Cambridge News | March 26, 2026

Screening: ‘we’re working on it’

By Viv Posselt

Health Minister Simeon Brown has apologised to prostate cancer sufferers for being unable to fully answer their questions or offer promises around improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Brown conceded that New Zealand lagged behind many other countries in the early detection and treatment pathways offered, but said he was active in lobbying for changes to be made.

He was speaking at a Cambridge Primary School meeting hosted by the Cambridge Prostate Cancer Support Group last week

Also present were Hamilton-based urologist

Shiva Nair, Auckland-based Prostate Cancer Foundation chief executive Peter Dickens and Taupō MP Louise Upston.

With around 4000 new cases and about 700 deaths annually, prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers to affect men in this country.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation and other groups have lobbied successive governments to introduce a pilot prostate cancer screening programme along similar lines to screening programmes offered for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.

Brown said there was a real need to increase screening opportunities for prostate cancer. Challenges

included limited access to MRI facilities and skills shortages in that area.

“Both are needed to enable us to roll out national screening trials. I am sorry I don’t have answers or promises I can give you at this stage, but I want to encourage you by assuring you we are working on it.”

Brown said some of the work being done on his five key Health New Zealand priorities were positively impacting patients generally, and were starting to achieve targets. However, waiting lists for MRI screening across the country remained too long, and this was one of the key challenges linked to the introduction of a national screening programme for prostate cancer.

School decision backed

By Mary Anne Gill

Data - not politics or broken promiseswas behind the decision to pause plans for a new primary school in Cambridge West, Waipā mayor Mike Pettit says.

The former principal of Cambridge Primary School says current enrolment numbers show there is no immediate need for another school, even though population growth in the town continues and land has long been set aside for the project.

Pettit was responding to confirmation from the Ministry of Education that it will not proceed with the planned Cambridge West Primary School “right now”, leaving the designated site empty, despite infrastructure already being in place.

“Right now, there is capacity in some schools within the town belt. There is capacity on both sides of the bridge,” Pettit said.

“Five or six years ago there was a desperate need across this town. Schools were beyond full - our school was a good example of that. But the demographic has changed. There are fewer primary-aged children and there is capacity in some of our schools now.”

Waikato director of education Marcus Freke expects a school will be needed in the future, based on development allowed under the District Plan, and has retained the site while monitoring subdivision consents and school rolls.

Continued on page 2

He said work being done by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and volunteers for organisations such as the Cambridge Prostate Cancer Support Group,

was important in spreading the message about prostate health.

“The health care system deals with what happens at hospital level, but it is often the work done by the foundation and organisations such as yours that plays such a critical role, and that the government can’t often do,” he said.

An iron maiden

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From spiders to spotlight

By Mary Anne Gill

It took a cardboard box, spiders and a very sceptical wife for Terry Carson to become a prize-winning short story writer.

The carton, retrieved from the bottom of a wardrobe during a house move, contained decades of half-forgotten writing - stories written, abandoned and quietly filed away.

“One day I’ll do something with them,” he told his wife Edna who laughed at the suggestion.

A few months later, at the Cambridge Autumn Festival launch at Te Awa Lifecare Village, Carson - announced as the winner of the festival’s 2026 Short Story Competition - clutched a cheque for $1000 and wondered why he hadn’t opened that box sooner.

Now 79 and a retired lawyer in Pukekohe, Carson won with Father and Son, which judges said was a sharply observed piece set at a funeral, where the polished public tributes clash with the private truths known to family.

Carson said the story had been written about 20 years ago, during his time in a writing group where he produced a new piece every month.

“Most of them were fairly mediocre and got thrown in the box,” he said.

The Cambridge competition attracted 593

On the

entries - more than double the previous high. Second place went to Ciaran Warner from Waitoa for If You Keep Still, and third was Auckland writer Bronwyn Elsmore.

For Carson, the win is part of what he calls “success in my old age”. He also took out a national short story prize last year and continues to write historical crime fiction, much of it self-published. But perhaps the bigger lesson is simpler.

Sometimes, the story worth telling has been waiting patiently in a box - just under the spiders.

• Read Terry Carson’s winning entry on Page 10.

Do the paperwork

Buying and selling a vehicle is something that most people will do a few times in their lives.

Do you know what your responsibilities are around this? Failing to have correct details for the registered owner of a car can lead to a myriad issues and inconveniences. You must tell the New Zealand Transport Authority as soon as a vehicle you own changes hands. This may be if you’ve sold it, gifted it to someone or disposed of it. To lodge this with NZTA, you will need your driver’s licence, the registration plate and the name and address of the person or company to whom you sold or gave the car.

The buyer needs to do their part too and it is a good idea to check via NZTA that the change of ownership has gone through before letting them drive away. If correct ownership details have not been lodged with NZTA and the car comes to the attention of police, it may be issued with a ‘blue sticker’.

The driver/owner is thereby given 24 hours to update the ownership information. Failure to do so can result in the vehicle being impounded.

If you don’t change over the ownership details when selling your car, you will

keep receiving any future fines or tolls attributed to the vehicle registration, sometimes long after you have ceased to be the one driving it. While there is a process to be able to transfer liability for those fines to a new owner, it is one the need for is easily avoided.

In addition, only the registered owner of a car can officially report it stolen or authorise uplift after an impound. This means things can get tricky when records aren’t up to date. In short, getting things right at the start can save a lot of hassle later.

In a good news story this week, the owner of an e-scooter stolen from Wilson Street, Cambridge was happily reunited with it last week. A swift investigation led to the identification of a Hamilton offender and the scooter’s subsequent successful return to the police station, with an accompanying letter of apology.

Finally today, and further to last week’s column, we continued to investigate, and hold to account, youth involved in Cambridge car crime from recent weeks. Please continue to be vigilant around car security.

School decision backed

Continued from page 1

Pettit said he supported that position.

“By the end of this decade we’re going to need another school, there’s no doubt about that. Once these subdivisions really get going, it’s a no-brainer.”

The Cambridge West school site has resource consent, which expires in 2031. Pettit said the ministry would not want to lose that approval, particularly given the investment already made.

“They’ve invested well north of $10 million in that site,” he said.

One concern Pettit raised in his role as mayor was the current state of the land, which sits in the middle of an active subdivision.

“At the moment it’s a big clunk of dirt, and it is becoming an eyesore,” he said. “You’ve got houses being built around it and a $3.5 million playground nearby. You don’t want that sort of thing sitting there untidy.”

Pettit also acknowledged the disappointment for developers and families who had expected a school and preschool to open as part of the Bridleways development.

“I totally feel for them,” he said. “The timing couldn’t have been worse when you combine that announcement with the downturn in the market.”

The ministry said when the time does come, schools can now be delivered more quickly than in the past.

“Recent changes in how schools are delivered mean that new primary schools can generally be built in around 18-24 months from budget approval to opening,” said Freke.

