Thieves out at night have stolen eight bikes provided by Te Awamutu Primary School for pupils.
In 2024, a bike and pump track were installed at the school and alongside those, bikes were purchased to give children an opportunity to use the facility in school time.
“It’s annoying. The actions of a few people have affected the rest of the community,” principal Sharon Griffiths said.
“Eight bikes were taken. Four large black adult bikes, three mid-size navy Trek bikes with turquoise handles and one red one.
“The kids were shocked and disappointed as soon as they realised the ramifications that there would be no bike track use.”
Griffiths said the police are doing their part and the school has started insurance processes.
“The kids won’t miss out but it’s come at a cost because of the insurance excess we have to pay,” Griffiths said.
“But we’ve also had such beautiful winter weather. It would have been prime weather for the kids to be out on the bikes at lunchtimes.
“While we’ve had to redo security systems
and re-store the bikes in different ways, that’s been off the table. They haven’t been able to use the track.”
The staff are appreciative of the community backing and have received numerous messages of tips and support.
“We’re very fortunate to have a really caring community base who use the bike track,” Griffiths said. “We’ve always promoted that because they act as a form of security and can prevent vandalism.
“It’s the old school neighbourhood watch system; it doesn’t matter if you’re part of Taps yet or not.
“People have an affinity for the school, and they want it to be a happy, safe environment for the community.”
Security footage shows that the bikes were removed from the container shed between 9.37pm and 10.13pm on May 17.
“We are fortunate that this is our first incident of theft in the year and a half to two years since we’ve had the bike track. As a result, we’ve beefed up security,” Griffiths said.
“If anybody was to see a cluster of bikes around the neighbourhood, down by the river or wherever, please contact the police.”
Te Awamutu Primary School principal Sharon Griffiths is disappointed her community and students after eight school bikes were taken recently.
Photo: Jesse Wood
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Music camp a success
By Jesse Wood
Te Awamutu Intermediate School recently held their annual music camp, an event organised by deputy principal and arts coordinator Sue Germann since 1992.
The school’s senior and junior symphonic bands, jazz band, choir, drumline and two rock bands were involved – 107 students overall.
The intensive two-day programme of workshops is designed to accelerate the progress of the school’s musicians across all abilities.
Germann leads the programme and accompanies several groups, the junior band is under the direction of Stewart Stanbridge and teacher Logan Kimber mentors the rock bands.
The symphonic band, jazz band, choir and
drumline are all under the direction of Tim Dent.
Dent joined the intermediate last year, bringing plenty of experience from his role as head of culture at Hamilton Boys’ High School.
Other staff involved include Brian Vyle, Emma Germann and Tami Lee Ward.
“It puts our young musicians in good stead for the run of performances and competitions that take place during terms three and four,” Kimber said.
“For our beginner musicians, it makes it possible for them to go from receiving their instruments and having their first lessons in term one, to taking the stage for the first time only a few short weeks later.
“For our more experienced players, usually Year 8s, it is an opportunity to continue to hone
Blue Light shows the way
This week I want to highlight the great work Blue Light is doing across Waipā. Blue Light is a charity that has supported youth programmes throughout New Zealand for more than 35 years. Its branches give young people positive alternatives and strategies to avoid becoming offenders or victims of crime by providing supervised cultural, sporting, social, and educational activities in drug, alcohol, and violencefree environments. The aim is to strengthen relationships between Police, young people, their families, and the wider community.
During the April school holidays, Cambridge Blue Light, supported by generous local sponsors, sent two Cambridge High School students on a leadership voyage with the NZ Sailing Trust. They spent four nights crewing on a superyacht alongside students from around the country, developing leadership, teamwork, sailing skills, and environmental awareness. Both students report benefiting greatly from the experience.
Last Thursday, Te Miro School and St Peter’s Catholic School represented Cambridge at the Waikato Blue Light Rural PCT Challenge, competing against schools from across Waikato and Coromandel. Teams of four (two boys, two girls) completed a Police vehicle challenge, detective tasks, fingerprint exercises, and the
Police Physical Competency Test (PCT). The PCT is the same obstacle course all police recruits must pass and maintain throughout their careers. The event fostered confidence, fitness, teamwork, and leadership. Waihi College took out the top spot.
In April 2026, Te Awamutu Blue Light was selected for a youth leadership exchange in the United States with the Kansas City Youth Police Athletic League, an organisation with similar goals. Youth Aid Officer senior constable Scott Miller and 15-year-old Maori Te Wake from Te Awamutu joined other New Zealand teens on the trip. They quickly bonded with their young American hosts over shared interests like the gym, ChickfilA, and Walmart.
The group visited police stations, youth facilities, the police academy, and more. The New Zealand students proudly shared their culture, leaving a lasting impression with their haka.
The activities of Blue Light would not be possible without the generous financial sponsorship of our Waipā communities and the time commitment of those individuals serving on the branch committees. We appreciate the opportunities this support enables us to provide youth.
• From Waipā to Kansas City – see Page 7
their skills, as well as share their knowledge with our younger players.”
The camp culminates in two concerts. One for the school and an evening show for whānau and the community.
“Our school consistently achieves a variety of accolades in the music space,” Kimber said.
“That is simply a result of the time and energy our young musicians and our staff invest in the process.
“Personally, I found the opportunity to work intensively with our two rock bands over the two days extremely valuable as we look to defend our National Bandquest title.”
The 2025 national bandquest final was held online. Regional winners submitted video performances for judging.
Te Awamutu Intermediate’s Thursday’s Cancelled were named first overall.
with Senior Constable DEB HANN
On flutes, left, Ellery Holm, Emily Ring and Aubrey Boensma
Tapuraka Dellow playing the saxophone at Te Awamutu Intermediate School’s music camp.
