Tapping into Waipā
By Chris Gardner and Mary Anne Gill
northern neighbours are wooing the council in an apparent effort to get the local authority to join their water services company.
Discussions were held behind closed doors in Te Awamutu yesterday (Wednesday) between Hamilton, Waikato and Waipā districts and were believed to have included a sweetener deal around water meters and the growth issues the three of them face.
The public excluded workshop comes as merger debate among Waikato’s 12 local authorities – fuelled by the need to sort out their water arrangements - has been rekindled.
If Waipā went with Hamilton and Waikato over water, organisations like Waikato Chamber of Commerce – which argues council amalgamations should be dominating this local body election year – would ramp up the pressure.
News of the water meeting came as a surprise to Ōtorohanga and Waitomo mayors Max Baxter and John Robertson who both said it was critical to have Waipā in the Waikato Water Done Well deal with them, MatamataPiako, South Waikato, Thames-Coromandel and Taupō.
Waipā agreed to a non-binding head of agreement with the rural councils in November.
Waitomo and Ōtorohanga councils are already facing ratepayer revolt over double digit rate increases and Robertson is in the “it’s time to merge” camp.
“It no longer makes any sense for our two King Country councils to duplicate administration and pass costs onto ratepayers the way we do,” he said.
Baxter said there was “a real need” for Waipā to be in the water mix.
“If Waipā left, that would change the whole dynamic and would be to the detriment of Waikato Water Done Well,” Baxter said. “It’s just a whole new discussion.”
Baxter said he also understood the need to
explore all options.
“It would be poor form if they did not investigate opportunities.”
His views on a merger with Waitomo are no secret – he wants Ōtorohanga to look north towards Waipā.
Robertson said Waipā district was “really important” to the Waikato Water Done Well proposal. “It’s the biggest council in terms of population,” he said.
An estimated 62,700 people live in Waipa - a quarter of the 207,000 residents in the regional proposal.
With population comes the ability to collect rates to fund capital projects.
“I am very keen to see all seven councils that have signed up to stay in the group,” said Robertson.
“If we can do that then the option is very feasible. I have no reason to believe that Waipā won’t stay with us because we can make a great option.”
Both Waipā and Waikato installed meters eight years ago while Hamilton water usage is included in general rates. The News understands Hamilton would need to commit to a targeted city only rate to pay for their installation.
In a statement last year, Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan said “this decision will likely be the biggest one our elected members will face as a council. It will impact Waipā for many generations to come.”
Under Local Water Done Well legislation, all councils are required to produce a water services delivery plan by September – the month before local body elections - ensuring future delivery is financially sustainable and meets quality standards.
Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate said the city had always been open about being prepared to have discussions with Waikato local authorities, particularly Waipā as it was a neighbour.
Waikato Water Done Well advisor and former Matamata-Piako District Council chief executive Don McLeod said it was difficult to
speculate on the outcome of yesterday’s talks.
“We are getting to the point where decisions have to be made.”
Haven makes a splash
Haven Komene learned to dive bomb with his older cousins at Arapuni on the Waikato River and he put that experience to good use at the Manu world champs superqualifier in Hamilton on the weekend.
Komene’s 8.2m best splash though was well short of Marley Waaka-Te Amo who won the adult male category with a huge 12m splash.
But it’s not about winning for Kihikihi’s Haven, who was competing for the second year in an event where the aim is make the biggest splash possible.
“It’s just fun for me. It was a good day and the whānau were really supportive, messaging “good on you cuz!” and stuff. So yeah, I’ll keep finetuning and be back next year for sure.”
Waterworld in Hamilton was the place to be for the Z-sponsored manu event which saw the highest participation of the season so far and more females competing than ever.
There were 10 qualifiers across eight cities and then four super qualifiers in
Wellington, Hamilton and two in Auckland where the grand final will be held on March 1.
“I got used to heights jumping along the Waikato River as a kid and I still just really like the feeling of being mid-air,” Komene said. “It’s kind of been a lifelong passion and I like to pull over and manu whenever and wherever I can. Raglan, Tauranga... I kind of go around collecting manu spots.”
Waipā’s
Financial modelling was underway that would help councils - and their ratepayersdecide on the matter, he said.
Woke talk
I was somewhat perplexed to read the comments of Jo Gread, Waipā District Council Governance Manager re proposed changes to meeting dates and information.
Gread is quoted as saying: “the move would ensure a focused workplace, efficiency of staff time and council resources, clear alignment with the calendar year and a commitment to strategic, effective and focused decision making”.
I am somewhat perplexed by the woke speak in her quote, but I am more perplexed to think that the council is not currently operating in this manner, and changes need to be made to do so. Thought these processes would be fundamental for good business practice and management.
David Natzke
Cambridge
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Delegated authority
Contracts of up to $10 million – in the case of urgency – are to be delegated to (Waipā) mayor Susan O’Regan and committee chairs Clare St Pierre, Liz Stolwyk, Andrew Brown and Marcus Gower.”
All the above have been party to the contracts let for the road changes and cycle paths that were rushed through before the change of government.
Geoff Boxell Kihikihi
No reply
Thanks for the article in (Te Awamutu News January 30) regarding councils “behind closed doors” decision to move to Wednesday meetings. I have had some very bad luck with council over issues I have emailed them about.
I get no replies. I have talked to a councillor about this issue, and he promised he would get back to me. I sent him the information that council should see, and I got no replies again. I am not satisfied these councillors wish to be transparent with how they spend our money.
On the beat
Testament to my concerns is that even though I have emailed every councillor including the mayor, I have had no replies to any of my emails. Frankly I no longer trust they are working in our best interest.
Deborah Harper Cambridge Bill views
Thank you to regional councillor Clyde Graf for exposing the Waikato Regional Council’s clumsy and inappropriate submission to the Treaty Principles Bill.
The fact the submission was written by staff and not councillors highlights the weakness of some councillors to think for themselves and also their lack of understanding of the intent and wording of the Treaty. Cogovernance and co-management are not referred to in the simple straight forward Treaty document.
The Article the First of the Treaty states “the Chiefs assembled including Chiefs not present at the assembly hereby cede absolutely to the Queen of England and forever the Government of all their lands”.
Emergencies: take note
An Emergency Services vehicle (Police, Ambulance or Fire) responding under lights and sirens, means we are attending the most urgent of jobs.
For police, this means that serious harm is in progress, and we need to get to our destination as a priority. The majority of road users see and hear our approach and pull safely to the side. Unfortunately, there are others however, who hold their line in the lane, sometimes even when others in front of them - and even on the other side of the road - are already pulling over to let us pass.
