent worldwide, and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good.”
Only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain with positive cases.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infection disease caused by the polio virus. It has existed for thousands of years, is highly infectious and occurs only in humans.
Chaff cutting
WAIPA
Community Connect
November 7, 2024
Up for the challenge
Despite navigating almost constant change and uncertainty, Waipā District Council has emerged from a tough year with a firm focus on the future.
As the Council adopted its 2023-24 Annual Report last week, Mayor Susan O’Regan said the best word to describe the previous 12 months was ‘challenging’, with more difficult decisions ahead.
“Like most other councils, we faced financial challenges with interest costs, high inflation, depreciation, and the cost to deliver services skyrocketing. And the change in tack from central Government for water services delivery was a gamechanger, given our rising level of debt.”
The financial headwinds saw the council make some tough calls, including putting some major community projects on hold, and making significant cuts to discretionary funding.
However, despite the challenges, close to $130 million of capital work was delivered via 160 projects across five programmes.
These included the long-called-for safety improvements and a signalised crossing in Ōhaupō, and an upgrade to Te Awamutu’s Walton Street, making it safer for people walking as well as providing new carparks and a new toilet block.
Cambridge saw the completion of a suite of urban projects on Hamilton Road, including new shared walking and cycling paths and raised pedestrian crossings.
The historic Victoria Street Bridge had a glow-up, with maintenance and repainting completed without
disrupting traffic, and a new toilet block and carparks were built at the Leamington Cemetery.
Even with the tricky financial climate, the council has maintained its AA- stable outlook from international credit rating agency Fitch for the seventh year in a row.
“This is a nod to our financial prudence, and allows the council to access lower interest rates,” O’Regan said.
Another encouraging sign was the higher satisfaction scores received in the annual residents’ perception survey, including satisfaction with services and facilities as well as value for money.
“These gradual improvements indicate our residents are slowly building trust in us again, which has been –and will continue to be – a core focus of mine as Mayor.”
The council’s attention is now firmly on delivering the 2025-34 Long Term Plan, striving to keep rates as affordable as possible while continuing to deliver high levels of service. Management of debt will be a big feature of the ongoing financial strategy.
Alongside this is the need to decide how water services will be delivered in Waipā, and responding to ongoing legislative reform.
“As always though, we will continue to seek input from our residents into our decision making, and most importantly we will strive to deliver on our vision of building connected communities.”
What’s on
•Great Kiwi Summer Festival: Mark the beginning of summer with a fun-filled weekend on the shores of Lake Karāpiro on November 9 and 10. This year’s celebration features a variety of events that will captivate the whole family. Head to www.greatkiwisummer.co.nz for more information.
•Bloom Collective Market: Get an early start on your Christmas shopping at the Leamington Domain, Cambridge, on November 9 from 4pm.
•Low waste Christmas: Keen to save money and waste less this Christmas? There is a free online workshop on November 12, scan the QR to register now.
• N Native bird art workshop: One for the kids! Head to Te Awamutu Museum on November 16 from 11am - 1pm with your old or unwanted compact discs and learn how to transform them into native bird art.
Have your say!
•Pirongia h halls: Shape the future of the halls in Pirongia by letting us know how you use the facilities before 5pm, November 10.
• Rural communities: Improve how we connect and engage with our rural communities by filling out the short online survey.
Scan the QR code to have your say on Pirongia and/or complete the rural communities survey!
Karāpiro Lake Domain Reserve Management Plan review
Help us shape the future of Waipā’s most popular reserve, Karāpiro Lake Domain.
We are kick-starting our review of the Karāpiro Lake Domain Reserve Management Plan. The plan will direct the management and development of the reserve, including decisions on sport and recreation, accommodation, events, activities and infrastructure on the reserve.
We want to know what’s important to people over the long term, how you’d like to see the reserve developed and what activities you’d like to see the new plan enable or restrict.
Scan the QR code to have your say!
Cambridge’s shared paths Walton Street toilets VictoriaStreetBridge Ōhaupō safety improvements
Boost for health programmes
By Mary Anne Gill
Three central North Island primary health organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Waikato University to tackle New Zealand’s health workforce shortages.
In putting pen to paper, chief executives from Pinnacle, Hauraki and National Hauora Coalition have committed to creating a regional network of training facilities throughout Waikato and King Country to support clinical placements across a range of primary care health professions.
The memorandum comes a month after the government gave Waikato the green light to develop a business case to become the country’s third medical school.
