Local Opinion

Meghan Hawkes recalls some of the stories making news Waipā in 1915. Te Awamutu’s Queen Carnival – a fundraising event – eclipsed any former social function held in the district. Mrs W H Grace, the…

Sitting inside trying (failing) to keep warm, I find myself daydreaming about Kiwi summers. Something that is part of our culture is heading to the beach, and having spent years overseas I can truly appreciate…

‘The Captain of all these men of death’ – the dreaded tuberculosis – every so often visited the Te Awamutu district. The unflagging efforts of Isabel Pope in February 1911 could not save her husband…

This week our local news has been full of the wonderful successes of our athletes at the Olympic games. I’m guessing more than one of us has basked in their glory. As well as that,…

Thinking about time as someone who studies the Earth can get a bit weird. Volcanic activity spans hundreds of thousands, and even millions of years. We consider a volcano that has erupted within the past…

Following the recent decision by the board of Waikato’s economic development agency Te Waka to wind up its operations, the Waikato Regional Council (WRC) has been giving consideration to what role it can play as…

Ryan Fleming looks back on issues dealt with by Te Awamutu police. Monday – Police were called to an address in Kihikihi following a report of suspicious behaviour and we also received a report of…

In February 2008 when I met my new Year 10 French class, I was struck by a friendly, red-haired student. I soon learned her name, Jackie Kiddle, and that she was just taking up rowing….

Te Awamutu and Ōhaupō school children appeared to initially be excluded from a school excursion to Auckland by train to see the Exhibition. The  school committee believed a cash guarantee would be required and were…

Sitting back in Te Awamutu, working through jet lag on the other side of my trip to the Canary Islands, I am thinking about the incredible people I met over the past six weeks. I…