My ambulance colleagues tell me they often approach an intersection, for example Fort and Duke streets, only to have cars continue driving across in front of them, failing to let them though. Under the Land Transport Act 1998, it is an offence to fail to give way to lights and sirens when signalled in such a circumstances. More importantly though, your actions are delaying an emergency response to someone in need. Please be aware of your surroundings when driving and act appropriately.
In other news, Cambridge police are aware of the annoyance and risk posed to the public by two dirt bikes that have been seen riding dangerously around town over the past month. We have taken positive steps forward with those investigations, resulting in a reduction in offending. If you see such offending and have CCTV or dashcam footage, please do let us know at the time.
In Te Awamutu, off duty officers recently noticed a known male driving a stolen vehicle with altered plates. They followed him to an address and notified on duty staff, whilst keeping watch until police units arrived. The person was located in the garage of the address and arrested. He has appeared in court charged with driving offences and theft of the vehicle.
Petrol drive offs represent one of our highest reported dishonesty crimes in Waipā. Offenders often rack up multiple offences and use different registration plates and vehicles to get around. Recently one such recidivist was detected after a car was reported for fleeing police and the driver for stealing over Auckland Anniversary Weekend. A new attempted drive off was detected at a service station in Karapiro and staff locked their pumps and immediately called police.
Units responded and some deft investigation identified the male driver, who was already wanted by police. The vehicle was then tracked, while a plan with additional units was put in place. A coordinated response resulted in the tyres of the vehicle being spiked by police, abruptly ending a crime spree. A subsequent search of the vehicle further located a firearm. The driver was arrested and appeared facing multiple charges in court.
I reference Sir Apirana Ngata, one of Maoridom’s greatest leaders and a prominent New Zealand statesman who published an explanation in 1922.
Councillors should concentrate on core responsibilities and leave politics out of it. They could however make a personal submission and avoid alienating themselves from rate payers.
Rod Wise Leamington
The impact a two-month closure of the Desert Road would have for Te Awamutu was the best-read story online last month. It was a comfortable winner over Viv Posselt’s piece on the Waipā women’s hub launch in a month which saw a 345 per cent increase of views to the site on January last year and slightly ahead of December last year for total visits.
Teawamutunews.nz’s online presence saw huge improvement throughout 2024 and has started 2025 with more visits than its Cambridge News counterpart cambridgenews.nz
Third best read story last month was the big rise in Te Awamutu bus use followed by Chris Gardner’s piece about Evie O’Brien, the new chief executive of Te Wananga o Aotearoa, “I’ll look and listen”.
There is something about hotels in Waipā that our online readers love. Meghan Hawkes’ Tales from the Passed column about the rat-ridden state of Kihikihi’s Star Hotel in 1916 fascinated readers and came in fifth narrowly edging out a story about 2024’s best read story – the closure of Pirongia’s Five Stags hotel.
with Senior Constable DEB HANN
Wednesday it is
Waipā councillors rubber stamped a staff recommendation around meeting days at a council meeting last week - put to them and verbally approved in a workshop last year. The public was aware of their decision before they voted –revised days for Wednesday meetings appeared in adverts in Good Local Media a week earlier.
Tutty steps up
Waipā District Council’s compliance manager Karl Tutty has been appointed Civil Defence Local Controller by the Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management. Tutty is also deputy chief of the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Orcas sighted
Orca pod sightings in Raglan and Kawhia harbours have prompted DOC staff to remind people about the rules for interactions with marine mammals after reports a boat chased the pod. Vessels should stay 50 metres from orca. A family pod of five orca has been in the harbours for two weeks.
What it cost
Good Local Media readers should know soon how much it cost Waipa District Council to host the Party in the Park in Cambridge in December. The request for costs was lodged as a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request on January 9 giving the council until this Friday –20 working days - to respond.
Cycling
festival
Cambridge’s Cycling Festival will revert to Anzac Day. A move to March 23 was mooted for this year, but retailers became concerned that two significant street closures - for the earlier Maadi Cup parade and the cycling - would impact trade. Meanwhile, Waipā will be a stopover for almost 150 hot rods at the Cambridge Raceway when the Harbour City club hosts the National Choppers Autobody Pre 49Rod Run on Sunday.
Racecourse land may sell
By Mary Anne Gill
The former Waipā Racing Club’s 34ha course in Te Awamutu could soon be on the market as the biggest search for racecourse land in more than a century gets underway.
Within eight to 12 years – all going to plan – 145ha of prime Waikato land in Hamilton, Cambridge and Te Awamutu owned by Waikato Thoroughbred Racing will be sold for residential and commercial development.
In their place, the super club - born out of a merger between Te Rapa, Cambridge and Waipā racing clubs two years ago - will have a new greenfield site somewhere in the Waikato.
On the market will go land in Te Awamutu where Waipā Racing Club used to race but is now a training facility used by 120 horses on a regular basis. Its underlying residential zone makes it prime for housing.
It would be the first to go given courses at Cambridge and Te Rapa would still be needed for racing.
Waikato Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Andrew ‘Butch’ Castles said the development would be industry shaping and defining for
generations to come.
“Whatever decision we make will have a massive impact on future generations that look to pursue a recreational interest or a professional interest in racing in the area,” says Castles.
Horse racing in the Waikato is a $505 million industry employing more than 6200 people
Waikato Thoroughbred Racing’s chief executive knows he has a big job ahead of him but having passed the first hurdle – a vote by members last year to investigate a single fit-for-purpose site for racing and training in the Waikato – he has the bit between his teeth.
“We want to flush out some property that hasn’t been considered (for racing),” he says.
Hamilton rural specialist Peter Kelly has the task of finding between 125-200ha in a triangle starting north of Hamilton, down to Te Awamutu and across to Cambridge.
“There are some pieces of land that tick a number of boxes that are not quite in that area, but close to it,” says Castles.
“It’s really a matter of making sure that horses, people, race day guests and everyone have the best way possible of getting there.
“You wouldn’t want to be down a long narrow road, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be off the Waikato Expressway. Transport links are important but there are a number of other criteria.
“I’m not sure we will find everything that ticks every box, but it will be weighted, we’ll look for the best one that ticks the most boxes and fits the most criteria.”
Tenders will be considered next month and the final proposal back to members for a special meeting in September.
If approved, then the clock starts ticking.
The 61ha in Cambridge is already subject to what Castles calls “urban creep” – housing developments are eating into land and roads where once horses were king, but which now compete with speeding cars down Racecourse Road.
Cambridge is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest thoroughbred training centre with 1200 horses regularly at work on the synthetic track – opened in 2021 – and 60-70 licence holders.
Any new facility would have to cater for them. Castles says 150200ha would have trainer allotments as part of the development.
