Local Opinion

Sprinting to the top

Waipa District Council’s debt level on June 30, 2022, was $149.5 million. A year later  it was $226 million, a rise of 51 per cent. By June it is projected to be $296.8 million, a…

Our geothermal wonderland

I was recently fortunate enough to spend a day in and around Rotorua with GNS Science volcanologist Brad Scott and two visitors from the Tonga Geological Sciences. Brad has an incredible knowledge of the area….

Rabbits, rumbling …and water rates

Meghan Hawkes looks back to 1930 and reviews the stories making headlines in Waipā. Rabbits had spread extensively in the Waipā region and property owners were expected to exterminate them to the best of their…

Celebrating whānau

In March 2023 my brother died suddenly and completely alone in Canada. He was fit, a regular tennis player, aged in his early seventies, but he also had some health issues. Nevertheless, his death came…

Hopes and reality

This week is Holy week in the Christian calendar. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday which celebrates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem – the hope of Israel enters the holy city. As Holy Week…

Paterangi couple in harbour mystery

There was no hope for John and Elizabeth Finch of Paterangi in an Auckland explosion, or was there? Meghan Hawkes recounts the story. Masses of flames and smoke shooting upwards for hundreds of metres over…

Humans versus lava

The fourth eruption since December has been underway in the Reykjanes peninsula near the town of Grindavík, Iceland. Prior to this event defensive walls were built north of the town, with planned dimensions of two…

Alcohol sales: have your say

The Local Alcohol Policy submissions closes at 5pm tomorrow (Friday). This is an important submission to participate in if you care about our businesses and the well-being of our community. As of January 2023, Te…

St John’s cemetery

The grounds of St John’s Anglican church in Arawata St  hold an historical cemetery. It’s a closed cemetery, meaning that there can be no future burials there. I’m always surprised by the number of people…

Where did race come into it?

Much is being made of ‘race’ today wherein some sides in the political debate refer to Māori being privileged as a ‘race’ of people; and others refer to Māori as being marginalised because of their/our…

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