Jo Lane, the university’s pro vice chancellor of health, said the university had significantly expanded its teaching and research activities in recent years starting with a graduate programme for nursing when it established the country’s first new nursing school in more than 20 years.
Pharmacy and midwifery graduate programmes will start next year.
“Midwifery in particular is hot of the press…
the Midwifery Council accredited our programme on Friday right in time for today’s ceremony,” he said.
“The success of these new health programmes is to a large extent dependent on our clinical placement providers and the quality of the clinical patient experiences that we can provide to students. In short, if students have a fantastic time doing a clinical placement in primary care they’re much more likely to ultimately want to work in primary care.”
Pinnacle is the parent group of the Pinnacle Midlands Health Network, a primary health organisation that oversees 84 general practices across Waikato, King Country, Tairāwhiti, Taranaki, Rotorua, TaupōTūrangi and ThamesCoromandel.
Chief executive Justin Butcher said New Zealand trains the fewest number of health graduates per capita in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“We’ve got a little way to go yet, but we need to embrace opportunities to do things differently and to try new approaches. And that for me is where the relationship and the work that the
university here is doing.”
Hauraki chief executive Taima Campbell said her organisation was smaller than Pinnacle with an enrolled population of almost 85,000 mostly rural and Māori people.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to support you and your graduates working in our workforce. We cannot wait.”
National Hauora Coalition is a Māori-led charity covering 60 general
practitioner practices across New Zealand, many in the Waikato and King Country.
Chief executive Rachel Brown said the memorandum was an opportunity for students to have placements in primary care, to love their placements, be welcome and therefore want to work in that environment afterwards.
“It’s a privilege to be part of this significantly important partnership.”
Vice chancellor Neil
Quigley said the university had set itself the goal of addressing the issues in health when it started developing its health programmes.
“One of the advantages of starting fresh is that you avoid the legacy problems of having been going for a long time and brining all of that history and past ways of doing things with you.
“So, we’re quite determined that we’ll learn the lesson and find ways to do things differently.”
Promotions… and relegation
By Mary Anne Gill
High profile events at Lake Karāpiro were expected to take big funding hits when Waipā District Council’s District Promotions subcommittee met on Monday.
The national Waka Ama Sprint champs, Maadi regatta and New Zealand dragon boat champs were among the big events affected but so too were district-wide Christmas activities.
Thirty applications requesting $275,594 were received for the council’s $75,000 and 27 were expected to get either full or partial funding.
Waka Ama asked for $40,000 and the secondary schools rowing champs $10,000; both were expected to get $6000 each following a staff recommendation.
Twelve of the events recommended by staff to get funds are on Lake Karāpiro, eight in Cambridge, four in Te Awamutu, two in Kihikihi and the five others in Mystery Creek, Pirongia, Rukuhia, Arapuni and Ōhaupō.
The list of successful applicants were not available when The News went to press.
Waikato University’s Pacific assistant vice chancellor Keakaokawai Varner Hemi, right alongside Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), professor of Te Pua Wananga ki te Ao - Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies were present at the signing with from left Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate, Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton and vice chancellor Neil Quigley.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
with Jan Bilton
Divine Italian
A craving for pasta hits me at least once a week. It’s comfort food and oh so easy to prepare. Fifteen minutes and it’s on the table. With so many different shapes and sizes one is spoilt for choice. Pastas with holes or ridges are best for chunky sauces while lengths like spaghetti and linguine are more suitable for smoother sauces. However, as spaghetti is New Zealand’s favourite shape, it tends to be an all-purpose pasta.
Conchiglie is derived from the Italian word for seashell (conchiglia). It is a common form of ‘shell’ pasta and its shape and ridges ensure the sauce adheres to it.
There are miniature shells (conchigliette), medium-sized shells and very large shells — perfect for stuffing.
Linguine is a cross between spaghetti and fettuccine — wider than spaghetti but thinner than fettuccine — flat and about 4mm wide. Linguine (little tongues) originated in Genoa and the Liguria region of Italy where it is traditionally served with clams or pesto. There are various trade names attached to pasta shapes such as Trivelle that is a variation on rotini (spirals), twisted so it holds pieces of meat, vegetable or cheese. It is also attractive in salads.
BOLOGNESE CONCHIGLIONI
Rigata refers to the ridges on the outside of the shells.
2 teaspoons salt
24 (250g) large conchiglioni rigata (pasta shells)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g lean minced beef
525g jar tomato & basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
75g fresh bocconcini or mozzarella, sliced
Bring a large saucepan of water to the bail. Add the salt and slowly add the pasta shells.