Very few horses train at Te Rapa and its 50ha – down from the original 160ha purchased in the 1920s - comprises 6.5ha of mixed use residential and the rest major facilities.
The venue holds 20 race days a year, its track is one of the best in the country and the international grandstand has hosted patrons who watch the country’s best thoroughbreds.
There are detractors to the greenfields’ plan who have yet to show their hands.
“This is bigger than just Waikato thoroughbred racing, this is an industry decision,” says Castles.
“Financially it will be too big for us to deal with on our own so we will need support from all sorts of industry bodies. The ideal would be that we go ahead with the support of the whole industry.”
But first… find the right piece of land.
“That’s why we’re doing it in this fashion. It’s all very well to have flash drawings, vision and ideas but there’s no point in finding the right piece of land and finding out it can’t be consented to race on.”
• What do you think? Email editor@goodlocal.nz
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The track in Te Awamutu could be up for sale.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Handing over to ‘the boss’
By Chris Gardner
Outgoing Wananga chief Nepia Winiata can testify to the mana of his successor.
He and Evie Nepia started at Te Wananga o Aotearoa on the same
day almost 20 years ago in 2008.
“We had a pōwhiri, like this, together. She was my boss,” he recalled.
Winiata held various roles at the wānanga, the last three as kaiwhakatere - chief executive -
after a year as deputy.
“I am very excited that Evie got the role as she is a very caring leader.”
The wānanga welcomed O’Brien with a pōwhiri at its Te Awamutu headquarters for the second time lasty week.
Winiata said the wānanga changed the way it conducted assessments and delivered additional training to taiako –teachers - in the wake of a NZ Qualifications Authority report in 2018.
“We are a lot better off after we went through that,” Winiata said. It had been a privilege and honour to serve the wānanga, he said.
“It’s feeling a bit weird, to be honest. Realising I soon won’t be here is something new.”
Winiata decided to go into semi-retirement a year ago and is planning on taking up governance positions after a handover to O’Brien and his exit this month.
O’Brien arrived at the campus as manuhiri. She walked slowly, head bowed in respect, a kete of peace, goodness and love in hand, surrounded by around 150 whānau, friends and colleagues.
The atmosphere was electric as tangata whenua welcomed the party of Te Wānanga’s first wahine kaiwhakatere chief executive.
O’Brien, who left the wananga
in 2014 as acting kaihautū National Delivery, spent nearly four years as executive director of the University of Oxford based Atlantic Institute: Rhodes Trust, where she was focussed on addressing systematic causes of inequity. Her supporters included New Zealand Rhodes scholars Rhieve Grey, Isabella LenihanIkin and Zak Devey. University of Melbourne assistant vicechancellor Prof James McCluskey travelled the furthest.
Te Makau Ariki, wife of the late Māori King Tūheitia, was among those attending.
O’Brien, whose whakapapa includes Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Maniapoto, was welcomed by council chair Vanessa Eparaima, supported by fellow council members.
“Evie has spent the last decade enhancing her knowledge and skills both nationally and internationally,” Eparaima said.
“She has extensive experience in senior leadership roles across the tertiary education sector, a deep understanding of and strong relationships within our organisation, and a clear passion and commitment to Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.”
“I just feel an incredible sense of responsibility and I don’t want to let anyone down,” O’Brien told The News after the pōwhiri.
She acknowledged predecessors Dr Rongo Wetere, Bentham
Ohia, Dr Jim Mather, Te Ururoa Flavell, and Winiata whose efforts she said had provided a strong foundation for the future.
“Today’s pōwhiri reminded me of the importance of whakapapa, of whanaungatanga, and of the enduring kaupapa of Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, which remains to transform our whānau through education. Although we face many challenges, I am excited to lead this incredible organisation into its next chapter.”
O’Brien’s appointment coincides with a year of celebrations marking the organisation’s 40th anniversary.
Outgoing wānanga chief Nepia Winiata.
Te Makau Ariki, pictured left, with Evie O’Brien during the powhiri.
College in honeymoon phase
By Jesse Wood
With all year levels back at school last Thursday, principal Tony Membery is excited after Te Awamutu College’s successful start to 2025.
A whopping 213 Year 13 students are staying for their final year of secondary education, a vast number to help the 318 Year 9s and 11 new teachers settle in.
“The roll is sitting at 1451, which is about the same as last year. This again validates we are a popular high school. We are the high school of the district, and it is a big thriving district,” Membery said.
“We’ve had four Year 13s in every Year 9 form class showing them where all their classes and the toilets are. They are people that the kids can continue to ask questions of. It’s not just a one-day wonder. We want them to be happy.
“This is a time also to be supportive to the new staff while they’re settling in. I always call this the honeymoon phase.
“The decision to not have any out of zone enrolments was the right one. We got three new classrooms about two years ago and we certainly are at capacity.”
Membery is in his 42nd year at the college and is enjoying it more than ever.
“I’m pretty firm, this is my 18th year starting as principal and I’m still loving it. It’s important to me,” Membery said.
“I still drive in thinking; I am
privileged to have the job I’ve got. It’s a big responsibility and it’s rewarding.
“I’m excited when I see all those new students and that’s a good sign.
“You see students at the ball or graduation dinner, and you know how some of them started out and that we have played a part in their success.”
One of the new implications is a $50 uniform store credit thanks to the Rogers Charitable Trust. Membery said they have had great feedback regarding the discount.
“The $50 per student at the uniform shop, that’s quite a
saving. There’s been some very appreciative parents. I had an email saying ‘Thank you so much. At a time when you’re buying stationery [it’s much appreciated].
Please thank the board and thank the trust’,” he said.
“It was a good thing for the board to recognise there is a costof-living crisis. If that’s something we can afford to do, that’s a nice thing to do.
“It shows we’re a school that serves the community and that’s why I’ve been here a long time.”
New trips have been introduced this year with the NCEA Level 3 social issues class due to visit Parliament, while most drama
classes will venture to the Auckland Arts Festival.
“The menu of classes and opportunities we offer makes people want to come back –hospitality, carpentry, furniture making, engineering, electronics. It’s like a mini tech.
“If you do well here, we’ve really given you the start for whatever your pathway is. But you’ve got to work with us, that’s what we’re here for.”
There is a big emphasis on their expectations of Responsibility, Relationships, Respect on top of achievement, development, student wellbeing and attendance.
“We have about an 86-87%
attendance rate on an average day. We understand that life happens, but parents must explain their absence. We need a reason,” Membery said.
“We’re big on sending the students’ attendance and their lates out every Friday. Parents can also go live. They can check during the day, whether their kid is in class.
“We want kids to be here, be happy and have fun, but learn as well.”