Guide awards

Waipā girl guides and leaders were among those honoured at a recent regional gathering in Hamilton. Totara Awards – the guides’ highest honour – went to Julie Wards of Te Awamutu, who also received a 45-year service bar, and Hayley Thomas of Cambridge. Te Awamutu’s Hayley Wards received a Fern Award. Te Kaiārahi awards went to Nina Sardelich (Cambridge Guides), Nerissa Blair (Te Awamutu Pippins) and Christy Bond (Te Awamutu Brownies) and an Arataki Award went to Stacey McNickle of Cambridge Rangers.

Enterprise shown

More than have 240 secondary school entrepreneurs from the greater Waikato have shared startup ideas with business professionals at Wintec as part of The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme regional Spark Tank event.

Neighbours talk

Waipā District Council is liaising with its neighbours on global risks raised by the World Economic Forum. The forum found multilateralism was in retreat, economic risks were intensifying, technological risks were growing, societies were on the edge, environmental concerns were being deprioritised and a new competitive order was emerging.

AI warning

Waipā councillor Aidhean Camson says delaying the application of generative artificial intelligence technology in council is a bad idea. The council’s risk and assurance committee heard from internal assurance adviser Hare George how its response to February’s extreme weather event had temporarily disrupted work on generative artificial intelligence. “Anything we do to push gen AI out to the right is a bad idea. Don’t kid yourself that isn’t already here. I can tell you, with other hats on, that there is already work being done through the generative AI that is massively shortcutting the level of effort that you need,” Camson said.

Tamahere looks at race plan

By Mary Anne Gill

There were plenty of questions - and a fair bit of unease - when the Waikato Thoroughbred Racing greenfield proposal came before the Tamahere community on Sunday.

The development now has a potential home, artist renderings and a hall full of neighbours with questions, concerns and plaudits.

The multimillion dollar Greenfield development south of Hamilton is intended to replace the Te Rapa, Cambridge and Te Awamutu racecourses and, at the request of potential funders, the Cambridge Harness Raceway.

There is even a proposal to investigate moving New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka Sales Centre as three quarters of the horses sold there are from the Waikato and the company’s owner Sir Peter Vela lives near the new site.

If approved, it would reshape not just racing in the Waikato, but daily life for those living closest to it.

Kevin and Rosemary Whyte have lived in

Tamahere for 20 years. They are not antiracing. In fact, he is part of a harness racing syndicate and understands the industry well.

But standing on a quiet rural road and imagining race day traffic is another matter.

“I’m struggling to see how you get everything in there,” Whyte said.

“We’ve got corners, we’ve got older residents, and we’ve got roads that simply weren’t designed for that level of use.”

He is not opposed to development in principle.

Tamahere has changed steadily since they arrived and will continue to do so. But traffic, access and safety are the issues he keeps coming back to.

“You put that level of traffic in and it multiplies everything,” he said.

For Moira Haddrell, whose property sits directly opposite part of the proposed development, the concerns are more immediate. She is part of a newly formed neighbourhood committee representing residents on Pencarrow, Hooker

and Duncan roads - the properties most affected by the proposal.

“It’s all happened very quickly because of the fasttrack requirements,” she said.

That process, enabled after the project was deemed to be of national interest, has compressed timelines and sharpened anxieties. Haddrell said residents were clear they wanted engagement to be genuine, not a boxticking exercise.

“We can’t move our houses. So, we need to know how noise, lighting, drainage and construction impacts are going to be managed. If lights are on at 5.30 in the morning and horses are working the track, that affects us.”

At the same time, she can see the potential upside.

“If it’s done as well as they say - with highquality landscaping and architecture - it could enhance the area. I’m not opposed to that,” she said.

“I’m opposed to neighbours being an afterthought.”

Project director Steve Bramley is used to these

conversations. He has delivered more than 50 community facilities across New Zealand and is currently overseeing the redevelopment of Hawke’s Bay Racing’s new $80 million Flaxmere complex.

He sees the Waikato project as an eight-to-10-year build, not a quick win.

“There’s a lot of work to do. But there’s also a lot of keenness to get this through.”

The proposal is being advanced under the fasttrack approvals regime. Waikato Thoroughbred Racing is preparing to lodge its referral application next month. It is also now considering whether

harness racing could be incorporated into the site as part of the national Project Stamina review of racing infrastructure. That has added another layer of complexity and concern for neighbours already grappling with the scale of what is proposed.

For now, the conversation continues. More meetings are planned.

Information is being shared and Tamahere residents are weighing the promise of a worldclass facility against the reality of living next door to it.

As one resident put it quietly after the meeting: “If it’s coming, we just want it done right.”

It’s 130 wins… and counting

By Joshua Smith

Champion Cambridge jockey James McDonald broke the Australasian Group One record for wins – with the words of former All Black coach Steve Hansen ringing in his ears.

McDonald, who is based in Sydney, matched Damien Oliver’s record of 129 wins, then passed it at Rosehill last weekend.

The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame rider revealed he received a text from Hansen ahead of the two wins telling him: “Walk straight into it, grab it with both hands and walk straight into it”.

“I was thinking to myself, imagine him sitting down with the All Blacks, a 15 squad of men, our greatest sport in New Zealand, and he’s saying, ‘Walk into it, embrace it’.

“I thought that was quite special because it took me back a little bit.”

McDonald, 34, duly rode the New Zealand-bred mare Aeliana to victory in the Ranvet Stakes, to match the record, then surpassed it aboard Autumn Boy in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), and extended his lead in the George Ryder Stakes (1500m) aboard Autumn Glow, all for expat Kiwi trainer Chris Waller.

McDonald, who attended Kaipaki, Cambridge Middle and Cambridge High schools, has won the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award on three occasions, and among his Group One wins have been six aboard Nature Strip – part owned by Hansen.

In June 2024 Waipā District Council announced McDonald would be inducted into the Cambridge Sports Walk of Fame – after being nominated by Good Local Media editor Roy Pilott. The council has a plaque prepared and is waiting for a time convenient to McDonald.

In the finals

Cambridge housing

development

Peake Mews is a finalist in the Property Council

New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards, in the Community and Affordable Housing Property Award category.

Track work

Contractors were scheduled to start repairs on the Kakepuku Mountain tracks this week.

They have also visited Sainsbury Road Reserve near Pirongia and options are being considered to safely reopen the reserve. Many other tracks on Mt Pirongia closed following February storms opened last weekend.

Kiwi head south

The first 10 of 40 Sanctuary Mountain kiwi have been taken to Karioi Rāhui, a 5300-hectare ecological project in southern Ruapehu. The birds were released into the care of Ngāti Rangi at Rangataua, near Ohakune as part of the national kiwi repopulation strategy.

Wallaby shock

The urban discovery of a body of a dama wallaby – with a joey in its pouch - in Frankton early this month has raised concerns the pests are being treated as pets. Waikato Regional Council biosecurity officers have responded by canvassing the Frankton neighbourhood asking residents to report wallaby sightings.

Beard takes governor’s role

By Chris Gardner

Warren Beard from the Cambridge Lions Club has been appointed district governor elect for Lions District 2021..