Sin bin warning
Waipā District Council says recidivist recycling offenders will lose their bins. The council says ratepayers are hit with a $600,000 bill every year because some residents put contaminated items – such as medical and animal waste - in their recycling bins. That results in entire truckloads of what should be recycling going to landfill. Residents whose bins are removed will be required to complete a recycling test and pay a reinstatement fee before they can use the recycling service again.
Website stats
Our news in brief columns have topped the web statistics for articles on the Te Awamutu News website.
Student nurse Anastacia Cuthers’ scholarship with Southern Cross Trust was second followed by a staff restructure at Waipā District Council, a January story about a converted Pirongia church and in fifth the confirmation of a 10.7 per cent rate rise. The home page is still the most visited followed by e-Editions, the pdf versions of your local newspaper
Pulling out the stops
Waikato Regional councillor Liz Stolwyk says she will look into complaints from regional bus users that stops have been dropped from the Cambridge, Kihikihi-Te Awamutu and King Country services without communication other than via the bus driver. Ōhaupō now has only one stop instead of two which left one person who spoke to The News having to go all the way to Te Awamutu and back again, a round trip of 22kms. This report follows similar complaints from Cambridge users. Do you now more? Email editor@goodlocal.nz
Fees rise
Hamilton City Council has confirmed fee rises for Hamilton Gardens. The entry fee to the enclosed gardens will be $27.50 for nonHamiltonians from October 1.
Trust wants vape limits
By Roy PiIott
A trust is calling for restrictions on vaping, citing Waikato regional survey data showing daily e-cigarette use rose from three to 12 per cent in the five years to 2025.
For Māori in Waikato, Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board says the 2024-25 estimate appears substantially higher, at around 28 per cent.
It warns market practices are driving nicotine addiction and undermining whānau wellbeing.
Tumu Whakarae of Te Tiratū, Brandi Hudson says the scale of harm across the region requires urgent action.
“Te Tiratū is extremely concerned about the widespread uptake of vaping products and the predatory marketing strategies used to lure our whānau into nicotine addiction,” she said.
“Vaping is not a harmless lifestyle choice. It is a rapidly normalised pathway into nicotine dependency for our young people, and we cannot afford to ignore what we are seeing
in our communities.”
The iwi partnership board comprises representatives from Pare Hauraki, Waikato, Raukawa, Te Nehenehenui, Ngāti Hāua (Taumarunui) and Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa.
Its Vaping Position Statement has been developed with technical advisor Associate Professor Andrew Waa and calls for vaping products to be made available on prescription only.
“Locally, our town mapping identifies vape retailers in Te Awamutu, Te Kūiti and ŌtorohangaKāwhia, alongside young Māori populations and visible respiratory pressure,” Waa said.
“That is why vaping needs to be treated as a local rangatahi health issue, not just a national policy debate. Māori whānau in Waikato already carry a significant respiratory burden, and youth vaping adds another preventable nicotine and respiratory risk.”
Te Awamutu was identified as having 10 vape retailers or tobaccolinked premises, Te Kūiti three, and
Ōtorohanga- Kāwhia two.
Primary Health Organisation data also shows in Te Awamutu 1008 Māori patients are registered with asthma, 670 in Te Kūiti and 433 in Ōtorohanga, the report says.
There are 121,000 Māori within the Waikato rohe covered by Te Tiratū Iwi Māori Partnership Board and almost half are under 25 and a significant proportion are rurally based.
“Te Tiratū monitoring shows an average of 215 Māori children aged 14 and under were hospitalised for asthma each year between 2020 and 2023, at 1.9 times the rate of nonMāori children,” the board said.
“This is compounded by high levels of deprivation, damp and mould-affected housing, lower rates of primary care enrolment, and inequitable access to youth cessation support, primary care, and trusted local services.”
The board says vapes should only be available as regulated therapies to support people who smoke to quit nicotine addiction or switch to a less harmful alternative.
It would support restricting access to vaping products to accredited health related services and regulating the maximum amount of nicotine in vape liquids.
It also wants vape products to be in standardised packaging, limits placed on the range of flavours and vaping cessation support services for people who vape.
A committed committee man
By Jesse Wood
Brian
Marcroft
has received the King’s Service Medal for services to the community - thanks to the advocacy of his late friend Alan Livingston.
Livingston, the former Waipā mayor who died in April, recognised the voluntary dedication by the man nicknamed “Chooky”.
The retired deer farmer has committed his life to committees, boards, coaching, planning and advocating for his beloved Ngāhinapōuri –and surrounding Waipā communities.
Marcroft, 84 has spent 77 years in the area, around five years at Saint Kentigern College and two years at Massey University.
“When I was at Massey, my father died aged 51 and I came back to the
farm, something I hadn’t planned on, but have never regretted,” Marcroft said.
“My dad had been on the Bobby Calf Committee as a Ngāhinapōuri representative. I stepped into his shoes and I suppose that’s what got me started.”
Marcroft was in his late teens and it got the ball rolling for his community involvement. He joined the Ngāhinapōuri Hall Society in 1963 and became chairman at age 21.
He oversaw the hall’s rebuild, fundraising and reconstruction.
“It was a major project. A lot of money was raised through stock sales and donations. Farmers, anyone in the district who could help were involved with a lot of the work done by volunteers working alongside the builder.”
Marcroft’s list of
committees and community involvement is astounding.
He has held governance roles in organisations including serving as trustee of Stewart Reid Memorial Park since 1974, an organiser of the Farm Labour Scheme, a committee member of Ngāhinapōuri Federated Farmers, serving on the dairy committee for 35 years and the Ngāhinapōuri School committee for 13 years.
“School reunions, I was the secretary of the school’s centenary in 1977 and the chairman for the 125th in 2002,” Marcroft said. “I hope to be able to go to the 150th next year, but I’ve stepped back from involvement.”
He was an inaugural member of Waikato Deer Farmers Association, and held various positions over 25 years.
His involvement in
sport includes 10 years as a committee member of Northern Districts’ Cricket.