With an extensive range of opportunities, including Māori cultural and community connections, Te Awamutu College looks to have a bright year ahead.
February brings a full calendar of annual events including Year 13 camp at Tui Ridge, Rotorua (February 3-25), inter house swimming (February 19), inter house athletics (February 21) and school photos (February 24-25).
April will see a 40th birthday celebration of the on-site Ōtāwhao Marae.
“We’re very well resourced and we want to be the best high school we can be, because we exist to serve this district,” Membery said.
“I want people to be proud of Te Awamutu College. I’m still really proud to be here.
“We care about kids getting qualifications, but also about the sort of people they are and where they are heading.
“The school is in good heart and we’re always aiming to do our best.”
Te Awamutu College principal Tony Membery visits a Year 9 class on week one of term one.
Photo: Jesse
Tourism angle to waste plan
By Chris Gardner
A
Friedensreich Hundertwasser
designed waste to energy incineration plant in Te Awamutu
could become a tourist attraction, claims Alastair Brickell.
Brickell, who runs Stargazers Bed and Breakfast in Whitianga, was behind one of eight submissions to
Waipā District Council in favour of the building and operation of the plant in Racecourse Road.
The council received 864 submissions objecting to the proposal.
“While these facilities can be large structures there is no need for them to be ugly,” Brickell said.
“The late visionary architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser was a great fan of incineration plants and designed several large ones.”
Hundertwasser died in New Zealand and his legacy includes the Kawakawa toilets and the new Whangarei Hundertwasser Centre which recognises his accomplishments.
“A Hundertwasser designed waste to energy plant in Waipa could be a great compliment to these structures and a tourist attraction in its own right as part of a national Hundertwasser trail,” Brickell said.
“I am not aware if GCS has considered this in their planning but perhaps they might. Te Awamutu is already on the tourist trail with its unique Space Centre and a Hundertwasser style building could well bring in more tourists, even international ones.”
Brickell, a cousin of late potter, writer, conservationist and Driving Creek Railway founder Barry Brickell, said it was important that the proposed plant be considered primarily as a medium scale power station rather than just a waste
disposal facility.
“This is especially significant as it produces a very valuable form of electrical energy, one that can be used for increasingly important grid stabilisation,” he said.
“Waste to energy facilities are especially useful as they turn what is otherwise a problem (for example plastic waste) into a valuable resource and considerably reduce waste volumes going to landfill. They are increasingly being used in Europe as well as North America and Asia. The UK now incinerates 48 per cent of its municipal waste compared with only 12 per cent a decade ago.”
Brickell said seven European Union countries had waste to energy plants and, as a consequence, now landfill less than three per cent of their waste.
“In many European countries landfill disposal is severely restricted or actually totally forbidden due to toxic leachate problems. It is not inconceivable that similar restrictions could be legislated in NZ in the future.”
Brickell, who toured the waste to energy plant in Bern, Switzerland, in 2018, said the main concern of objectors was dioxin.
“But new plant designs have essentially solved this problem as the latest designs ensure the entire combustion stream is maintained at 1000°C to 1200°C which very effectively breaks dioxins down,” he said.
“By using the newest technology Sweden has reduced its countrywide annual dioxin production from 100ppm to just 0.5ppm from all its plants so it is no longer an issue for them and need not be in New Zealand.”
The News sought comment from Global Contracting Solutions. Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council asked Environment Minister Penny Simmonds to call the application in rather than follow the usual resource consent process. Simmonds decided a Board of Inquiry would hear the application this year. Waipā District Council and Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Community Board are among those opposing the plan alongside the Don’t Burn Waipā pressure group.
Alastair Brickell
Global Contracting Solutions could borrow from Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s design for the Spittelau incinerator in Vienna, says Alastair Brickell.
Brigade is thrice blessed
By Viv Posselt
Dozens of people turned up at Pirongia Volunteer Fire Brigade last Saturday to witness the blessing of not one, but three, brigade vehicles.
The event was arranged to bless the latest addition to the fleet – a Mitsubishi Triton brought on board as a rapid response medical vehicle in late December.
But because the brigade’s tanker missed out on an official ceremony a year ago, both that and another nonemergency vehicle provided by Waipā Networks in mid-2024, were blessed at the same time by Tai Huata of Pūrekireki Marae.
Adding a touch of solemnity to proceedings was news that the funeral service for Huata’s uncle Dennis was to be held in Ōtorohanga just a few hours later.
He had enjoyed a long association with both the Ōtorohanga and Pirongia fire brigades, frequently coming in to bless new vehicles. He had been ill for some time and died last week.
Among guests at the Saturday’s blessing was Taranaki-King Country MP Barbara Kuriger, Waipā
mayor Susan O’Regan, and Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) group manager (Waikato) David Brown.
“Getting to this point has been quite a journey,” said the brigade’s assistant chief fire officer Roger Grylls, who led the fundraising initiative.
“It was in August 2023 that we thought it was time to start looking at another vehicle. The question was ‘how’, so the brigade picked up the project.”
He acknowledged support from fellow firefighters, the village of Pirongia and the wider business community, and said the brigade had also done its own fundraising at various events. They raised $120,000
for the vehicle, which was purchased at a discounted rate from Mitsubishi Ingham Te Awamutu, and fitted out, also at a discounted rate, by Camco Industries in Cambridge.
Pirongia Fire Station chief fire officer Roan Gouws expressed gratitude to the numerous businesses, community organisations and individuals who got behind the project, describing their support as ‘awesome’.
He also told guests that the brigade, which operates with 20 firefighters, is actively recruiting. They’re currently running to almost 100 calls a year and are seeing that number increase
WAITANGI DAY
steadily.
“Like all brigades, there is a level of natural attrition that happens all the time. The difficulty is that if we don’t replace those leaving with new recruits, we will find ourselves short of the numbers of active firefighters we need to do our job efficiently.”
Pirongia brigade covers Kawhia, Raglan, Ngāhinapōuri and the south Waikato, with callouts to a range of incidences including motor vehicle accidents, scrub fires, structural or rubbish fires, animal emergencies, downed trees, and medical co-response incidences with St John.
Cones will go
By Chris Gardner
The New Zealand Transport Agency is hoping to remove as much traffic management as possible through Ōhaupō’s road rebuild over the next few days for today and the weekend.
The decision will ease traffic flow between the Waipā district and King Country.
Waikato system manager Andy Oakley told The News the team working on the seven-week road rebuild
were making good progress.
“They’re currently excavating the southbound lane, to the north of the pedestrian crossing, and this section should be complete by Waitangi Day, weather permitting,” Oakley said.
“The intention is to remove as much traffic management as possible for the weekend, then fully re-establish the site on Monday (February 10), to complete the north bound lane over the remaining two weeks of the project.”