Beard’s term will begin in July and he succeeds Te Kūiti’s Louise Fielder.

A total of 58 Lions Clubs and 14 Leo Clubs across the Waikato, King Country, and Bay of Plenty, covering communities from Mt Maunganui to Raglan make up District 202L.

Beard’s first act after being formally made governor at an international convention in Hong Kong in July will be to host a club president’s dinner, probably in Rotoroa.

Beard, who has lived in Cambridge with his wife Julie since 2017, will ask the clubs in his district to raise funds to assist with the treatment of diabetes.

His slogan will be “act with pride”.

It will be the first time in about 15 years a member of Cambridge Lions Club has been made district governor.

“It’s pretty good,” the 71-year-old retired correspondence course

teacher said of his appointment.

“For Cambridge Lions it’s a huge honour.”

The district is one of New Zealand’s most active, with Lions supporting a wide range of community service, youth development, and fundraising initiatives.

Beard, who advocated a share, care, serve approach to his presidency of the Cambridge club, will work alongside cabinet secretary Alan Taylor of Te Awamutu and cabinet treasurer and past council chair Arvind Raman of Hamilton.

Beard joined Reporoa Lions 34 years ago when he was a teacher and his principal was seeking funding for the school.

Upgrade underway

By Mary Anne Gill

Waipā Networks crews have been working in Cambridge’s Vogel Street as part of ongoing electricity network upgrades.

The work follows completion of the company’s involvement in the new Resthaven apartment development, with crews taking the opportunity to replace older nearby infrastructure.

The project includes replacing power poles and installing a new ring main

unit (switchgear), which will improve network resilience and enable faster power restoration during outages.

Both lines crews and cable jointing teams are involved, with the upgrade expected to be completed next month.

Meanwhile, the hive of activity in the usually quiet residential area also saw a large blue crane installing level one balconies for the new Resthaven apartments, lifting precast concrete panels into place.

New home for Gardner

By Mary Anne Gill

Making Waipā their home has paid off for Simon and Dominique Paduch with the opening of their company’s new Cambridge office and the signing of their 20th build contract.

The couple launched the G.J. Gardner Homes franchise last year, initially operating from a garage at the Cambridge Showgrounds before establishing a permanent base at Te Rerenga Tce.

They marked the milestone by cutting a ribbon alongside members of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.

Simon Paduch previously worked for the company in Tauranga.

“Cambridge is home for us,” he said, describing the milestone as an important step in building a long-term local business.

Dominque grew up on a dairy farm near Te Awamutu. The franchise covers Waipā and parts of Hamilton.

HOW YOUR LINES CHARGES SUPPORT A SAFER, STRONGER WAIPĀ

Have you looked at your power bill and wondered what ‘fixed charges’ cover? Often referred to as lines charges, these are the costs of delivering electricity across the local network to your home, farm or business. They help pay for the poles, wires, transformers and substations that keep power flowing. While your electricity retailer sends the bill, that fixed-charge portion is passed on to Waipā Networks to help maintain, operate and improve the local network. With electricity costs under pressure, we know any increase matters. Line charges help cover the work required to maintain, operate and upgrade the Waipā network so it stays safe, resilient and ready for growth across our district.

HOW YOUR DOLLAR WORKS

Here’s a simple breakdown of what line charges help fund and why it matters to you.

Tree trimming

Our Waikato Tree Services crews work yearround to keep vegetation clear of power lines. Trees and other vegetation are responsible for around a quarter of unplanned outages in Waipā each year, particularly during severe weather. Proactive trimming helps reduce the chance of outages, protects property, and keeps people safe when conditions are at their worst.

Fault crews

Keeping the power on takes people. Our skilled fault crews are on call 24/7, responding to everything from localised faults to largescale outages. They’re often working in difficult conditions to restore power across the region as quickly and safely as possible.

New poles and lines

As Waipā continues to grow, we’re upgrading and strengthening the network to support new homes, businesses and industry. Replacing ageing equipment and building extra capacity helps reduce the risk of faults, improve resilience in severe weather, and support more connections safely.

Smart technology

From real-time fault detection to modern grid systems, we’re investing in smart technology that helps us spot issues sooner, respond faster, and plan upgrades better, improving reliability now and into the future.

Community-owned, community-focused

We’re owned by the Waipā Networks Trust, which means we operate for the benefit of our communities, not external shareholders.

Your line charges support the day-to-day running of the network and the long-term investment needed to keep it safe and reliable. Because we’re community-owned, any surplus can also be returned to customers through the Trust.

“Every cent is carefully spent to keep your electricity safe, reliable, and ready for whatever tomorrow brings.”

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE GRID

Our team are your neighbours, friends and whānau. They’re the people working in the rain, the heat, and sometimes in the early hours of the morning to keep Waipā switched on.

Much of their work happens behind the scenes, but the impact is felt every day. Line charges help fund their training, equipment and safety, because when they’re protected, so are you.

WHY IT MATTERS

Transpower manages the national grid, while Waipā Networks is responsible for the local lines, poles and equipment that deliver electricity safely and reliably to homes, businesses, and farms across our region. Alongside maintaining what we have, we’re strengthening the network to help Waipā handle storms, support growth, and adapt to changing energy needs.

Line charges help us:

• Support growing communities and local businesses

• Respond quickly to faults and minimise outages

• Prepare for and respond to extreme weather

• Support local jobs and skills

• Invest in community well-being

• Build a smarter, more sustainable network for the future.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR LINE CHARGES ARE WORKING FOR WAIPĀ?

To understand what’s changing and when, visit our website for the latest information on pricing and the work programme it supports. You can also explore our 100-year history, meet the people behind the power, and see how community ownership makes a difference.

If you’re worried about power costs, your electricity retailer can help you check available plans and support options.

Follow us on social media to see your lines charges in action.

Artists bookend festival

By Viv Posselt

Seventy well-known New Zealand artists showcased their work at the Town Hall last weekend to coincide with the start of this year’s Cambridge Autumn Festival.

The exhibition and sale of 138 original pieces was organised by the Cambridge Art Society. It is one of two exhibitions organised by the society each year; the second is held later in the year and is a members-only affair.

Society president Lynn Waters said the 70 artists involved came from around the country. She described the standard of art as ‘mind-boggling’ and said the three-day event had taken around five months to organise.

When opening the exhibition Waikato regional councillor Liz Stolwyk said the fact it was an established part of the annual Cambridge Autumn Festival offered real benefits in attracting top artists to town. She thanked the society for bringing an ‘incredible mix of artists’ to Cambridge for the event.

Rather than present

awards, art galleries issued certificates to their preferred entries.

Heritage Gallery selected Mark Oliver Brawn’s oil painting, Welcome to Britain; Hot Shots to Go selected Lynn Fuller’s pastel work, Stillness in Light; and Inspirit Gallery chose Glenda Davis’ acrylic work, Tears For The Ancestors and the Distance Between.

The Cambridge Art Society will round off its involvement in the Autumn Festival this weekend with

its participation in the twoday Passion for Art festival tour of 12 local artists and studios.