Cricket and golf are both close to Marcroft’s heart.
Living just down the road from both Ngāhinapōuri Golf Club and Ngāhinapōuri Cricket Club made it an easy decision to keep being involved.
He is a life member of the golf club, cricket club, Waikato Eagles Society and Te Awamutu Vet Club.
Marcroft has been a Justice of the Peace since 1999.
In recent years he led the committee to form the Mangahia Catchment Charitable Trust, tasked with creating the Ngāhinapōuri walkway, linking the community to its history through nature.
“I’m still involved but leaving it to an enthusiastic group of younger people to lead the way now.”
Marcroft is indebted to Raewyn and his sons for their support over the years.
“All along the way, there’s been good people that I’ve been involved with. I am accepting this honour on their behalf as well.”
Rosetown Funerals
Brian Marcroft
Brandi Hudson
The Capelinhos eruption
By Janine Krippner
In 1957 the Azores islands, Portugal, saw a classic example of a Surtseyan eruption, one that came uncomfortably close to the island of Faial. Prior to this, the 1672–73 Cabeço do Fogo eruption resulted in three deaths when those poor souls were “overwhelmed by lava” while going to watch the activity.
A Surtseyan eruption occurs when the vent is in shallow water and the erupting lava interacts explosively with the water. This produces jets of volcanic ash – magma blown apart into glassy rock fragments –that are saturated with water so the black plume quickly collapses.
These black plumes are accompanied by white plumes that form when the water flashes to steam with the intense heat of the erupting magma. These collapsing plumes can then race across the water as deadly pyroclastic flows, or in this case we call this a pyroclastic surge.
Preceding the eruption was four days of felt seismicity. The Azores, like the Canary Islands and our own Auckland Volcanic Field, are volcanic fields where we cannot know where the next vent will appear. Where the eruption occurs influences the dangers that activity poses to communities.
On September 27 the eruption began below the sea, with four active vents 1.2 km off the northwest end of the island. Activity moved eastward over time, building a bridge of sorts to the island.
Heavy ashfall deposited fine volcanic rock over the western part of the island. Pyroclastic surges reached around one kilometre from the vent.
Once a cone builds up around these vents, forming a new island, the magma or lava
can be kept away from the sea water and the eruption changes style.
This led to lava fountaining and Strombolian activity, where gas produces more individual explosions, flinging lava away from the vent.
This eruption moved back and forth between these two styles throughout its duration.
Towards the end of the eruption, seismic activity increased and earthquakes damaged 508 houses and destroyed 273 - an important reminder that seismicity can cause significant damage quite independently of the more direct volcanic activity.
In the end, damage included the destruction of agricultural land, houses were half-buried in heavy volcanic ash that then turned muddy with rainfall, as well as the damage from earthquakes. Very soon after the eruption ended, the island built of ash had disappeared below the sea.
While this was a small event in terms of volcanic activity, the eruption style and location near people made it a damaging one. One that we can learn from in terms of what we could expect if a similar event occurred near our largest city.
I would like to give a very personal thank you to those of you who tell my family that you enjoy this column.
On the weeks when work is exhausting and life balance isn’t going well, it is those comments that get this column written.
This column is my way of giving back to my community and I love to hear that you are getting something out of this each week.
A close call
By Peter Nicholl
On May 27 the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee kept its Official Cash Rate unchanged at 2.25 per cent.
The committee has six members, three from the Reserve Bank, including governor Anna Breman, and three external members.
The May meeting was the first held under a new charter and for the first time the votes of the committee members were disclosed.
The disclosure revealed another first. The votes were split 3-3. Three voted to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 per cent. The tie was broken by the governor who has a casting vote. She voted to leave the rate unchanged.
Given the uncertainty about future trends in inflation and economic growth, not just in New Zealand but globally, it didn’t surprise me that the members had different views.
What surprised me was that the three external members were the most hawkish and voted for a modest rise.
Given that one of the main responsibilities of the Reserve Bank is to control inflation, I expected the internal Reserve Bank members of the Monetary Policy Committee to be more concerned about inflation than the external members.
Current inflation at 3.1 per cent is already just above the top of the Reserve Bank’s target range of 1-3 per cent.
The Reserve Bank’s forecasts which were in the Monetary Policy Committee statement have the Consumer Price Index rising further and peaking at 4.3 per cent in the September 2026 quarter.
What happens after that is uncertain.
It will depend on how much the rise in the CPI, which is mainly caused by external developments, feeds into inflation expectations and price and wage setting behaviour in New Zealand.
The Reserve Bank based the decision to keep the cash rate unchanged on the most optimistic of the three scenarios – that the second-round price effects will be slight and the CPI will return to the mid-point of the target range by mid-2027.
But all three scenarios have the CPI above the target range for almost two years, and none include the possibility of the CPI falling to the bottom half or below the bank’s target range.
When I gave talks on Central Bank policy making to courses in the United Kingdom several years ago, I used the following story.
An American tourist got lost in the Irish countryside. He saw a farmer in a field and called out ‘how do I get to Dublin?” The farmer replied, “If I was you, I wouldn’t start from here”. Unfortunately, policy makers have to start from ‘here.’
The Reserve Bank’s starting position is that their cash rate is well below a neutral level because they moved it down last year.
This is a risky position to be in when inflation is above your target and you know it’s going to rise further.
The external members of the committee got it right on May 27.
The Reserve Bank needs to move its cash rate back to a neutral level as quickly as possible.
Understanding intelligence
By Jesse Wood
Pukeatua-raised author, designer, film director and AUT professor Welby Ings was near illiterate until 15 - now he goes to bed with poets and authors.
“Every night, I am in an intimate relationship with something someone has written,” Ings said.
“It was difficult for me to undo the damage of being taught I was a ‘backward’ reader. It was hard to build confidence after years of being described as ‘falling behind’ and ‘failing’.”