The rebuild started on January 7.
Tai Huata of Purekireki Marae conducting the blessing of the new vehicle, followed by Pirongia Volunteer Fire Brigade CFO Road Gouws and guests. More teawamutunews.nz
Photo: Viv Posselt
Traffic queues at traffic lights entering Ōhaupō from the north.
The Hendersons’ story
Laughter met the introduction of a four wheeled wagon from Canada when Kihikihi farmer James Henderson brought it into the country. The contraption was considered a novelty but James predicted that the old clumsy two-wheeled dray would not long be used and the wagon would supersede it.
The Hendersons, originally from Scotland, had moved to Canada around 1847. James had married Ada Somerville and a son, Allan, was born in 1848 but within a few years Ada died. James remarried and he and second wife Agnes had two sons William and John, and a daughter, Margaret. In August 1864, when Allan was 14, the family set out for New Zealand on board the British Trident, arriving at Auckland three months later.
James was one of the first settlers outside the military to take up land and settle down to farming in the Te Awamutu district. He approached this with energy, perseverance, and hard work. He was one of the pioneers of milking, then the chief means of livelihood. James also became successful as a stock raiser. His favourite breed was the Hereford, which fetched the highest prices at Auckland and Ōhaupō markets.
James farmed with his son Allan,
By Meghan Hawkes
who in 1878 had married Jenny Martin. The couple had seven children. Allan, who took a great interest in school matters, served on the Kihikihi School committee, as well as the Rangiaowhia Road’s Board.
The Henderson homestead in the 1880s was described by a rural reporter as being among the trees and a pleasing feature in the local landscape. More up-to-date methods began to lessen the farm work and in 1882 the Te Awamutu cheese and butter factory was built.
In 1887 the family’s matriarch Agnes died, followed five years later, in 1892, by James who at 68 succumbed to apoplexy while he was in Auckland. His body was returned to Kihikihi by train where he was buried. Despite the day being unusually wet the funeral for the district’s early innovator was well attended.
Later that year, a creamery was erected on a site donated by Allancentrally situated at the junction of the Kihikihi, Ōrākau and Rangiaowhia roads. Dairying methods were now a far cry from his father’s day.
In 1897 Allan became unwell with a chest complaint and it took many months for him to regain his health. In June 1898 a similar attack seized him and he took to his bed for several
ON SHAKY GROUND
Learning from disasters
The term “natural disaster” is a bit outdated. We have natural hazards, sure, but disasters don’t exist without us, and they are made worse by poor planning, decision making, and preparation. If an identical eruption occurred in the middle of absolutely nowhere versus in the middle of a city, the first is not a disaster and the second is. An important part of reducing harm is understanding risk.
“Risk” is a word we use a lot in our everyday lives. Potentially silly decisions can be risky. We can be at risk of health complications. When it comes to hazards like eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, risk has quite a specific and complex meaning.
The basic equation often used is Risk = Hazard x Exposure x Vulnerability. This gives us the likelihood of harm and damage from a specific hazard (like a tsunami) in a place depending on what and who is potentially in the way.
This is where the natural hazards interact with us, and where we have the power to reduce how much they harm us as individuals and communities.
Disaster risk reduction is a critical
days but this time he did not recover, gradually sinking and dying aged 47. His death came as an unpleasant surprise to local residents. He was much liked by those who knew him. It was Allan’s special wish that he be buried at Paterangi. This was carried out although the bad state of the roads caused delays. Allan’s widow, Jenny, was completely prostrated by her great loss.
Six years later in another tragic turn of events, Jenny’s third son, Allan, died aged 22. Three years previously he had hurt his foot when his horse fell and he never entirely recovered the use of his leg, the injury eventually causing his death. He was buried at Kihikihi.
James Henderson’s prediction regarding four wheeled wagons soon came to pass and the creamery Allan Henderson supported flourished for about 21 years before being eventually wound up when home-separating became the custom.
Jenny died in 1939, aged 89, and was buried with Allan at Paterangi.
By Janine Krippner
component of helping society deal with the hazards that come our way. An important method or framework is the 4 Rs of disaster management - Reduction, Readiness, Response, and Recovery.
The hazard is not to be managed (most of the time) – the planet will stay active, and we must respect the processes that shape it, but we can change the other aspects of the equation.
We can take steps to eliminate risk. This could be physically moving things out of the way, like raising a bridge above where it could be damaged by a lahar, or making sure people don’t build houses in areas more likely to flood through land use zoning.
Where we can’t eliminate it, we can reduce it. One example is designing buildings to stay standing during an earthquake.
We can make sure we are ready through education, early warning systems, and evacuation drills. We can empower people to know what to do and when. We can reduce how vulnerable we are by strengthening key aspects of society that keep us running, like communications, power, and
transportation.
We have learned a lot about how to respond to a hazard or disaster, which by nature are complex, evolving, and challenging situations. We can make sure our emergency responders, and our emergency management/civil defence agencies have the resources they need to help us. We can ensure that funds can be rapidly made available for those who need it.
Following earthquakes and cyclones we have seen how difficult and long the recovery process can be. We keep learning from each event, and make sure that when we rebuild, we do so stronger and more resilient.
This isn’t a ‘four steps and we’re done’ process, it is a continual cycle. We learn more about the hazards, our society evolves, and a changing climate can make some hazards more intense. We keep adapting. We also forget over time that these events can happen to us, and we drop the ball, repeating mistakes of the past.
AGE OF REASON
My media musings
By Peter Carr
Welcome to February. The over-long period of holiday disruption is behind us. Those who went off to improve their skin tans are now returned. Those who achieved the same result by staying at home will have noticed how swiftly the Cambridge main streets filled with traffic again, cafes bulging at the seams and a general appearance of commercial success layered over the area. I appreciate that some retailers have been hurting over recent months but the clear display of patrons fleeing restaurants in the main cities does not appear to have landed here. And Cambridge generally is not dependant on imported overseas labour where the government appears muddled as to how to balance those who clearly want work and those who lounge under the generous umbrella of WINZ payments.
Interestingly the government owned TV1 has great trouble recognising that the year is already five weeks under way and has, reluctantly apparently, recreated the morning breakfast time news show. What other major country closes off its mainstream news broadcast / political commentary for seven weeks so that the very well-paid presenters and their supporting staff can have a break? And when it does return (this week I believe) will we still be subject to the unprofessional babble that masquerades as journalism?
Do we have to depend only on the excellent newsreaders at 6pm on weekdays or their very professional counterpart at the weekends?
Personally, I would far rather have some more serious and balanced input from a Campbell/ Gower/Holmes level of thinkers rather than light-handed rhetoric. But we are all different as the current production bathes in the glory (and safety) of having beaten off their TV3 opponents.