The Society’s studio and gallery in Thornton Rd will be open on both days, with some first-time events planned for Sunday. These will include society members offering painting for children on the lawns under the oaks, complete with free canvases, brushes and paints, while the adults can enjoy coffees and music by classical guitarist Davie Hotere from noon.

‘Stuck in a rut…?’

By Murray Smith, Bridges Church

Having written about old sayings and describing their origins previously in this column, I hoped a few words about “Stuck in a rut” might be informative and offer food for thought.

The metaphor originates from the period of time in America between the 1840’s to late 1860’s when massive migration occurred with pioneers heading westward in droves, journeying in covered wagons. Those “mobile homes” bore no resemblance to luxury campervans and wilderness explorers trundling through town today! Their lot was tough, gruelling and uncomfortable.

Drawn by oxen or horses, thousands of wagons conveyed over half a million settlers through wilderness in pursuit of fresh opportunities and a new way of life. Pioneering the west was ‘wild and dangerous’. Arduous at many levels, it was the hope of a better life that made undertaking this trek worth tolerating the discomfort and risk.

As this expansion took place, the collective impact of thousands of iron ‘rims’ of wooden wagon wheels all bearing down into the same sandstone trails created ruts overtime that were anything from 50cm deep to over 1.5 metres deep. Difficult

terrain made the journey slow and unpleasant as evidenced by places where descending made it necessary to lock the wheels, scouring particularly distinctive ruts. Wagon wheel ruts carved by pioneering travellers remain clearly visible today and are protected as National Historic Landmarks offering a tangible portrayal of the endurance of those early migrants.

After 1869, with the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad, the trails were no longer used. But to

Continued page 8

THE DENTURE MAN

Public consult on subdivision

Waipā District Council has notified the public about a proposed private plan change that will pave the way for 1250 homes to be built on almost 100 hectares on the southeastern edge of Leamington.

Milan Park Stud Limited wants to rezone 98.6 hectares of rural-zoned land used for equine activities and grazing to enable the building of medium density residential development. Nearly half of the property lies within an area earmarked for future residential growth after 2035 and is designated as deferred residential, while the remainder is zoned rural.

District plan and growth manager Wendy Robinson told last week’s Cambridge Community Board meeting the application would be publicly notified.

Board chair Charlotte FitzPatrick, in in her monthly column in The News in February, said the board would oppose the change and “continue advocating for a more considered, coordinated approach to growth”.

Cambridge ward councillor Pip Kempthorne said people did not understand what a private plan change was.

It is a formal request made by an individual, company, or organisation to a council to alter an operative district or regional plan under the Resource Management Act. Robinson said the pubic could make submissions on the application ahead of hearings and a decision.

ON SHAKY GROUND

Shop at Cambridge Tiles and support a locally owned business, and your local tradespeople.

Visit our new website which showcases our outstanding range of tiles as well as offering trend and design inspiration, valuable tips and advice on FAQs.

Invisible battles

By Janine Krippner

How we support each other contributes to the strength of our communities. What does this have to do with hazards and disasters? Stronger communities respond and recover better, and this includes caring for our most vulnerable.

It is always a good time for a reminder that we have no idea what is going on in other people’s lives, so it is best to simply act with kindness and compassion. We live in a world where people are emboldened by being awful to others online, and this can seep into everyday life.

A

nights she ends up in the ER because of the risk of accidentally overdosing on pain medication when a flare happens. When pain gets that severe, she cannot stop it on her own.

Cambridge Tree Trust

Cambridge Tree Trust

www.treetrust.org.nz

As someone with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which for me means symptoms including pain every day, I know all too well how one can appear happy and healthy on the outside but is facing an invisible battle.

Five-finger (Neopanax/ Pseudopanax arboreum)

Five-finger (Neopanax/ Pseudopanax arboreum)

Hoheria - Houhere or lacebark

This month I came across a beautiful Houhere on the edge of the bush in Gudex Park on Maungakawa, standing in full flower, sweetly scented and buzzing with bees. Searching in books and online I have discovered that there are several forms of Hoheria, namely H. populnea, H. sexstylosa and H. angustifolia, each with their own geographical distribution throughout New Zealand. However it seems that the Waikato is home to all three varieties, and for the life of me I cannot tell which one this is. Their normal range is wide, from coastal lowlands to riparian forest margins in montane gullies. I also learned that it is favoured by beekeepers as a late season source of nectar and pollen, and indeed I could see why; there are not a lot of flowering trees around in March and April. I don’t know why we don’t make more of this smallish tree in our gardens. It was much admired by botanists sailing with British ships near the Bay of Islands in the 1820s and 1830s. They collected samples to take home and Hoheria became popular in British gardens from the nineteenth

Cambridge

century onwards. There was even one planted in the garden of the Queen Mother. The tree grows to 8 or 12 metres, enjoys sun or semi-shade, is resistant to dry and to wind, and is recommended by Fiona Eadie in her most helpful book, 100 Best Native Plants for New Zealand Gardens. She recommends using it as a shade tree underplanted with Astelia banskii, native irises, Blechnum procerum or (if you are brave enough) Muehlenbeckia axillaris.

Christie Reiser, a scientist and one of my closest colleagues and friends, lives with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS. This is the most painful condition known to humankind, also called the suicide disease for reasons that you can probably imagine.

Essentially, what is a 10/10 pain for a normal person, doesn’t touch what people like Christe go through daily. If you were to amputate a toe or finger with no anaesthesia, that pain is less than what they live with. In fact, she is looking to get her leg amputated with the hope that it helps, even though that is not a guaranteed outcome.

Christie is what we would call high functioning. She is also a project manager, overseeing difficult projects with her own team. Additionally, she is a helpful and present friend. If you didn’t know the reality, you would have no idea that she struggles with this disease every single day. Some

To simplify a complex journey, this began with a simple trip that tore a ligament in her ankle. This set off a string of events, including ankle surgery, that led to surviving with this. This can happen to anybody. Like with many chronic illnesses, there is still no understanding of how this disease works. What is known is that this involves damaged nerves, causing severe nerve pain that can have implications for the entire body.

Because Christie lives in the USA, the cost of surviving is incredibly high. After insurance, it costs her $2,000-$3,000 a month for medications and necessary care. She has upwards of around 20 medical appointments per month due to the controlled substances that keep her alive, side-effects of those drugs, and fighting to find some way of reducing the constant pain.

What people who don’t live with pain or illness might not understand, is the resulting sheer physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. Just going out takes a lot of planning. Christie is dealing with all of this while holding a full-time job. She is an incredible example of how someone might look fine, but we truly cannot judge what other people are going through. Being a supportive community works not only in everyday life, but it leaves us more resilient should disaster strike.

‘Stuck in a rut…?’

Continued from page 7

this day the reference of getting stuck in a rut remains. It describes life having become stale or being entrenched in patterns or situations from which you have little ability to extricate yourself. A ‘rut’ can become so deep in life that it’s seemingly impossible to change direction.

rut deepens, so does the despair. Becoming stuck in a rut, bound by old habits and unhelpful behaviours that seem impossible to break or climb out of, takes many people into purposeless existences and significant depression.