Once expelled from Te Awamutu College, Ings was back in town earlier this month, educating others at the Continuing Education group.
Described as a disobedient thinker, Ings is a renowned speaker and educational reformer. He sees productive disobedience as behaviour that pushes our thinking and action into new and unconsidered realms.
Ings spoke about invisible intelligence; a subject he has recently written a book about.
Next month he leaves for a lecture tour of Spain, Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom, where he is speaking at conferences on the nature of thought.
“I was driving around the back streets [of Te Awamutu] here today and thinking, that this town gave me opportunities at a time when I didn’t see it,” Ings said.
“I left here expelled and angry. But I also encountered people who were helpful. I’m a happy man and I live a really great life – but I realise it’s a life
enabled.”
In his talk, Ings covered topics including what it is to fall behind, the tension that exists inside schooling, neurodiversity, the nature of intelligence and creativity - and New Zealand’s “extraordinary” education system.
“I believe all people are neurodiverse. None of us think in the same way.”
He hoped his address might put an arm around people’s shoulders, acknowledging people with vastly difference intellects were in his audience.
Ings spoke about several different kinds of intelligence, non-linear thinking, embodied thinking, translative thinking and slow, reflective thought.
He has a deep respect for teachers.
“Some people teach inside the system and sometimes people teach as grandparents and peers,” he said.
Ings also argued that literacy is poorly assessed in formal education.
“When I started teaching, I was in Otara, during the dawn raids. I had classes with six and seven year old kids.
“I had a ‘special’ class, of kids who were considered largely ‘illiterate’. But they weren’t illiterate. Many of them spoke three languages and they could pun between languages.
“If an idea couldn’t be expressed in one language they would jump sideways and explain it in another.”
Translation is one of the most complex literary skills we have, he said.
“These kids were displaying, in plain sight, the ability to translate, but [according to the system] it didn’t
count. What counted was the ability to read and write English.”
Ings likens the complexity of teaching to being a “constant gardener”, a term he took from a movie of that name.
“In a garden there will be marigolds, daffodils, tomatoes and pumpkins and they will be trying to grow in the same soil at the same time,” Ings said.
“They are all different, they need different things and they develop at different times. They have diverse strengths and vulnerabilities, so they require different kinds of care.”
Ings argues that people should not be taught in standardised “single solution” systems like the science of reading phonics. They require multiple approaches.
Ings learned to read via the shapes of words. He sees them as blocks and recognises a spelling error because it doesn’t “look right”.
“But when you have an education system that reduces learning to standardised approaches, you limit the dexterity teachers need,” he said. “Complex learners rely on an educator with 50 tools in the toolbox, not one.”
Teaching is a complex profession, irrespective of the age of the people with whom you work.
“Be they children of five - or adults completing doctoral degrees. Your job is to understand how each individual thinks,” Ings said.
“You are not filling a head with content, you are growing skills; perceptively working with not one standardised mind, but 20 nonstandardised minds.”
Welby Ings
Hope, in times of need
By Meghan Hawkes
“So far this has been a very trying winter,” noted the Ōhaupō correspondent for the Waikato Times in July 1894.
“It gives one the cold shivers to see comparatively young people stepping into the grave, one after the other, apparently from trivial causes.”
There was a great deal of sickness about, one of the sufferers being 55-year-old Ralph Shaw, who had recently been taken to hospital suffering from a chest complaint.
Ralph, an Irishman, had arrived in Invercargill when he was in his early 20s. He opened the Alhambra Café with Edward Culnane, soon turning it into the Alhambra Hotel.
Considerable expense went into elegantly fitting the hotel up with bedrooms, public and private sitting rooms and a large commercial room for the convenience of mercantile gentleman.
A few months later, however, they were in debt, the partnership dissolved and they went their separate ways.
Ralph later settled at Switzers (now Waikaia) and lived in a thatched house on Five Acre Spur. He worked as a miner
and was secretary to the mining association and the hospital. In 1875 he left Switzers and married Mary Thompson at Dunedin. Times were hard and Ralph had to take a job on the railways as a porter. By 1882 they had four children, but that year six-yearold Ralph died. Another Ralph was born in 1884 and around this time the family moved north to Ōhaupō.
Ralph took employment as a contractor, a clerk and then became stationmaster at Ōhaupō. In 1889 tragedy struck when two-year-old Catherine died. She had been suffering from worms for some time, making it unnecessary, the coroner decided, to hold an inquest. The last of the family’s eight children was born in 1892 and to support his family Ralph tried farming but this did not prove lucrative. The family’s troubles were worsened when Ralph’s chest complaint led to his death.
His demise left Mary and their six surviving children in dire straits. A meeting of Ralph’s creditors expressed great sympathy for the family, and it was unanimously decided to forego all claims against the estate.
“Mrs Shaw has a large family of young children depending
upon her,” reported the Ōhaupō correspondent, “and from what I can learn they are next door to absolute want.” In response the local Band of Hope, a Christian Temperance society, organised an entertainment to raise funds for the family.
Those who could not attend were encouraged to forward donations to the Band of Hope’s chairman. The entertainment raised a little over four pounds for the Shaws, which for the average working class person represented several weeks’ wages.
“I had a very pleasant surprise,” Mary wrote to the Waikato Times, “when a young lady from Paterangi called a few days ago and gave me a purse of money, the result of a concert… I beg to offer my heartfelt thanks to the young people of Paterangi and the many friends who have helped me since the death of my husband.”
Ralph is buried at Paterangi cemetery.
End of the golden weather
By Christine Bryant, Lay Minister, St John’s
The End of the Golden Weather was a one-man play written by Bruce Mason.
It was about a boy growing up in the 1930s on the North Shore –Mason spent part of his childhood in Takapuna. If you saw the film of the play produced by Ian Mune, you may remember the scene of a beach race under a clear blue sky and bright sun. Mason ended up performing his play more than 500 times and the title, The End of the Golden weather, has become a standard New Zealand phrase for the end of summer.