So, what constitutes real news – and to what extent, as taxpayers, should we expect to be satisfied by the totally government owned, now sole, morning ‘news’ channel? Clearly news collation and dissemination of an honest and accurate nature is getting harder to put together. Why else could Stuff have been purchased for the princely sum of a single dollar? Why are other mainstream organs being forced to shed staff - in the main driven by advertisers turning away from the medium? Are the production owners making it too hard to advertise? And why did one of them in particular take the poisoned chalice of a previous government handout to keep afloat? On a spurious cause at that. And why was it necessary for a large number of (freely distributed) local weekly print organs to bite the dust pre-Christmas?
Something is clearly wrong in the Fourth Estate. Perhaps driven by a coterie of ‘journalists’ who persist in rude, repetitive interruptions during interviews and clearly positioning their desired resultant output in a single political direction? How many more times does the Prime Minister have to make it clear that the much trumpeted and divisive Act Treaty bill will not reach past a second reading?
Many people are turning from their TV to computer screens for real news wherein they become open to false information driven by schemers with a different focus and desired result. Honest and practical journalism is at least alive and well in this busy tabloid that hits your mailbox each week. But the editorial team only get one chance a week to put their case and balance the news. So greater pressure needs to come onto those journals (paper or screened) that have the opportunity of a 24 hours per day output.
Tribunal departure
‘not unexpected’
By Jon Rawlinson
After 17 years’ service, Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson (ONZM) has been replaced on the Waitangi Tribunal.
King Country born and raised, Simpson has extensive experience in governance roles, as highlighted in Waikato Business News last year. However, she was not surprised by a recent decision to end her tenure.
“It was not unexpected given the length of term that I’ve served on the tribunal,” she confirmed. “Even though my warrant expires I’ll continue until the end of the existing inquiries I’m involved in.”
Directorships with Waste Management, Meridian and Auckland Airport and other roles, including deputy chair of the Waitangi National Trust, will be plenty to keep her busy, she confirms.
In total, eight new appointments were made and five of the existing 20 tribunal members retained.
The appointments met with controversy, labelled a ‘whitewash’ by Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie NgarewaPacker who said some of Te Ao Māori’s greatest thinkers were replaced by ‘pale, stale males.’
Although she chose not to respond directly, Simpson, who holds a masters in Mātauranga Māori, says diversity is encouraged.
Simpson, who lives in Matangi, was born in Ōtorohanga, grew up in Te Kūiti.
“The tribunal membership is mixed, with Pākehā and Māori from a variety of backgrounds, usually
with some kind of relevant experience,” she adds.
Similarly, Waikato University’s Professor Tom Roa, replaced after a decade’s service, told The New last week the decision brought diversity and rich experience to the tribunal, which should be welcomed.
Māori Development Minister, Tama Potaka, said the new appointments will strengthen the Waitangi Tribunal and help ensure it remains fit for purpose.
“The appointments coming on board will give [the tribunal] the right balance of skills… I give a warm welcome to the
new members as well as those reappointed in their roles. I acknowledge and thank those leaving for their important contributions.”
A permanent commission of inquiry, The Waitangi Tribunal is tasked with establishing the ‘truth or otherwise’ regarding allegations that the Crown has breached the Treaty.
It also examines and reports on proposed legislation while making recommendations about certain Crown forest land, railways land, state-owned enterprise land and land transferred to educational institutions.
Kiwi exports rise
The number of kiwi raised at Maungatautari in Waipā and sent to new homes has reached almost 350.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the re-introduction of kiwi on Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari - four chicks began a founding population on the 34,000ha sanctuary, which is surrounded by a pestproof fence.
A total of 346 kiwi have been moved from the maunga to locations in the North Island as part of the national re-population strategy.
In 2019, 13 birds were moved to Waimarino, then in 2023, 111 birds were moved to Tongariro and Wellington and in 2024, 222 kiwi were taken Tongariro (88), Wellington (65), and Taranaki Mounga (69).
The sanctuary serves as a source population for the North Island Brown Kiwi from the western region and the population in the sanctuary estimated at close to 3000.
Save the Kiwi chief executive Michelle Impey said Sanctuary Mountain was one of the cornerstones of organisation’s Kōhanga
Kiwi programme.
Over the past two years her team, working in partnership staff and volunteers at Sanctuary Mountain had delivered 333 kiwi to new homes in Wellington, Tongariro, and Taranaki.
“It has been heart-warming to see the impact the arrival of these kiwi have on local communities, and it is exciting that members of the public will now have the chance to experience this in the beautiful setting of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari,” she said.
An immersive Kiwi Experience Tour running for 90 minutes in March and April will allow the public to get up close to kiwi at the sanctuary.
On the interactive 1.5-hour Kiwi Experience tour, participants will learn about Sanctuary Mountain, flora and fauna there, see a kiwi health check, and get the opportunity to see a kiwi up-close and take photos.
Additional reporting: Mary Anne Gill
Tania Simpson
Waipā’s BMX double act
By Jesse Wood
Paris Olympian Leila Walker, won the Elite Women’s title at the UCI Oceania BMX Racing Championships in Bell Block, New Plymouth last weekend
Walker, 19, registered two wins and a second placing, dominating from the front in the final.
It was one half of a Waipā double at the event.
Fellow Cambridge rider Bennett Greenough, 21, claimed the Elite Men’s title at the 2025 UCI Oceania BMX Racing Championships in Bell Block, New Plymouth last weekend.
It was Greenough’s first elite race after stepping up from under-23, where he placed second in the world for 2024 and was the national champion.
Te Awamutu rider Brook Penny missed the under-23 title by a slim margin, with Queenslander Isabella Schramm beating her by 3/100th of a second.
The event was hosted by the New Plymouth BMX Club and drew more than 500 entries
Greenough’s 17-year-old sister Lily, a 2023 junior world championship medallist, finished runner up to Walker in the final and took the junior honours overall.
Other Waipā riders at the event were Dan Franks, Rico D’Anvers, Jack Greenough and Finn Cogan.
“It was awesome. I’m stoked with how the riding went and how
the event ran. It was cool to see so many riders out there,” Greenough said.
This is the St Peter’s School Cambridge alumnus’ 15th year of BMX racing and now he’s enjoying it on the big stage with his siblings.
“BMX is such a family orientated sport, from grassroots all the way through. It’s cool to have my brother Jack and sister Lily also competing at a high level. We train with each other day in and day out, feed off each other and make each other better,” Greenough said.
Greenough will head to France to race in about a month’s time and will spend a significant part of the year there racing the French Cup, European Cup and World Cup circuits.