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

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

Sometimes there were signs at the beginning of wagon trails that alluded to this predicament…. “Choose your rut carefullyyou’ll be in it for the next 1500 miles”.

Some perhaps saw safety and direction in following a well-worn path, since it gave reassurance that they were on the correct route to their destination.

However, these days, nothing positive is suggested by being ‘stuck in a rut’. It often describes dealing with the real-life experience of being in a job or situation that is unproductive, boring or restrictive. As the

It’s been said that a rut is a grave with the ends kicked out. The good news is that nobody has to stay stuck in a rut that they wished they had never chosen. That rut does not have to become a grave.

There’s hope for changing patterns and ‘cutting a new groove’… there’s a pathway out of addiction or some compulsive trench. This hope comes from Jesus and it’s explicit in His self-claimed title, ‘The Way’. When we feel our rut is insurmountable, He offers strength, hope and freedom. Choosing the ‘Way’ over ‘the rut’ can herald a fresh beginning for anyone.

Why we love Cambridge

By Charlotte FitzPatrick, Chair, Cambridge Community Board

I’ve taken some time away from Cambridge to be in Auckland, supporting my husband through major surgery. Being away from home, work and family routines has given me a fresh perspective on where we live and what we often take for granted.

There’s so much to love about Cambridge. I think the sense of community here, people looking out for each other and the countless hours given by locals to our social fabric is next level. I’ve also had time to reflect on things we often debate.

One moment that stuck with me was paying $8 to park for 30 minutes in Newmarket. It may have been my lack of local knowledge, but it still came as a shock. It made me think about some of the parking conversations we’ve been having locally. Some residents, for example, have suggested a parking building in Cambridge. What would that look like in practice, and would residents be comfortable paying commerciallevel fees to do everyday essentials or park for work?

Coming home also put traffic congestion into perspective. Yes, Cambridge has busy periods, but in general, our town still offers accessibility and ease that many places don’t. We can usually get across town in a reasonable amount of time, run errands without too much stress, and support local businesses without it feeling like hard work.

The reality is that our congestion and funding requests to mitigate it may not stack up against many other centres. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan ahead. Cambridge Connections is critical, and I have no doubt that thoughtful, practical suggestions have been put forward during engagement on how we can improve

accessibility while protecting what works well.

Time away has also reinforced just how beautiful and liveable

Cambridge is. Access to parks, swimming facilities, places to walk the dog, connected pathways, clean public toilets, a wellused library and community spaces are not luxuries. They’re fundamental to daily life here.

That reflection comes as council begins workshops on the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan, which sets out how services, projects, and activities will be delivered over the next decade and how they’ll be funded. With cost pressures, rate capping, and clear public expectations around affordability, the mayor and councillors will be asked what trade-offs they’re willing or unwilling to make.

Submissions also open this week on Proposed Private Plan Change 37 Rider Park Structure Plan, which proposes to rezone 98 hectares of land from Rural and Deferred Residential to Medium Density Residential, enabling around 1250 new houses and two new neighbourhood centres.

Growth brings opportunity, but adds pressure, not just on infrastructure, but on access to energy, doctors, schools, recreation facilities and community services. We must plan sensibly.

Now’s the time to start thinking about where you would accept change, and where you wouldn’t. Read the plan change information, make a submission, or talk with the Community Board, so we can advocate on your behalf in an informed and responsible way.

Bring the bulldozer in

By Peter Nicholl

The economic news in the last few weeks has been depressing.

Earlier in the year the media was full of stories about finally being able to see signs of an economic recovery in New Zealand. Some of these signs have proved to be false and others have been trampled on by recent global events.

It was revealed recently that the growth in our GDP in the December quarter was only 0.2 per cent - below most commentators’ expectations. It was also lower than our population growth so that on a per capita basis our GDP actually fell.

More recently, war started again in the Middle East. All forecasts regarding economic growth and inflation have had to be put into the shredder. People are redoing their forecasts but with two important variables, how wide the war will spread and how long it will go, highly uncertain, these forecasts will be hopeful ones at best.

But what should worry politicians and people in New Zealand is that our anaemic economic performance in the December quarter was not caused by the war in the Middle East – it predated it. It also came in a period when the things that often drive New Zealand’s economic growth were actually positive.

The Government had lowered tax rates in 2023. Our international terms of trade have been good, with high prices for dairy and meat products. The Reserve Bank had lowered our interest rates much further than most other countries, despite inflation being near, or even over the top, of their target range of 1-3 per cent.

If the New Zealand economy is likened to a car, these three things all act as accelerators.

Yet the New Zealand economic car didn’t even get out of first gear. Clearly, there are one or more brakes involved that slowed the car. What is the biggest brake on the New Zealand economic car? It is our lousy productivity. This is not a new problem here. It has been our major economic problem for decades. But no Government in the last 20 years or more have addressed it in any serious way. Indeed, the predominant policy focus has been to add more and more costly rules and regulations that stifle initiative, add costs and drive our productivity backwards.

When I was working in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) the then High Representative Paddy Ashdown with a great deal of public fanfare set up a Bulldozer Committee to eliminate unnecessary and redundant regulations. I was a member of his Bulldozer Committee.

It didn’t actually work very well in BiH –but it was a good idea. New Zealand needs to take a bulldozer to the enormous load of costly rules and regulations that are imposed on private sector businesses and citizens in New Zealand.

The dreaded word stagflation has started reappearing in our media recently. Stagflation is a situation where negative growth and high inflation occur at the same time.

The traditional tools of fiscal and monetary policy can’t address both problems at the same time. There is only one set of policy tools that can address low growth and high inflation at the same time: that is to take measures that will improve our productivity.

Get Gardening

The last of the summer crops should now be getting harvested so it's time to clear out the spent plants and replenish soil by adding compost. Replant the vege garden with winter staples, including broccoli, cabbage, spinach, silverbeet, cauliflower, celery and leeks. It is a good idea to rotate brassica crops each year. Try to plant a legume or root crop where you had brassicas last year, this helps to minimise nutrient depletion in the soil. Freshen up the flower garden by adding pansies, polyanthus, primulas, poppys and violas. There is an abundant range of varieties and colours. It’s a great time to get blueberries, feijoas and citrus planted too. Now is the time to give your citrus, berries and fruit trees some fertiliser, they will treat you next season for it. Happy gardening!

20th to 29th March 2026

We publish Terry Carson’s winning entry in the 2026 Cambridge Autumn Festival writing competition – a story about a man with two faces.