This year there wasn’t much golden weather in summer. Instead, we have had a marvellous, golden autumn. The crisp mornings have given us stunning autumn colours. Both mornings and evenings as the sun has risen and set, the trees have glowed with vibrant colour.
This wonderful patch of weather provided picture postcard scenes from Manu Bay in Raglan. Both newspapers and television have shown competitors in the World Surfing Championship mingling with fans around the coffee trucks, watching as the sea turned silver and the famous left-hand break produced endless waves.
Nearly 3000 years ago the writer of the Psalms praised God often for the beauty of creation. In Psalm 8:
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens … When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
Jesus often taught people by the water – the Sea of Galilee, smaller than Lake Taupo but still subject to storms and waves. His disciples were mostly fishermen who sometimes caught fish, sometimes their nets came up empty.
They experienced winds and storms, but Jesus showed how you can walk calmy through a storm if your eyes are fixed on Him. He reminded people that it was futile to build their lives on shifting sand when they could choose to build on a solid platform. In a world that chases endless summers or the next good wave, Christ offers a deeper peace and a life with surer foundations.
The endless waves remind us of the power of the ocean, that we can be tossed and rolled so easily. We are small and insignificant, yet we are deeply loved by the One who created the sea – God cares for us. That is no small thing to be grateful for: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth”.
Redraw the lines, says MP
By Mary Anne Gill
Waikato MP Tim van de Molen is urging councils to look beyond their existing boundaries as they consider forced government reforms that could reshape local government across the region.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop have given councils until August 9 to come up with amalgamation plans or face changes imposed from Wellington.
Van de Molen’s electorate stretches across parts of Waikato, Waipā, Matamata-Piako and South Waikato districts and skirts Hamilton city.
Councils should not assume whole districts must merge together, he said, pointing to the possibility that different parts of the region may align in different ways.
“It may well be appropriate for parts of Waikato to be in Hamilton, but not necessarily for all of it.”
Towns such as Cambridge, Matamata, Morrinsville, Te Awamutu, Tīrau and
Putāruru could all be part of wider discussions, including potential links with Hamilton.
“This should really be seen as a great opportunity to redraw the lines.
“There’s an opportunity here for councils to shape something that works for their communities rather than having that imposed,” van de Molen said.
The process should not simply be about drawing bigger boundaries - there should be a strong focus on communities of interest and how services could be delivered more effectively.
“We’re not looking to amalgamate for the sake of it. It’s about driving efficiency and ensuring that our communities get the services they need.”
The Waikato is a region of contrasts, from fast-growing areas like Cambridge and Tamahere to smaller rural communities and coastal settlements such as Raglan.
Van de Molen said the current structure did not always reflect those differences.
“You’ve got quite different communities in the same district with very different needs.”
He suggested the future could involve multiple groupings rather than a single super council - such as western, eastern and central groupings across the region.
“My biggest concern would be ensuring that our smaller rural communities, like Matamata, Morrinsville, Te Aroha and others, are still well represented in any new council structure.
There is mounting pressure on councils to deliver services efficiently as rates continue to rise and frustration among residents and businesses dealing with inconsistent rules across council boundaries.
“If you’re trying to build something in one council versus another, you get a different interpretation of the rules and that can be really frustrating.”
The government’s reforms are tied to wider changes to resource management and local government, aimed at simplifying what ministers describe as a complex and costly system.
Under the plan, regional councils in their current form will be replaced by new governance structures in place ahead of the
2028 local body elections.
For van de Molen, the direction of travel is clear, even if the final shape is not.
“This is not about protecting existing structures. It’s about making sure we have a system that delivers better for ratepayers and communities into the future.”
From Waipā to Kansas City
By Jesse Wood
Te Awamutu teenager
Maori Te Wake and senior constable Scott Miller recently returned from a 13-day youth leadership exchange in Kansas City.
Six New Zealanders aged 15 to 17 attended as part of a partnership between Blue Light New Zealand and the Police Athletic League, Kansas City (PAL KCK).
PAL KCK is a community-based youth development organisation run by Kansas police.
For five of the six teenagers, selected from Blue Light’s 72 branches across New Zealand, it was their first time on a plane.
The group travelled with two Blue Light members from Auckland as well as Miller and sergeant Kayanna Holley.
Blue Light New Zealand chief executive Brendon Crompton reflected on the experience.
“I have been able to personally witness the power of international travel and youth exchanges first-hand,” Crompton said. “Our amazing young people represented their communities brilliantly.” They were paired with Kansas City Police Officers and mentored through a range of police-related and leadership activities. Through mentoring, sport, and education, PAL KCK builds positive relationships between police and young people, fostering teamwork, leadership, and life skills — values that closely mirror Blue Light’s own mission.
Highlights included a visit to the Missouri Police Academy, an interactive police simulator at Lenexa Justice Centre, police dog demonstrations, and attending a Kansas City Royals baseball game.
The group also spent time at two PAL centres, joining
in with youth programmes and connecting with young people from the community.
A sightseeing stopover in Los Angeles rounded out the trip on the way home.
Miller has referred many young people to Blue Light Camps.
Te Wake had attended the first Blue Light Life Skills Camp last October at the Waiouru Military Camp. It was a week of growth and determination.
“I got mostly discipline out of attending Blue Light’s Camp… along with persistence and resilience,” Te Wake told The News.
He was determined to stay and complete the week-long camp — a commitment that paid off when he was awarded the Overall Excellence Award.
Blue Light will welcome a group of young people and police officers from PAL KCK to New Zealand next year.
Tim van de Molen
Maori Te Wake (second from right) and senior Constable Scott Miller (right) at Lenexa Police headquarters in Kansas during the Blue Light New Zealand youth leadership exchange.