Golfers told –
it’s your round
By Chris Gardner
Waitomo Golf and Country Club members have been given 31 days to decide whether to accept an offer of ownership of a $1 million course and clubhouse currently owned by Ōtorohanga Club.
Ōtorohanga Club merged with Waitomo Golf and Country Club (pictured right) in 2012 after the golf club faced financial difficulties in its centenary year.
Ōtorohanga Club members have been questioning whether their involvement is needed in the $20,000 a year operation for some time. They met on Sunday and voted to offer the golf course and clubhouse to a new legal entity governed by the golf club committee.
“It was an excellent meeting,” said golf club president Steve Wilshier.
“We will take the offer from Ōtorohanga Club to the golf club membership.”
Three quarters of the 240 golf club members must agree to form the new entity, for the proposal to proceed. The golf club must also wait 31 days before it formally responds to the offer.
“Our current golf club committee are happy to take it on, and the challenges that go with it,” Wilshier said.
The News understands an
estimated $300,000 is needed to upgrade the aging clubhouse.
Wilshier said the clubhouse needed a new roof, and remodelling to suit the changing needs of the club. More room is needed for golf cart garaging, for example, while there is too much room for changing facilities dating back to the days when members changed from golf attire to dinner suits to dine in the clubhouse.
“The result is very positive. It’s what I wanted. We will make a good go of it. Everybody is going in the same direction.”
Golf Club membership is about 240 and growing by half a dozen members a month, Wilshier said. There was good growth in younger members aged 16 to 30.
The club’s most famous son is former world amateur champion Phil Tataurangi who became club champion when he played there while his parents were teaching at Kawhia. He attended Te Awamutu College.
A Shade S olu tion for You
Leila Walker (7) battles with Australia’s Sienna Pal last weekend. Photo: Cole McOnie.
Bennett Greenough won the elite men’s event in New Plymouth.
(6)
(6)
Root vegetable (6)
Yes (3)
Eraser (6)
Frightened (7) 3. Annoy (3) 4. Tastelessly showy (6)
5. Small fruit (6) 6. Return to the originator (9)
Nit (5) 12. End (9) 16. Stealthy (7)
Small chook (6) 18. Improved (6) 20. Chaotic mess (5) 24. Steal (3)
Across: 1. Ozone, 4. Sailor, 7. Arc, 8. Eclair, 9. Instep, 10. Marathon, 12. Each, 13. Adjust, 15. Extent, 16. Sofa, 17. Restrain, 19. Wapiti, 20. Exceed, 22. Fan, 23. Plenty, 24. Trout.
Down: 1. Once and for all, 2. Ova, 3. Earth, 4. Science, 5. Inspector, 6. Overconfident, 11. Adulation, 14. Terrify, 18. Spent, 21. Coo.
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HOME TE AWAMUTU 986 Bond Road
Equestrian Paradise
This 3.41ha property located down a quiet no-exit road with a cosy three-bedroom home offers a serene escape, with picturesque rural views and seven post & rail paddocks, making it ideal for equestrian enthusiasts or anyone interested in owning a few livestock. There is a great standalone storage shed with attached tack room and two stables. Behind the stables is a 40x20m metal base horse arena covered with wood mulch. The internal-access double garage provides secure parking and storage space. Located just 3km from the town centre this property offers both tranquility and convenience.
Water Services
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Karaka eight for Kneebone
A productive week of shopping at Karaka has helped to put Waipā horseman Nick Kneebone on a path towards New Zealand’s training ranks. Kneebone completed eight purchases under the Patella Bloodstock banner during New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. He secured five yearlings from Book 1, including a Capitalist colt for $460,000, a Satono Aladdin colt for $400,000 and a St Mark’s Basilica colt for $360,000. He followed that up with another three Book 2 yearlings, signing off with a $125,000 colt by Shamexpress late on Thursday afternoon.
Patella Bloodstock’s total spend was $1,680,000 across the five days of the sale.
“It’s been really good,” Kneebone said. “We’ve managed to secure eight horses, seven colts and a filly, and we’re really happy with what we’ve come away with.
“The plan now is to take them down to Cambridge and get them ready, either to be traded on to overseas or to go into training here.”
That is a part of the thoroughbred world that Kneebone himself is keen to become immersed in. The 27-year-old is a son of auctioneer and NZB’s director of business development Mike Kneebone, but he has also gained experience in stables across the Tasman.
“I’m happy to come here now and give it a crack at a time when it looks like New Zealand racing is on the up. The prize-money increases have been great news for the industry here in recent times and I’m very keen to be a part of it.”
Kneebone’s initial target is to prepare some horses for the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in November.
Meanwhile Cambridge trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood of Kingsclere Stables experienced a whirlwind of highs across the Karaka Millions and Yearling Sales series.
They secured a filly out of Hallmark Stud’s draft on behalf of Orchestral’s owners, Colin and Helen Litt. The Proisir filly out of Donna Marie is the full-sister to another Kingsclere headlining act in Prowess, who won two Group Ones and over $1.5 million in a career that came to a premature end.
A further six yearlings were purchased by the Cambridge trainers in Book 1, including Lot 412, a Per Incanto colt out of Group Two winner Xpression for $260,000, while they went to $310,000 for Lot 623, a filly by young sire St Mark’s Basilica. - NZ Racing Desk
Nick Kneebone at Karaka with a Home Affairs colt. Photo: Glenys Randell
NOTIFICATION OF TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES
Waipa District Council will close the following roads to ordinary vehicular traffic on Friday, 21 February 2025
Rangiaowhia Road – from the intersection with Mandeno Road to the intersection with Puahue Road between 5:00am and 1:00pm.
Puahue Road – from the intersection of Hairini Road to the intersection of Long Road between 5:00am and 7:00am.
To enable the organisers to hold the Rangiaowhia Pahuatanga Commemoration 21 February 1864 -2025
The application was considered under the Tenth Schedule of the Local Government Act 1974.
Emergency Services will have complete right of way at all times during closure.
For more information, please contact Waipa District Council on 0800 924 723.
Steph O’Sullivan
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE –Alexandra St – Mutu St – War Memorial Drive – Bank St – Teasdale Street for Te Awamutu ANZAC Day commemorations
Please note that the roads listed below will be closed to ordinary vehicular traffic for the Te Awamutu ANZAC Day commemoration events on Friday, 25 April 2025.
