27 May 10.42am
Jim Parlane
Police have named the man who died following a crash on SH3, Ōhaupō on Friday as James Charles Parlane, 61, of Te Awamutu.
Parlane is a former Waipa councillor who stood unsucessfully for the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board at the last local body elections in 2022.
Four days before his death, he was back in the chambers making a fiery submission on the Enhanced Annual Plan.
5.20pm 24 May
One person has died following a crash on State Highway 3, Ōhaupō this afternoon.
The crash, involving two vehicles, was reported to Police at around 1.50pm.
A second person sustained minor injuries.
3.40pm 24 May
SH3 Ohaupo Road closed
SH3 north of Kaipaki Rd
Due to a serious crash just north of Kaipaki Road, SH3 (Ohaupo Road) is closed between the SH3/21 roundabout (Airport Road) and Kaipaki Road in Ohaupo, south of Hamilton Airport.
The road is likely to be closed for some time as New Zealand Police conduct a serious crash investigation. A detour is available via Mystery Creek Road.
Midday 24 May
Investitures
Peter Carr, of Cambridge, QSM, for services to the community with Dame Cindy Kiro
Tania Simpson, of Hamilton, ONZM, for services to governance and Māori with Dame Cindy Kiro.
Peter Carr of Cambridge and Tania Simpson of Matangi received their insignia from the Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro this month. Carr received his at Government House in Wellington on May 23 while Simpson got her one at Government House in Auckland on May 9.
Rob Feisst dies
Rob Feisst
Cambridge stalwart Rob Feisst, 79, died in Waikato Hospital on Tuesday. Feisst spent 18 years on the Cambridge Community Board – 12 as chair – and was a past Chamber of Commerce chair.
A longstanding trustee of the Taylor Made Community Space, he in more recent times has been Cambridge Town Hall Trust deputy chair.
He is survived by his wife Val, four children and eight grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held in the Town Hall on Tuesday at 1pm.
Memorial service
Former Waipā District councillor Alan Empson died this month in Auckland. Acprivate family service hascbeen held but there will be a public memorial held at Te Awamutu’s St John’s Church, Arawata St, tomorrow (Friday), starting at 1.30pm.
i-Site grants
Te Awamutu and Cambridge i-Sites have been given grants of $30,000 each by Waipā District Council in the 2024-2025 financial year to help recover from the loss of the council’s funding. The decision was made at the Enhanced Annual Plan hearings this week.
Tick Tock
Specialist plastering material scheduled to arrive via shipping routes from Italy has been delayed due to conflicts in the Red Sea area and is holding up completion of the Cambridge Town Clock. Despite this, good progress has been made on the tower structure – multiple, detailed tasks including cleaning of all surfaces, repair of cracks on rendering, repairs/replacement of glass clock faces, clock mechanism servicing and clock housing repairs.
Work consented
Dr Tod Court residents, from left Carol Sandbrook, Wendy Cameron and Jocelyn Jones.
Cracks have appeared in the brick cladding on some of the units at Dr Tod Court pensioner housing in Cambridge. Consent has been lodged, with work scheduled to take place in November and December as the scope includes some roofing work. Meanwhile the 10 new units at Vaile Court in Leamington are scheduled for completion next month. They will not address the pensioner housing shortage in Cambridge where there is a waiting list of 23.
Road safety
Students at Karāpiro and Tamahere schools had visits from the Road Safety Week team yesterday (Wednesday). More than 200 schools around the country are taking part in the week coordinated by Brake, the road safety charity, but only 16 got visits from the team, made up of volunteers from Beca and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi. The theme was ‘Be a road safety hero.’
Motorcyclist dies
Donna McCauley
A Te Awamutu motorcyclist who participated in the International Female Ride Day in Cambridge earlier this month has died in a crash on Te Poi Road near Matamata. Donna Gaye McCauley, 51, featured in The News after the event. Police say a serious crash investigation is underway.
Valuation delay
Updated rating valuations for Waikato district will go to property owners next month. Revaluations were due to be finalised this month, but the Office of the Valuer General says Quotable Value should take more time. The new values will be based on the most likely selling price if the property had sold on October 1 last year, the valuation date, and will be used to help inform rates for the next rating year.
Boat show
A new event catering for boating and fishing enthusiasts will be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre in late August. The expo will feature exhibits and activities highlighting various aspects of the marine community.