Seniors get on their bikes
Next week’s national Bike Week 2026 is an opportunity for one group of Te Awamutu seniors to show how retirees can enjoy cycling just as much as their grandkids.
Twelve residents at the town’s Arvida Whai Mauri Ora community have become enthusiastic cyclists who regularly go for group or solo rides around the region.
For them, it’s about camaraderie, fitness shared and social enjoyment celebrated at the frequent stops they make to refresh
at local cafes.
They will likely join thousands of other cyclists around the country who will, one way or another, take part in national Bike Week 2026 from June 9 to 15.
One of them, Derek Fox, has been cycling for 50 years and admits to being surprised to find so many of his fellow residents at Whai Mauri Ora were into cycling.
“I’d resisted buying an e-bike until I came into the village, and then I didn’t want to be that guy at the back of the group saying, ‘wait for me’,” he said. “I’ve really
enjoyed it.”
No matter the trip – they often ride from Te Awamutu to Pirongia or Cambridge – safety is key and they always wear high viz and helmets.
“There’s always a rule in cycling, you go out together and you come home together,” Derek added.
Marie Van Den Berg has been cycling for 20 years and enjoys the health benefits as well as the social side.
Although she is adept at dodging the morning chaos, she said she prefers waiting for the school traffic to have died down before heading out.
“Cycling is good for the cardiovascular system and it keeps the lungs working. It’s great exercise,” she said.
Both Marie and Derek said they enjoy the fact they can keep talking to their fellow cyclists while on a ride, something runners find difficult to do.
It seems the cycling bug might be catching at the village.
“A couple we know are moving into our village and my daughter has a bet on with them that they’ll have bikes within 12 months,” he said.
They seem to have landed in the right place. It turns out that Whai Mauri Ora – a name given to the village by Ngāti Apakura – means ‘pursuit of wellbeing’.
Charlee prepares for Niagara challenge
By Jesse Wood
Te Awamutu College Year 13
student Charlee Neilson is preparing to represent New Zealand at the World Squash Junior Championships, last next month in Canada.
It will be Neilson’s first competition on the world stage outside of Australasia – she has previously entered the Australian open twice. The word juniors will be held at Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario
Neilson, 17, first represented New Zealand in a trans-Tasman series when she was 14.
“Being selected to represent New Zealand at the worlds has been a goal of mine for some time and I am really looking forward to wearing the flag and fern with pride,” Neilson said.
“Squash New Zealand sets out certain criteria for players to be eligible. Firstly, you must meet a specific grade (points) and meet fitness requirements.
“There are sometimes tournaments that are compulsory to enter to
be eligible as selectors will be in attendance and this gives them a chance to see your progress and mental preparedness.”
There were a lot of players in contention, but only four girls and four boys selected to compete.
“Your grade is a large part of the selection so entering as many tournaments as possible and doing well is essential. Squash grading is complex and your points/grade can go up or down depending on the results,” Neilson said.
“Even winning against a lower graded player can result in a loss of points, whereas beating a higher graded player can be very lucrative in terms of points.
“I recently entered the Australian Junior Open (ninth place) and Oceania Champs (10th place) in Melbourne and fortunately did really well earning around 700 points and putting me in real contention for a spot.”
Neilson started playing squash at age 10 and it quickly became a
passion. She became addicted and wanted to move up the grades to be more competitive.
“I have meet lots of people and made a lot of friends from Te Awamutu and throughout the country from competing in tournaments,” she said.
“Te Awamutu has a very strong club both juniors and seniors.
“I have had a lot of support from the club throughout my junior years.” Neilson is excited to wear the uniform and represent her country on the world stage.
“As well as that, I’m excited to travel to and play in Niagara - and of course playing the game I love,” Neilson said.
“I’m looking forward to meeting players from all over the world and making new friends.
She said achieving her goals wouldn’t have been possible without the on-going support of coaches Dave Werder and Emma Millar, the Te Awamutu Squash Club and her parents.
This group of senior cyclists from Arvida Whai Mauri Ora in Te Awamutu are blowing up perceptions that cycling is for the young.
The senior cyclists heading out on another regional ride.
Te Awamutu College student Charlee Neilson is addicted to squash.
Photo: Clubhous Charlee Neilson (right) is one of eight youngsters going to Niagara.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Pirongia remain unbeaten
By Jesse Wood
Pirongia Rugby Sports Club hosted all of their senior rugby teams over King’s Birthday Weekend as they celebrated 150 years – a first in the Waikato.
Their division 1B side, alongside the high-flying Leamington division 1A team, remain unbeaten, while Hautapu top the premier and premier B following the first round.
Hautapu premiers beat Ōtorohanga 40-26 at Cambridge’s Memorial Park
to pip Hamilton Marist to first round honours and the Ron Crawford Shield. Both teams won seven and lost once – and picked up points for the win over Melville which is not playing
in the competition – but Hautapu finished with nine bonus points to Marist’s seven.
Its points differential was huge – 417 – compared to Marist’s 221.
The Ōtorohanga win provided a great celebration for halfback Rui Farrant who played his 50th game in the red and white hoops. Club stalwart David Morris helped himself to a double, as did outside back Marae Nepia. Winger Josh Brunger was among the other scorers in the six try to four victory. First five-eighth Alapati Soagia slotted five conversions.
Te Awamutu Sports lost 4321 to University in Hamilton. The students put on seven tries to Sports’ two. Te Awamutu finished the round in fifth place.
Veteran former King Country loose forward Matthew Towers and
Southland Stags prop Joe Walsh crossed the chalk for Te Awamutu.
An instant seven points also came their way in the form of a penalty try, and midfielder Kees van der Heyden was successful with both conversions.
In the earlier premier B matches, Hautapu B beat Ōtorohanga B 38-19 to lift the Waikato Rugby Union Cup for round one and Te Awamutu Sports premier development won against University B 41-24.
The victory was a great way to celebrate front-rower Cameron Maake’s 50th match for the side.
