Discounts announced
Waipā Networks customers will receive an average discount of $100 on their next bill. Customers receive two discounts each year, and in the upcoming round, close to $2.6 million will be distributed back to customers via their retailer.
Individual discounts are calculated based on the property’s power use and price plan. The latest discount covers the period between September 2023 and March 2024. To be allocated the discount, a customer must be the current registered power user at the property. The latest discount will be captured on each customer’s next retailer electricity bill.
In the current financial year, around $5.4 million in discounts has been distributed to customers.
BMX five eye worlds
Tate Burdon, Baiden Prescott and Brooke, Luca and Sophie Penny are heading for the United States.
Tate Burdon, Baiden Prescott and Brooke, Luca and Sophie Penny are heading for the United States.Five Te Awamutu BMX club members will wing their way to Rockhill, South Carolina, USA in a week’s time to represent New Zealand at the 2024 world champs.
Brooke, Sophie and Luca Penny along with Tate Burdon and Baiden Prescott qualified for the event by way of their top eight rankings at last year’s national champs in Tauranga.
Brooke (U23 women), Luca, Sophie (13 girls), Baiden and Tate (both 10 boys) have been training and racing for six months on tracks around New Zealand with hopes of coming home from America with some great results.
At their home club in Te Awamutu they have been at the track most week days, and on top of that they have been training with the other New Zealand riders heading to the world champs on Saturdays.
“As a club we very proud of these riders and know they will represent their club and country with pride and will put in 100 per cent effort as they always do.
“Whatever the results are they should be very proud of their achievements thus far in their careers.”
He said there had bee a lot of fundraising in the last six months and friends, family and the wider community had helped the riders fulfill a dream. The world champs run from May 12 to 18.
‘Ultimate’ symbol of friendship
The New Zealand flag is a common sight in Le Quesnoy in late April.
The recently opened New Zealand Liberations Museum, Te Arawhata – in Le Quesnoy – Cambridge’s sister city in France – overlooks its first Anzac Day this week.
Over the next four days, Te Arawhata will host French and New Zealand representatives, New Zealand visitors, and French residents at a series of Anzac remembrance events.
The museum exhibition created by Wētā Workshop tells the story of the Kiwi soldiers who liberated the French town from four years of German occupation on November 4, 1918, during World War One.
New Zealand’s Minister of Defence, Judith Collins, will make her second trip to Le Quesnoy on Anzac Day to acknowledge the commemorations and visit the NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata for the first time.
Tasman’s ship sighted again
Eric Hill with the model of Tasman’s Heemskerck.
His name is given to the sea between New Zealand and Australia – yet the name of the ship Abel Tasman sailed to the South Pacific in 1642 has no such fame.
It was De Heemskerck, the armed flagship of an expedition which included a supply ship, the Zeehaen.
The expedition, having sighted Tasmania from the south reached the west coast of the South Island and then, having sailed around Farewell Spit, anchored at Golden Bay on December 18.
A little short of 388 year on, Cambridge resident Eric Hill is looking forward to the unveiling in Foxton on Saturday of a two metre long model of the Heemskerck he spent four years making and has presented as a gift.
Foxton’s Oranjehof museum will unveil the model it calls its new Flying Dutchman – because it “floats” in the air in a cradle as part of Dutch Week celebrations in the Horowhenua township.
The museum tells the story of Dutch migrants to New Zealand and is next to the giant windmill which greets travellers on Stage Highway 1.
Eric Hill’s model in the museum’s Tasman room sits above a smaller model the Zeehaen.
He is an accomplished builder of model boats – having also produced the Endeavour and Bounty. This one took more work though, as he had a task to find the plans – eventually getting them from a museum in Holland.
Trophy time in bowls
Cambridge, Central Cambridge and Pirongia clubs will host 2024-2025 Waipa Lawn Bowls tournament this weekend.
Eight clubs comprise the Waipa district – Cambridge, Central Cambridge, Kihikihi, Ōtorohanga, Pirongia, Raglan, Te Kuiti, and Te Awamutu.
The tournament is divided into three events and points are accrued over the day to find the winner of each trophy – Vagg Cup for men, John Hastie Cup for women, and Doug Myers Cup for players who have been bowling for less than five years.
Sixteen players from each club will be following in the footsteps of some accomplished bowlers from the district who have competed over the past 30-plus years.
The contest was originally called Central Zone but changed to Waipa Division Bowls Waikato in 1994 and women were granted their requests to hold their own tournament on the same day in 2002.
The Vagg Cup is named after a former Central Cambridge member, John Hastie was secretary treasurer of the Bowls Waikato from 1996 to 2017 and Doug Myers was a member of the now defunct Leamington Bowling Club.
Prices held
Waikato Regional Council will freeze bus fares for two months beyond the end of government subsidies for age-based public transport. The end of the subsidy will prompt a 20 per cent rise for Busit and Te Huia services – but not until June 30.
Getting creative
Te Awamutu Creative Fibre Group members will join the pop-up shop community next week to sell items they have made. They will be showing off their spinning, weaving, knitting and felting talents at the Enrich Plus Gallery in Teasdale St for a week starting next Monday.
Out with the old
Watermains – some almost a century old – are being replaced in central Cambridge. Waipā District Council says its watermain renewal programme is moving into the Cambridge central business district and in Dick Street disruption will be minimised as it coincides with it being closed for work on the Cambridge pathway project. .
Grants available
Rotary Cambridge plans to provide grants of up to $1000 to apprentices in the Cambridge area in building and construction trades. The club is making six grants available and they will be announced from applicants on June 13.
Shelling out?
Fisheries New Zealand wants feedback on applications from iwi for temporary fishing closures across three areas in the Hauraki Gulf. If approved
the taking of some shellfish species from these areas would be banned for two years.
Liz on board
Liz Stolwyk
Waipa deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk has been named as one of the new members of the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata France trust. Outgoing chair, former deputy Prime Minister Don McKinnon, is succeeded by NZ Rail chief David McLean.