Friday, 25 April 2025- between 5.30 am and 7:30 am
Alexandra Street - between Churchill St and Mutu / Rewi St Mutu Street - between Alexandra St and Christie Ave
War Memorial Drive – first 100m from Mutu St
Friday, 25 April 2025– between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm
Bank Street - Between Alexandra St and Vaile St Teasdale Street – Between Bank and Vaile St
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 Waipa District Council, in writing, to events@waipadc.govt.nz, before 4.00pm on Friday,14 February 2025. Please include the nature of the objection and the grounds for it. See the Privacy Statement on the Council’s website for further information.
For more information, please contact Waipa District Council on 0800 924 723.
Steph O’Sullivan
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
HUNTAWAY pups, 4 mths
old. Top working parents. $300. Ph or text 0274781783
WANTED TO LEASE
GRAZING LAND for cattle wanted to lease. Interested in any size from 5 - 100+ ha. Contact Taylor if any interest. Ph 021 805 421.
WORK WANTED
QUALIFIED builder – for all your building and painting needs call the professionals. Call Ross 021 079 4514
TE AWAMUTU CONTINUING EDUCATION GROUP is back for 2025 with the first meeting on February 19th. The meetings are held at Waipa Workingman Club Albert Park Drive Te Awamutu.
Meetings are held first and third Wednesday of each month. Each session will see a different guest speaker and some very interesting speakers have been arranged.
A door fee of $4 is payable on arrival. Tea & Coffee available from 9.30am.
PIRONGIA TOPIARY
Open Fridays 10am-4pm 132 Sainsbury Rd Pirongia OR Phone Susan Ranstead 0274 176 379
AGM
Ohaupo Darts Club
16 February 2025 • 1 pm
TE AWAMUTU MAHJONG CLUB
We are a fun and social club who are holding 6 weekly lesson for anyone interested.
Please contact for more information:
Robin 027 266 2259
Pauline 027 632 6733
Helen 027 330 1870
CHURCH NOTICES
WARD, Beryl May, (nee Sampson) – Peacefully slipped away in her sleep at Resthaven on Burns on Thursday, 30th January 2025, aged 83 years. Dearly loved wife of the late Neil. Much loved mother of Shane & Christine, Craig & Alison, the late John, and grandma to Jamie, Sampson, Fern, and Keir. A private farewell has taken place. A memorial gathering to celebrate Beryl’s life will be held at Rosetown Chapel, 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu on Sunday, the 9th of February 2025 at 1:30 pm. All communications to the Ward Family, c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800.
HARDING, Lucas Owen James (Luke) – 3 August 1983 - 27 January 2025. It is with deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Luke. Aged 41 years. Treasured and loved son of Owen and Morley (Sylvia). Dearly loved partner of Jenny and loving brother and brother-in-law to Matt and Karen, Josh and Katie. A kind and fun-loving Uncle to 10. Many thanks to St John Ambulance Staff for the care shown to Luke.
‘Lukey will be missed every minute of every day’ The service for Luke has been held. All communications to the Harding Family, c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu, 3800 or in Luke’s online tribute book at rosetown.co.nz
MAINTENANCE POSITION – TE AWAMUTU
HOUGHTON, Ida Marie (nee Devenport) – Peacefully passed away at San Michele Home & Hospital on Wednesday, 29th January 2025, aged 89 years. Beloved wife of the late Don. Adored mother and mother-in-law to Stephen & Carol, Marie & Kevin, and Pauline. Cherished Nana to eight grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at San Michele Home & Hospital for their kindness and care shown to Ida during her final weeks. In accordance with Ida’s wishes, a private farewell has already taken place. All communications to the Houghton Family, c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800.
Cornelia
ADMINISTRATOR – TE AWAMUTU – PART TIME
Focused Physiotherapy is looking for a maintenance person who is a jack of all trades to join our team!
Focused Physiotherapy is seeking an administrator to join our team in a part time capacity in our Te Awamutu clinic. The successful applicant will be required to work Monday to Wednesday, 7:45am to 5pm. Our ideal candidate will be:
Your recovery is our Priority Clinics located in Te Awamutu, Ōtorohanga and Cambridge
We have a network of clinics and vehicles across the Waikato and require someone with an eye for detail, friendly attitude, organised personality and professional appearance to support our clinical team and keep our clinics and vehicles looking great!
RUAPUHA UEKAHA HAPU TRUST (Hauturu East 8)
Tertiary, Work Related & Apprenticeship 2025 Education Grant Round NOW OPEN
-No referral needed from your GP, just call for an appointment -
• Well-presented and a good communicator both in person and on the phone
This position will be between 16-24 hours per week – days negotiable. Main base will be from our Te Awamutu site daily and you will be required to travel at times to undertake scheduled or urgent tasks.
Able to interact with a variety of clients, age groups, ethnic groups and team members
• A team player with a positive attitude and willingness to learn and grow with the position
Requirements include:
• Accurate with an eye for detail and able to follow and stick to processes
odd jobs in clinics, painting touch ups, vehicle coordination and cleaning, gardening and general maintenance tasks (but not limited to)
• Be able to multi task, prioritise and manage time effectively.
• Strong administration and computer based skills
• must have full licence and be able to pass NZ Police check If you are interested in applying for this role please email: recruitment@focusedgroup.co.nz
• Professional manner and confidentially essential If you would like to apply for this position, please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@ focusedgroup.co.nz
ADMINISTRATOR – HAMILTON – FULL TIME
Focused Physiotherapy is expanding and we are looking for another superstar administrator to join our team. The clinic is located at the hospital end of Hamilton with parking available on site.
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; Tertiary, Work Related & Apprenticeship for 2025
You can download an application from the RUHT website www.ruht.co.nz.
To be eligible for a grant you must be registered with the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapu Trust. If you are unsure whether you are registered, please email register@ruht.co.nz
Ohaupo Memorial Hall AGM
Please ensure all sections of the form are completed and you have supplied all the required documentation before sending in.
Applications close Friday, March 14, 2025, 3pm. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
For all queries phone 0800 525 626 or email educationgrants@ruht.co.nz.
– Passed away peacefully on January 31, two weeks short of her 95th birthday. Loved wife of the late Theo. Loved mother and mother in law of Eddie and Sue, the late Stephen and Rachel, Deborah and John and Richard and Sandra. Loved Oma of seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. The family would like to express many thanks to the staff at Glaisdale Rest Home for their love and care of Nell. Following Nell’s wishes a private cremation has been held.
Te Awamutu
Combined Churches and Community Foodbank
Meeting to be held on 14/2/25 at 2:00pm, in the lounge of the Methodist Church on Bank Street
KRIELEN,
Johanna Petronella (Nell)
Bar - 1/4” Chain - 1.3kg (excl. battery)
Compact, handheld pruning saw, ideal for pruning trees and cutting down garden waste with a branch thickness up to 75mm. Easy, tool-free replacement of the chain and bar, and improved safety with