In division 1A, Pirongia beat Ōhaupō 37-17. Winger Daniel Belk scored a brace, while midfielder Austin Frederick, Jason Hill, Finley Pitts-Brown, Sunia Ragede and Ty Demler-Findlay also crossed the line. Hill also
added a conversion.
First five-eighth Dean Fullerton kicked seven points for the visiting side. Ōhaupō backs Scott Thomas and Queyst Michael-Tapu scored tries.
Leamington dealt to Frankton 68-0 to retain the Clarke Family Cup in Leamington. They finish at the top of the division following round one.
In division 1B, Pirongia B won against Ōhaupō B 33-17 and the combined A and B scores saw Pirongia retain the McInally Cup (Ōhaupō Hotel Football Challenge Cup) and receive a shield for finishing the first round on top.
Leamington B won by default against Frankton B. Mel-tap (Melville-Hautapu combined) headed to South Waikato and defeated Putāruru 31-10.
Pirongia were pipped 3024 by Morrinsville Sports in the women’s championship.
Emma Foss and Amy Kerr got a try apiece, while fullback Sarah Moorhose grabbed two. Moorhouse converted two of the tries. Kihikihi thrashed Hinuera 50-7 at Wealleans Park. Rinoa Day registered 15 points for the visitors and Sarah Payne grabbed two tries. Charlize Waters, Stella TamakiWhatarangi, Valentine Tavita, Mikayla Kahura and Leeza Riddell also scored.
In the Under 21 division, Te Awamutu Sports beat Suburbs colts 34-14 in Hamilton and Hautapu pipped Morrinsville Sports colts 22-18 in Cambridge. Pirongia defeated United Matamata Sports’ under-21 side 26-7, while Leamington colts were trounced 83-5 at home by Thames Valley United.
In a Friday night presidents clash, Pirongia Mountain Men beat Waikato presidents 21-15.
The unbeaten Pirongia Bs continued their winning run on Saturday.
Photo: Julie Gibson
Cameron Maake in action during his 50th match for Te Awamutu Sports premier development. Photo: Justin Miezenbeek
Summerset Cambridge Weekly Walk-in Wednesdays
Summerset Cambridge offers a relaxing, resort-style retirement in a vibrant and growing village. The grand village centre is now open and residents have been loving their resort-style facilities, from an indoor pool to a café, residents’ bar and hair salon. There are a range of homes ready to move into right now, from villas and cottages, to serviced apartments and care suites. Two-bedroom homes start from just $638,000 with flexible pricing options available.*
We know that moving to a retirement village is a big decision. So why not come along to one of our Walk-in Wednesdays every week this June. See for yourself why our residents love the Summerset life.
Love the life you choose.
Weekly Walk-in Wednesdays
Every Wednesday in June, 10am - 2pm
Summerset Cambridge 1 Mary Ann Drive, Cambridge 07 839 9482 | summerset.co.nz/cambridge
Bernina
Across 1. Agitated (inf) (3,2) 4. Be thrifty (6) 8.
Te Awamutu butcher Adrianna Te Aonui knows first-hand how hard work, the right support, encouragement and opportunities can transform a career.
Fifteen years after joining the store as a teenager, Adrianna is an award-winning qualified butcher preparing to compete again in the Retail Meats Young Butcher of the Year competition on June 17.
Adrianna joined Pak’n Save in Te Awamutu shortly after the store opened in 2010, initially looking for an after-school job while studying at Te Awamutu College.
Fresh out of school and already passionate about food, Adrianna had built an impressive culinary record, winning more than 20 medals at the annual Waikato Culinary Fare during high school. She began a bakery apprenticeship through Skills for Work.
Over the past 15 years, Pak’n Save has supported her to build a range of skills and
qualifications across multiple departments.
Her training has included bakery and butchery apprenticeships, forklift certification, a young leaders management course, food safety and compliance training, administration courses, and gaining her duty manager’s licence.
She moved from bakery into butchery three and a half years ago and qualified as a butcher just three days before winning the Retail Meats Pact Packaging Waikato Young Butcher of the Year title in 2025.
Pak’n Save Te Awamutu owner operator Jeremy Bennett says Adrianna’s career highlights the incredible opportunities available for people willing to learn and grow.
“Her passion, work ethic and commitment to supporting others make her an incredibly valued member of our team. We’re proud to support our people to build meaningful, long-term careers.”
Briefs…
Bridge debate
Bridge location ideas, safer walking and cycling routes were on the agenda at Wednesday’s Waipā District Council Strategic Planning and Policy Committee meeting, held after The News went to press. Also up for discussion was a proposal to extend the Victoria Street cycleway across the Waikato River into Leamington and building safer pathway routes between schools and their communities.
New on the board
Three new independent board members have been confirmed for the joint council-owned waters organisation Iawai Flowing Waters owned by Hamilton city and Waikato district councils. Hinerangi RaumatiTu’ua, Jennifer Kerr and Tim Gibson join board members Kevin Lavery (chair), Tim Manukau and Dave Chambers.
Tag team sought
Police have released security pictures of two people as they seek to identify a tagger who daubed the word “lost” on a commercial premise on Milicich Place, Cambridge, at 6.15pm on May 26. See more details at teawamutunews.nz
Te Nehenehenui
2026 Election of Ngā Kura Rere Trustees
Call for Nominations
Te Nehenehenui (the Trust) is the post-settlement governance entity established to manage the settlement assets of Maniapoto (the Iwi). It is governed by 6 Ngā Kura Rere trustees elected by all adult members of Te Nehenehenui, 7 Ngā Kura Tau trustees, elected from the Rōpū Whakahaere members from each of the relevant Whare o Te Nehenehenui and 1 Te Kura Kaumātua trustee, who is appointed by the trustees in accordance with the requirements of the Trust Deed. In accordance with the requirements of the Trust Deed, the Ngā Kura Rere trustees must retire later this year to allow new trustees to be elected. The Trust now invites nominations from adult registered members to fill the 6 Ngā Kura Rere trustee positions. The term of office for these positions is 3 years. The retiring trustees may re-stand for election if they are nominated.