Father and Son

And remember that a cup of tea and other light refreshments will be served in the hall at the conclusion of the service. Martin’s family warmly invite you all to stay and share memories. We are gathered here today to celebrate the long life of Martin Braithwaite. Although we didn’t see much of him here at St Martha’s it is appropriate that the service is held here today. The church is the centre of the community that Martin served so faithfully for over sixty years. He took up farming here just after the war. He was a war hero, who had suffered as a POW. He never forgot those he served with and was the first to help out any ex-serviceman down on his luck. Martin was the district’s longest serving RSA president. He helped many people and was always the first to lend a fellow farmer a hand. What was Grandad really like, Dad? What do you mean?

chores to do seven days a week. Once your Uncle Pete was older, we often had to milk the cows by ourselves at the weekends, or the nights when Grandad went out to his many meetings. We got into a lot of trouble if anything went wrong.

Was he harder than other fathers, Dad?

You see these marks on my forearms? Yes.

Yeah, if anything went wrong, he would lash out at the nearest person. He’d use his fists, a stick, even the washing down hose. He’d thrash whoever was closest. It didn’t matter whose fault it was. I suppose I shouldn’t be telling you this. He was your grandfather after all. Is that why you have never hit Allie or myself, Dad?

Yes, I was determined to bring my kids up different.

More than 20 events to enjoy! See full festival programme… concerts, exhibitions, children’s events, dance, workshops, Carnival Day, and more. www.cambridgeautumnfestival.co.nz Fees may apply for online tickets

Very rough land. He wanted to break it in quickly and would burn off the scrub. He always wanted things done as soon as possible and he would send us boys into the area to haul out logs and clean up what was left. The fires were hardly out, and we often got burnt.

What did Grandad say?

Well, I hardly knew him at all. We never saw him.

We saw him at the hospital, just before he died.

Yes Dad, but that was only the second time I had ever seen him. Why did we never visit him?

Martin was a generous, much-loved man. He was a hard-working man who broke in several local farms. As well as his work on the farms and being President of the RSA, he served on school committees, the A & P Society, and was for many years our local councillor. He supported many causes. His family can be proud that many of his achievements will live on.

I don’t know Johnny. As I got older, we just didn’t get on. He was a hard man to know and work with…I guess you’d say.

Did you milk the cows, Dad. Yeah, I started getting them in when I was about six years of age. Then by about eight or nine, I had lots of

About what?

About the burns.

Said was our own damn fault for being careless. I don’t think he really cared. Once your Uncle Pete’s gumboots almost caught fire and he said if they were ruined Pete would have to work in bare feet.

Martin Braithwaite was a compassionate man. He had seen much suffering on the war and wanted a better life for everyone in the peace that followed. I have already mentioned his work with the RSA. Then, there was his work with the SPCA. Martin, like St Francis, could not bear cruelty to animals. His animal husbandry was second to none. He won many prizes for his stock at the A & P shows. He loved his working dogs.

I guess it was the beatings I most remember.

Beatings?

Martin was a keen sportsman in what little time he had. Before the war he played for his province and was an All Black trialist. He never missed listening to an All Black test, and later in life could always be found at the Rec ground on a Saturday cheering on the local team. He was also a keen fisherman.

Did Grandad talk to you about footy, Dad. Did you play?

Only during school time. I was once picked for the under twelve Roller Mills team, but Grandad said I couldn’t be spared from the farm. I never…got much of a chance, I guess. But you did go fishing, I remember you once saying that to us.

Oh yeah, the fishing. It wasn’t really for fun, although Pete and I enjoyed it. We fed the family and made some money from all the flatties we speared sometimes. We’d often sell sacks of them. We made the spears ourselves from sticks and number 8 wire sharpened. They worked well.

Martin Braithwaite was also chairman of the local hospital board for several years back in the 1970s. It was his passionate advocacy and trips to Wellington, that kept it open. We owe him a lot for the local medical services we enjoy.

It was fishing that was responsible for my crook foot.

How come, Dad.

Continued next page

Well one night your Uncle Peter and I were out spearing flounder, and we started fooling about. Pete threw the spear at my foot, and I didn’t move fast enough. The point went right through my foot. God, it hurt. When we got home, I could barely walk. The old man went mad. He belted Pete and me with a fence batten. Mum kept us home from school for a few days so the teacher wouldn’t see our bruises. I got blood poisoning, and he wouldn’t let Mum take me to the doctor. Finally, probably for the only time in her life, she stood up to him. The doctor took one look and had me rushed to hospital. They reckoned another couple of days, and I would have lost my foot.

It is a privilege to be able to address this congregation today to pay tribute to such a selfless, caring man who will be so sadly missed in our community. Our love goes to his family. It was only six months ago we gathered here to farewell Mary, his wife of nearly sixty years. I think once she departed, Martin slowly faded away. We offer our support to Bill

who is here today representing the family who are scattered throughout the country. They loved and respected their father and were blessed to have such fine parents.

What made you stop seeing Grandad? Was it something to do with Mum?

Sort of Johnny. When Grandad found out I was interested in a girl who was a townie, he told me I had to stay home and forget her. He had never met her. I was twenty-one. I argued and he hit me. I hit him back and he ordered me out and to never return. I’ve felt guilty for hitting him all my life. But he used to beat you all the time.

Yeah, but he was my father. So was that when you got together with Mum.

No, I didn’t really know her all that well. She was the new local schoolteacher. I’d never met her folks. I left the farm late at night, slept in the Johnson’s barn, and got a ride with the tanker driver through to Taihape early in the morning. I had no money and no idea what to do. I slept rough for

a few nights until I got a job and was able to move into a boarding house.

Did you ring Mum? No, I didn’t have her number, and she had gone home for the holidays - lived miles away. I was sitting on my own Christmas morning feeling miserable, when she turned up with her father. She had tracked me down. They took me back to their place. For the first time in my life, I saw a real family Christmas. Her parents treated me like a son, gave me presents… they didn’t even know me. In the middle of Christmas dinner… I broke down and sobbed like a child.

Is that why Nana lives with us? Yes, she sorted me out, Saved my life, I reckon. I’d walk over hot coals for that woman. Your Mum is marvellous too, but you know that. Did you love him?

Who?

Grandad, your father. I…let’s go and have a cup of tea. I really should talk to the old neighbours, seeing I’m the only family member here.

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Experienced professionals. Local specialists. Quality advice.

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Cambridge | 07 827 5147

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Hamilton | 07 848 1222 www.lewislawyers.co.nz

Hamilton | 07 848 1222 www.lewislawyers.co.nz

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Magic round for Waipā

By Jesse Wood

Leamington and Pirongia both recorded wins on Saturday as the Waikato Club Rugby division 1A season got underway at FMG Stadium Waikato.

The magic round at the stadium saw five games across two days.

Ōhaupō had a week one bye.

Leamington and Suburbs were the first teams of the season to clash.

The Waipā side recorded a 29-19 win over the Flagstaff-based club – a welcome start for the returning head coach Wayne Bootten.

Drew Bootten, Robert Day and hooker Liam Rickwood crossed the chalk for Leamington. Day added a conversion and four penalty goals off the boot for a 19-point haul.

In the next game, Pirongia come out on top in the battle of the mountain men. They beat Taupiri 24-12.