Lightly oil a 27cm x 21cm baking dish suitable for the microwave. Heat the remainder of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Add the garlic then the mince in batches. Use a fork to break the meat up. Cook until well coloured. Add 3/4 of the pasta sauce and the water. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until cooked.
Drain the cooked shells and cool a little.
Let the meat cool then spoon into the pasta shells. Place in the
oiled baking dish. Drizzle with the remaining pasta sauce and top with the bocconcini.
Cover and microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Great garnished with basil or parsley leaves. Serves 4.
SMOKED FISH & BACON TRIVELLE
The secret ingredient is the ranch dressing.
2 cups trivelle pasta
3 rashers bacon
1 each: small onion, small green capsicum, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can diced tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced spinach
200g skinned and boned smoked fish, flaked
1/2 cup each: cream, lite ranch dressing
2 cups shredded tasty cheese
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 22cm square baking dish.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, pan-fry or microwave the bacon, until crisp. Drain and chop.
Sauté the onion and capsicum in the olive oil, until tender. Add the garlic and tomatoes, bacon and spinach. Simmer until tender. Carefully stir in the smoked fish and combine with the well-drained pasta.
Combine the cream, ranch dressing and half the cheese in a saucepan on low heat, stirring until the cheese melts. Add to the pasta mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until hot. Serves 4.
ROASTED CAPSICUM LINGUINE
Yummy! Looks like tomato sauce but certainly doesn’t taste like it. Fettuccine could replace the linguine.
250g dried linguine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
400g roasted red capsicums (from a jar), drained and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
flaky sea salt and freshly ground back pepper to taste
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil, until softened. Add the garlic, capsicums and oregano and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Place in a blender and purée until smooth.
Drain the pasta well, stir in the remaining oil and add the capsicum purée. Season well. Stir in half the parmesan, then the sour cream and heat gently. Serve topped with the remaining parmesan. Serves 4.
Across 1. Difficult problem (5) 4. Grumpy person (6) 7. Grease (3)
Primary, Intermediate and Secondary Grants 2025 School Year
Education Grant Round NOW OPEN
Karanga mai - calling all descendants of Tanetinorau Opataia, Te Aroa Haami Haereiti, Te Riutoto Aihe & Whatakaraka. You are invited to apply for education grants in the following areas; Primary, Intermediate and Secondary grants for 2025 school year
You can download a application form from the RUHT website www.ruht.co.nz or by contacting educationgrants@ruht.co.nz.
To be eligible for a grant you must be registered with the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapu Trust. Before applying if you are unsure whether your children are registered, please email register@ruht.co.nz.
Applications close Friday, 06 December 24. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
For all queries phone 0800 525 626 or email educationgrants@ruht.co.nz.
JULES RIDING
A well known player of Christian music here in NZ and overseas. He has written and released many songs. Jules will be performing at the Parish of St John. Sat Nov 9th St John’s Te Awamutu 2pm Sun Nov 10th St Saviours Pirongia 2pm Entry – Koha Afternoon Tea - Koha
Salary: From $75,000 (based on experience) Hours: Full-time, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cogswell Surveys, a trusted name in land development since 1965, is looking for an Administration Manager to support our friendly, local team.
What You’ll Do:
• Financial Administration: Manage payroll, invoicing, budgets, and reconciliations (Xero and Excel).
• Project Coordination: Help keep projects and workflows on track.
• Communication: Provide updates and manage team requests.
• Tech-Savvy: Comfortable with Microsoft 365 suite and open to learning new software.
Skills Required:
• Financial Expertise: Experience with payroll, invoicing, and reconciliations, ideally using Xero and Excel.
• Strong Organisational Skills: Ability to coordinate multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fastpaced work environment.
• E ective Communicator: Confident in managing updates, triaging requests, and collaborating with various stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Willingness to learn new tools and can identify and improve processes.
• Team-Oriented Attitude: A positive, can-do approach that supports a collaborative team environment.
• People Person: Adept at connecting with colleagues and clients alike, ensuring a positive experience for everyone.
Why Join Us?
• Work Locally: Skip the long commute.
• Work-Life Balance: Full-time hours with weekends o .
• Meaningful Work: Support projects that benefit our Clients the Waipā community.
Learn more at www.cogswell.co.nz
Applications Close: 5:00 pm, Friday, 22nd of November 2024.
Apply today by emailing your CV to reception@cogswell.co.nz. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. Candidates must be legally entitled to work in NZ and pass credit and criminal record checks.