Nominations for these positions open on Wednesday 3 June and close at midday on Thursday 2 July 2026. Nomination forms and an information sheet are available from the Returning Officer (contact details below), from the Trust’s office 49 Taupiri Street, Te Kūiti (Ph 0800 668 285) or can be downloaded from the Trust’s website www.tenehenehenui.iwi.nz/governance/elections
Election Details
If more than 6 valid nominations are received, a voting process will be carried out by postal and online voting. All Te Nehenehenui Adult Registered Members are eligible to participate in the election process. Voter packs will be mailed from 29 July and voting will close at midday on Monday 7 September 2026. Invitation to Register
To register or update your contact details please either phone the Trust office on 0800 668 285, email tribalregister@tnn.co.nz or complete the online registration process at https://tenehenehenui.iwi.nz/kakaho/ Anthony Morton Returning Officer
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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 36 –
ŌHAUPŌ LARGE LOT RESIDENTIAL EXTENSION
In summary, the proposed private plan change request seeks to change the Operative Waipā District Plan by:
• Rezoning 21.50 hectares of land from Rural Zone to Large Lot Residential Zone.
• Inserting a new appendix for the Ōhaupō South Structure Plan into the Waipā District Plan.
• Amending the Planning Maps to delete the State Highway 3 Scenic Corridor Overlay from the plan change land.
The plan change area is bordered by Ryburn Road to the north, State Highway 3 to the east, Rural Zone land to the south, and the North Island Main Trunk railway line to the west. The land is comprised in four records of title legally described as Lots 2 and 3 DP 597425 and Lots 1 and 2 DP 606747.
The full proposal can be viewed:
• Online at www.waipadc.govt.nz/planchange36
• 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/planchange36
• 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 Thursday, 2 July 2026.
Steph O’Sullivan Chief Executive
For and on behalf of the Waipā District Council.
CHURCH NOTICES
Presbyterian Church
2026 Ownership Review
PUBLIC CONSULTATIVE PROCEDURE
In accordance with the Deed of Trust under which the Waipā Networks Trust has been constituted, the Trustees and the Directors of Waipā Networks Limited have prepared a joint report considering proposals and available options for the future ownership of Waipā Networks Limited.
The Trustees and the Directors propose that the Ownership of the Company should continue to remain 100% Trust owned on behalf of the Community.
The Trustees hereby implement a Public Consultative Procedure. Notice is given that the Ownership Review will be available for inspection by the public from the 1st May 2026, from the Trusts website www.waipanetworkstrust.co.nz or during normal business hours at the following location:
Waipā Networks Ltd 240 Harrison Drive TE AWAMUTU
Persons interested in the proposals are invited to make written submissions to the Trustees.
All mail submissions should be addressed to:
Submissions to the Trustees
Waipā Networks Trust PO Box 34 TE AWAMUTU 3840
All email submissions should be addressed to: info@waipanetworkstrust.co.nz
Persons wishing to make submissions should ensure that those submissions are received at the above address no later than 5pm 30th June 2026 (“the due date”). Submissions received by the due date will be made publicly available.
In due course, any persons who make written submissions by the due date will be offered an opportunity to be heard by the Trustees at a meeting open to the public.
KM Heeringa Trust Manager
WAIPA NETWORKS TRUST
WEBBER, Jennifer Minda (nee Harper) – Passed away peacefully at Waikato Hospital on Wednesday 27 May 2026, aged 74 years. Beloved wife of the late Malcolm, and mother of Darrel, Tony, and Michelle. Grandma of Logan, Talan, Lorelei and Tor. Friend to many. A private cremation has been held. Thank you to all who supported Jenny through this journey. Rest in peace mum.
GIBSON, Neil Andrew –Unexpectedly but peacefully passed away at his home on Tuesday evening, 26th May 2026, aged 91 years. Loved and devoted husband of the late Betty. Much loved and greatly respected father and father-in-law of Annie & Wicka, Sue & Johno, Paul & Heidi, Steve & Kelly, John & Selina, Chris & Julie, Matt & Erin, Simon & Ricci, and the Late Anthony. Loved fatherin-law of Kath and Sue. Treasured Grandad Neil to 31 grandchildren and 18 greatgrandchildren. A well-known and much-loved “Grandad” to many throughout the Te Awamutu community. A Requiem Mass for Neil has been held. Messages to the Gibson Family may be sent c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800, or left in Neil’s online tribute book at www.rosetown.co.nz. Rest in Love and Peace
GILLESPIE, Noel – Passed away peacefully at Waikato Hospital on Sunday, 31st May 2026, aged 95 years. Cherished husband of the late June, reunited after 68 wonderful years of marriage. Much loved father and father-in-law of Ken & Janette, Allan, the late Karen and Dean. Dearly loved grandad of Kelsey, Brad, Matt, Tash, Amanda, Shane, Lucy, Liam, Shaun and their partners. Great-grandad of 22 and great-great-grandad of 1. A celebration of Noel's life will be held at the Te Awamutu Golf Club, Kihikihi Road, Te Awamutu, on Thursday, 4th June 2026 at 1.00pm. Messages to the Gillespie Family may be sent c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800, or left in Noel's online tribute book at www.rosetown.co.nz.
HOLMES, Matthew Henare – Unexpectedly passed away while in Dunedin on Tuesday, 26th May 2026, aged 46 years. Dearly loved husband of Debs. Cherished father of Jacob, Tewhia, Shania, Aaron, and Brayden. A celebration of Matt’s life has been held. Messages to the Holmes Family may be sent c/- 262 Ohaupo Road, Te Awamutu 3800 or left in Matt’s online tribute book at www.rosetown.co.nz
