Owner prosecuted
An owner of a classified dangerous dog will face prosecution following an attack on another dog which resulted in severe injuries. Waipā’s animal control staff fielded 18 dog bite reports in the three months from May 1 – 132 on other animals and five on adults. Most were minor.
Rehoming down
Ten dogs were still in Waipā council pounds at the end of the financial year on July 31. Rehoming of dogs was slower during the year than in past years. There were 51 dogs impounded in the three months from May 1 – 34 were claimed, four euthanised and three rehomed.
Web views on the up
Pirongia’s Five Stags
Our exclusive story on Pirongia’s Five Stags Restaurant and Bar losing its appeal against Waipā District Licencing Committee’s decision not to renew its on-licence was the best-read story on teawamutunews.nz last month.
The story accounted for 28 per cent of the page views while visits to the website were up 78 per cent making The News a compelling digital offering in partnership with our 34,000 print readers.
Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan’s plea for more funding for Sanctuary Maungatautari Mountain was a comfortable second.
Top five online news stories for July were Pirongia bar appeal fails, Dig deeper says Waipā mayor, Hospice Waikato doubles retail space, Rural post: inquiry call and Fewer on the buses.
Download The News App
Spray please
Waipā council has asked Waikato Regional Council to continue spraying of the water weed Hornwort in Lake Karāpiro. In a submission to the regional council, Waipā said while the weed is a known recreational hazard rather than a biohazard, the weed threatens irrigation water takes and can impact on agricultural production.
Trigg wins
Lexus SongQuest 2024 winners (L to R) Manase Latu, tenor, 2nd place; Katie Trigg, mezzo soprano, 1st place; Austin Haynes, counter tenor, 3rd place. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, courtesy Lexus Song Quest
Waipā mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg was crowned the Lexus Song Quest winner on Saturday in Wellington after five singers competed for the country’s biggest operatic honour. Trigg, originally from Ngāhinapōuri, took home a cash prize of $50,000. She is studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the US.
Alcohol policy changes
Waipā’s revised local alcohol policy is heading out for consultation after months of discussion.
Changes to the policy first introduced eight years ago include a cap on off licences, guidance around issuing licences near sensitive facilities and adding rehabilitation treatment centres and marae to the list which currently includes schools, early childhood centres and places of worship.
Other changes are: Permanent alcohol ban areas in skate parks, Include Carter’s Flat in the Cambridge alcohol ban area, Include an area at the north end of Lyon Street in the Kihikihi alcohol ban area, Include Bulmers Landing and Arapuni Landing as permanent alcohol ban areas between 8pm-8am, Include playgrounds as permanent alcohol ban areas between 8pm-8am, Include cemeteries as permanent alcohol ban areas between 8pm-8am. Consultation starts next week and runs till September 12.
Bus numbers up
Passenger numbers rose last month for the Waipā regional bus services from Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Kihikihi into Hamilton despite fares going up by 20 per cent. The 10,522 who caught the Cambridge 20 and 11,220 on the Kihikihi-Te Awamutu 24 services were the second highest since monitoring started in July 2021.
Just the ticket
Waipā’s enforcement team is having a field day with motorists overstaying their welcomes in Cambridge and Te Awamutu. In the three months from May 1, 517 parking infringements were issued compared to 437 in the previous quarter.
Works on hold
The Government has put on hold the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Kāinga Ora affordable housing project in Cambridge Road, Te Awamutu. Waipā council sold the 1.4ha plot to the Crown last year for $2.683 million and planning was underway for a 30-dwelling development.
Ammunition found
Live ammunition found in recycling
Live ammunition was found on the sorting-line conveyor belt at the Te Awamutu recycling plant last week. The rusty shotgun cartridge was the latest in a long list of hazardous material staff have discovered.
Correction
Waipā councillors voted 7-3 and not 8-3, as we reported, when deciding whether to cut elected members numbers last week.
