Local Opinion

Thoughts on the Budget

The centre-piece of this year’s Budget was the implementation of the tax cuts that National had ‘promised’ during last year’s election campaign. They did this by raising the three lowest tax brackets by about 11.5…

Tragedy in the river

Gathering bean sticks for the runner beans in the family vegetable garden was the afternoon’s occupation for a few lads near the Te Awamutu railway station in December 1901. To get to the sticks 10-year-old…

Silence – not always golden

As elected members of the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board, we bear the responsibility of making decisions that shape our town’s future. Our role involves weighing various factors, from safety to affordability, and considering…

What we are not prepared for…

For the second time in a matter of days the Ōhaupō community was witness to a tragedy on State Highway 3. As former district councillor James Parlane was being mourned, more families were learning of…

Peace in our park

I enjoy watching good action movies, often depicting an ex-military or CIA operative who now has to defend his family or country. However, I am always struck when a civilian meets them in public and…

Bachelors’ dance has sumptuous supper

Meghan Hawkes takes us back to look at what was making news in Waipā in 1904 A small tent city sprang up near Pirongia when a survey party arrived in the area. After stores and camp gear…

A podcast just for us

I write this column each week because I believe it is our responsibility as scientists to share what we know, especially when our areas of research can deeply impact communities. Te Awamutu is my hometown…

Our week in review

Here’s how last week looked for police in Te Awamutu… Monday – We attended a family harm incident, a threatening behaviour matter a self-harm incident at a rural location and a missing person was found….

St Helen’s, the aftermath

It is difficult to imagine how much a landscape can be transformed by an eruption, rendering large swaths of land unrecognisable to locals who knew it well. It is the task of volcanologists to understand…

Prisons the answer?

Last week we were told of the Coalition government’s plans to increase the number of beds at Waikeria Prison by 1410. Despite the potential growth all that building will bring to our region, there are…

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