TE AWAMUTU NEWS | 1
THURSDAY MARCH 30, 2023
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MARCH 30, 2023
Brown takes museum post By Mary Anne Gill
Andrew Brown has been appointed one of two Waipā District Council representatives to the Te Awamutu and District Museum Trust Board following the resignation of Māori ward councillor Takena Stirling.
Brown joins Lou Brown while a third councillor, Marcus Gower, sits on the trust in a personal capacity although he queried that during the council meeting this week. “I’m confused why I sit on that. Was I an elected member?” Mayor Susan O’Regan told Gower he was not representing
council on the trust. Andrew Brown’s appointment comes as it has been revealed the relationship between the council and the trust has been chequered since 2017 when lawyers were brought in to sort out ongoing issues, many of which The News understands still remain.
The trust has not publicly filed an annual financial return nor published its trustees and, according to sources, has not formally met for several years. Companies Office Business Registries national manager Bolen Ng said the trust was not a registered charity on the
Department of Internal Affairs Charities Services register. If it was, there would be annual filing requirements. Instead the trust is registered under the Charitable Trusts Act which does not require the information.
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Councillors given food for thought By Mary Anne Gill
Waipā councillors were given a vivid illustration this week of the rubbish residents put out for collection which is organic waste. They were served up for morning tea an example of largely food items rubbish contractors picked up in Te Awamutu on Monday. The idea to serve it up on the table for councillors to see came from waste minimisation officer Sally Fraser, mayor Susan O’Regan and deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk. It is part of an education programme while council considers ways to minimise waste over the next six years. A total of 154kgs of food waste collected from 100 houses included: • 224 bread slices, buns and rolls • 21.9 kgs of meat • 146 serves of meat An unopened gift box of three BBQ sauces • 79 crackers • 3 unopened chocolate bars • 3 hollow easter eggs and one headless easter bunny • 2 ½ frozen cheesecakes • 480 grams of raw prawns That amounts to 48,000 wasted slices of bread for all 21,700 homes in Waipā, said Fraser. Waipā councillor Mike Pettit, mayor Susan O’Regan, waste minimisation officer Sally Fraser and deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk look at some of the food waste collected
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from Te Awamutu homes on Monday. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
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