The white and black hoops scored

four tries to two in the first match of their 150th year. Ōhaupō prepare for their first games this weekend, hosting Taupiri while Leamington is at home to Te Rapa.

All division 1B teams all kick their seasons off this Saturday too.

“I know that watching all of the other teams at the Super Round last week has got the boys excited to get our season underway, especially with our first game being at home,” Ōhaupō head coach Connor LarsenCross said.

“We had a good preseason with some challenging fixtures along with welcoming in some new faces, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how that all comes together on Saturday.”

Leamington’s colts beat Eastern Suburbs 33-19 in a preseason encounter.

Hautapu, Kihikihi, Te Awamutu

Marist and Te Awamutu Sports teams’ competitions are yet to start.

Walker and Bearman celebrate

Paris Olympic Games riders Leila Walker and Rico Bearman claimed the elite titles at the BMXNZ National Championships in Te Awamutu at the weekend.

Cambridge’s Walker earned her second national elite title with three straight wins in the threemoto format which mixed the best elite and under-23 riders.

She grabbed the holeshot in all three motos and was never threatened.

Walker finished clear of fellow international elite rider, Megan Williams (Rotorua) and Te Awamutu’s Baylee Luttrell and Cambridge’s Brooke Penny who won the under-23 national honours.

Wilson

second

Two 30-something mountain bike legends showed that class is permanent as they dominated the Cycling New Zealand Cross-country Championships in Rotorua at the weekend..

In the elite men’s race, Cooper moved into the lead on lap three after a challenging pre-race but from there was never threatened, going on to win in 1:30.55, to be 1:24 clear of 2023 national champion Matthew Wilson from the Te Miro club.

His clubmate Kayley McMillan won the women’s Under-19 race and Harley Bell was second in the men’s Under-19.

“I was super-pleased to put down some good laps, feel good on the bike and enjoyed the amazing crowd so close to home too,” said Walker.

A busy year looms – she has some UCI World Cups in June in Europe, the world championships in in Brisbane the following monoth – and Olympic Games qualifying late in the year. North Harbour’s Bearman headed off a trio of under-23 riders, Finn Cogan (Cambridge), Jesse Green (Christchurch) and Jack Greenough (Cambridge).

Tons all around

Cambridge Cricket Club did the treble on Saturday when three club members knocked up quick fire centuries.

Kaito Hollinshead, 11, smashed 25 fours and two sixes on his way to 129 off 65 balls as his year seven and eight team cruised to a 109 win over Warriors in Hamilton.

On Victoria Square the premier men secured a place in the Waikato Valley premier final this weekend against Morrinsville Piako with centuries from Dan Coles and Flynn Morey against St Paul’s Collegiate. Coles’ 119 off 148 balls included 16 fours and six sixes - Morey then hit 102 off 81 balls with nine fours and six sixes.

Fuel costs add up quickly, but small changes can improve efficiency. Keeping your tyres inflated correctly helps reduce drag

Accelerate smoothly and do your best to maintain steady speeds wherever possible, avoiding unnecessary braking. Removing roof racks, bike carriers, and excess weight reduces wind resistance and lowers consumption. Using cruise control on open roads can also help. Regular servicing

keeps your engine running efficiently, particularly clean air filters and fresh oil. Planning trips to avoid heavy traffic makes a big difference too. These simple habits combine to stretch each tank further, saving money and reducing your environmental impact while driving around New Zealand.

Spotlight on Cambridge

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• Footwear, clothing, handbags, and accessories. www.mavismick.co.nz

Where

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

VERDUROSA POMODORO, MOZZARELLA, SEASONAL VEGES, EVO $22

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

FIVE STAGS

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

PIEDINA ROMAGNOLA

Five Stags at 9 Campbell St in Leamington is styled on a hunting lodge; where you can enjoy the warmth of a fire, catch the game with mates over a few drinks or enjoy their well-known menu featuring some of the best foods New Zealand has to offer from slow roasted beef, venison burgers, pork ribs, to southern fried chicken, and the best fresh fish.

Cambridge

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

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PUFFY BREAD EVO, FLAKY SALT $13

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New doggy daycare Zoomies opens near Cambridge

ZOOMIES

Zoomies Doggy Daycare is set in park like grounds just outside of Cambridge. Zoomies has 3 indoor/outdoor areas with dedicated small and big dog environments to suit everybody’s needs. Regular Open Days, enrolment forms available www.zoomiescambridge.co.nz

Garethand Carley Williams haverecentlyopenedZoomies Doggy Daycare, which is set in park-like grounds just outside Cambridge town.

JOE’S GARAGE

ZOOMIES

‘Your

Joe’s Garage, at 107 Swayne Rd – “halfway between the high school and the motorway,” is part of a nation-wide franchise. From cooked breakfast, a good range of burgers, fish and chips, pizza, and steak meals, to a wide variety in the cabinet of sweet and savoury, hot and cold foods, Joe’s Garage open seven days a week, will have something to suit.

outdoor doggy daycare

Zoomies has 2 indoor/outdoor areas with dedicated small dog and big dog environments to suit everybody’s needs. “Zoomies has always been a dream of ours and we purchased our Victoria Road property with the purpose of opening a predominantly outdoor daycare for dogs. It took us several years to nd the right property, go through the consent process and all of the necessary construction, but we couldn’t be prouder of how it has turned out. We are excited to welcome new dogs to enjoy the beautiful space we have created”.

Grass to run, where dogs have fun’

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Five Stags Leamington is the home of Stonegrill in the Waikato

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“We have a comprehensive website, zoomiescambridge.co.nz where you will be able to ll out the enrolment form. We encourage all of our new owners to bring their dogs for a visit to one of our open days, people can also follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to get an idea of the things we get up to on a daily basis”

Contact/Txt 027 636 72 97

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Last week

Dance Inspired NZ

Classes:

Monday - Cambridge Junior Rugby Club 7:30pm Beginners Salsa 8:15pm Beginners Bachata $10/class.

Thursday, BUPA St Kilda, Village Centre 11 am Dance Fitness (Older physique) $5/class.

Dance Inspired NZ 027 693 0268 • danceinspirednz@gmail.com www.danceinspired.co.nz

Across: 1. Sumac, 4. Detest, 8. Torpedo, 9. Aloof, 10. Sit up, 11. Scarlet, 12. Amount, 14. Twinge, 17. Tremble, 19. Salve, 21. Roomy, 22. Inferno, 23. Astray, 24. Lucid.

Down: 1. Satisfactory, 2. Merit, 3. Cheapen, 4. Drowsy, 5. Tiara, 6. Swollen, 7. Off the record, 13. Onerous, 15. Wistful, 16. Verify, 18. Buyer, 20. Lyric.

CountryLife

CountryLife

CountryLife

Reach a targeted rural & lifestyle audience each month by advertising your business in CountryLife; featured inside the Cambridge News & Te Awamutu News

Reach a targeted rural & lifestyle audience each month by advertising your business in CountryLife; featured inside the Cambridge News & Te Awamutu News

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Distributed to EVERY rural & urban letter box across the Waipa region each month.

Distributed to EVERY rural & urban letter box across the Waipa region each month.

Distributed to EVERY rural & urban letter box across the Waipa region each month.

Next Publication Date: Thursday 16 April April Deadlines: Booking: Copy Setting: Finished Artwork: Tuesday 7 April

Wednesday 8 April Friday 10 April

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A Hidden Gem - Great Neighbourhood

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A Private Retreat - Perfect Floorplan

- Open-plan kitchen, dining, and family living area, which flows effortlessly out to the patio – perfect for alfresco dining.

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- Master suite- walk-in wardrobe, ensuite & doors to a sunny patio. Open Homes Saturday 12 - 12.30pm & Sunday 11 - 11.30am

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- Open-plan living space that flows seamlessly to a north-facing deck.

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Sliding doors open out to the large private garden, where fruit trees and vegetable boxes create your very own slice of farm-to-table living.

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Inspired indoor-outdoor living

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and surrounding areas

MEETING NOTICES

The following meeting was cancelled in February 2026Thursday, February 19, 2026 Pirongia Ward Committee

The following emergancy and extraordinary meeting took place in February 2026Monday, February 16, 2026

Thursday, February 26, 2026 Extraordinary Pirongia Ward Committee

PROPOSED PLAN CHANGE

Clause 5 of Schedule 1, Resource Management Act 1991

The following private plan change to the Operative Waipā District Plan has been accepted under delegated authority for public notification by Waipā District Council: Proposed private plan change 37: Rider Park structure plan area In summary, the proposed private plan change request seeks to change the Operative Waipā District Plan by:

• Rezoning 45 hectares of the C5 Growth Cell, from Deferred Residential Zone to Medium Density Residential Zone

• Rezoning 52 hectares of land adjoining the C5 Growth Cell, from Rural Zone to Medium Density Residential Zone

• Additions to and/or amendment of provisions within Sections 2A, 15 and 21 of, and inserting a new appendix for the Rider Park Structure Plan into the Waipā District Plan

• Amending the Planning Maps

The subject land is bounded by the Leamington greenbelt to the west, Waikato River to the north, Maungatautari Road to the south and farmland to the east. The land is comprised in seven records of title legally described as Lots 3 and 4 DPS 60022, Lots 1 and 2 DP 409671, Lot 1 DP 529457, Lot 2 DP 506407 and Lot 2 DP 476497.

The full proposal can be viewed:

• Online at www.waipadc.govt.nz/planchange37

The details of this meeting including the subject matter and resolutions can be found on the council website under the Meetings and Agendas page.

The following meeting was cancelled in March 2026Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Road Closure Sub-Committee

8.15am

TE AWAMUTU

The following meetings will be held in April 2026Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Strategic Planning and Policy Committee

9.15am Council Chambers

Bank Street TE AWAMUTU

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Workshop and Briefings Day 10.15am Council

101 Bank Street TE AWAMUTU

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 Service Delivery Committee 9.15am Council Chambers

Thursday, April 16, 2026 Chief Executive Performance Management Committee

• At Waipā District Council offices in Te Awamutu (101 Bank Street) and Cambridge (23 Wilson Street)

Submissions

Any person can make a submission by sending an electronic or written submission to Waipā District Council by one of the following methods:

• Online: Download Form 5 on the Waipā District Council website at www.waipadc.govt.nz/planchange37

• Send to: Freepost 167662, Waipā District Council, Private Bag 2402, Te Awamutu 3840

• Email: districtplan@waipadc.govt.nz

• Deliver to: Waipā District Council, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu or 23 Wilson Street, Cambridge

The submission must be in the form as set out in Schedule 1 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees, and Procedure) Regulations 2003 and must state whether you wish to be heard on your submission. Copies of this form are available from Waipā District Council.

Submissions close at 5.00pm on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. Steph O’Sullivan - Chief Executive For and on behalf of the Waipā District Council

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Cambridge Community Board 6.00pm Cambridge Service Centre 23 Wilson Street CAMBRIDGE

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Thursday, April 30, 2026 Pirongia Ward Committee 4.00pm

AGISTMENT

DAIRY

COUNSELLOR

Kainga Aroha Community House in Te Awamutu is seeking an experienced Counsellor for 8 hours per week with possible flexible hours. Start around the end of April 2026 with some training beforehand. Contact office@ka.org.nz for further information of the role and application closing date.

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY. Any ute, van, 4WD, truck or car. Any condition doesn’t have to be going. Cash paid. Ph/txt Kevin 027 299 6165

Vaetoe Marketing and IT

2 Albert Street, Cambridge 07 827 7649 www.cambridgefunerals.co.nz

Schedule 10, Local Government Act 1974.

Waipā District Council intends to consider temporarily closing the following roads to ordinary vehicular traffic for the period and times indicated below for Fieldays 2026:

Dates: Wednesday, 10 June to Saturday, 13 June 2026

Road Closures (5.45am to 11.00am and 1.00pm to 8.00pm):

• Mystery Creek Road - from Mystery Creek Events Centre Gate 2 to Mellow Road

• Mystery Creek Road - from Mellow Road to McEldownie Road

• McEldownie Road - from Kaipaki Road to Mystery Creek Road

• Mellow Road - full length

Road Closure (5.45am to 11.00am only):

• Raynes Road (eastbound lane only) - from Sharpe Road to Airport Road (SH21)

There will be no detours in place during the proposed road closures. During the period of closure, provision will be made for emergency services.

Any person who wishes to object to the proposed closure may do so in writing to events@waipadc.govt.nz or Events Team, Waipā District Council, 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu, no later than Friday, 10 April 2026.

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

Steph O’Sullivan Chief Executive

SOUTHCOMBE, Kay Rita

– Passed away peacefully at Waikato Hospital on Monday, 23rd March 2026, aged 74 years. Loved mother of Debbie and Stephen. Nana of Nicole, Kyan, Quinn, Cody, and Chloe, and great nana of Lucas and Gracie. Now reunited with her precious friend Honey. A service to celebrate Kay’s life will be held at Trinity St Paul’s Union Parish, Queen Street, Cambridge, on Thursday, 26th March 2026 at 11:00am, followed by burial at the Hautapu Public Cemetery. Messages to the Southcombe family may be sent c/- 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge 3434 or left in Kay’s online tribute book at www.grinters.co.nz

Gillies Street, Cambridge 07 827 2026 www.gibsonfunerals.co.nz

TOMSETT, Brian Spencer – Passed away peacefully on 11th of March 2026 (the eve of his 88th birthday.) Loved husband of Jean for almost 66 years. Loved Dad and Pa of Mark and Sarah, Craig and Kathryn and Deirdre and Grant Cameron. Also loved and proud Pa of 11 grandchildren and their partners and 7 great grandchildren. At Brian’s request a private cremation has been held. The family are so grateful to all the staff at Bupa St Kilda Care Home, Cambridge, for their love and support to Brian and our family.

827 6037 3 Hallys Lane, Cambridge www.grinters.co.nz