In Touch November December 2019
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South Waikato District Council from your local Council - Issue 49 - November (Whiringa- -monthly newsletter a-rangi) / December A bi (Hakihea) 2019 Gearing up for summer fun in the South Waikato The holiday season is here. For in the riverbed and on the many residents in the South banks. Swimming continues Waikato it’s a chance to enjoy to be discouraged in the Blue the great outdoors and take in Spring environment. This what a Kiwi summer has to offer. taonga is special and beautiful, let's all try to keep it that way. And there is plenty to do for everyone. Picturesque reserves The seasonal pools are open in where friends and families both Putāruru and Tīrau while can soak up the summer sun, the Indoor Pools in Tokoroa will relaxing around a sizzling BBQ continue to be in service right or swimming the waters for throughout the summer. hours on end. Fancy a bit of quiet time? The Jones Landing is a popular South Waikato libraries will camping spot, attracting locals have a plethora of activities and visitors, providing access to and programmes to cater for the lake, a playground and your all ages and don’t forget about usual facilities. Close by is the the STARS programme for our Arapuni leg of the Waikato River younger rangatahi. Trails, which provides rewarding views of the Waikato River and So whatever you and your gets the heart pumping. family get up to these holidays, enjoy the feastive season in the Dunham's Point located east South Waikato at our local parks, of Whakamaru Reserve down reserves and leisure facilities. Ongaroto Road is another location where visitors can park Note: If you plan on camping in up and enjoy the scenery and the South Waikato, you do need be amongst nature. a permit. Apply online at www. southwaikato.govt.nz. Permits Little Waipa, on Horahora Road, are free. rounds out the reserves here in the district and is an ideal spot Top: Jones Landing in the summer where holiday goers can escape is beautiful spot to camp. the noise in exchange for peace. Middle: Take a ride along the In addition to our reserves, picturesque Waikato River Trails. a visit to Te Waihou Walkway Bottom: Enjoy local parks where and Blue Spring is a must. Over there are activities for all. time we’ve noticed a significant improvement of the vegetation Photos: Jodi Sweetman Photography. • Council’s Civil Defence preparedness was recently audited. - Getting to know our Produced in-house for the Results show a pleasing progress, with some identified new Elected Members South Waikato community by improvements. These will be prioritised. One of the areas 2-7 the SWDC Communications that we will be focussing on is improved engagement and - Tokoroa upgrade Team. education, so our community can expect to see a bit more in 8-9 - What's hot this space in months to come. - Council office hours Editorial: Kerry Fabrie, - Food, noise safety Renee Renata and Anthony • Fertilising of sports fields will see the spring turf renovation 10-11 Momoemausu, 07 885 0340 works completed. - Snippets 12 - Councillor contacts Print: GASP Designs 1 Message from the Mayor The Mayoralty is an honour and a privilege and I am very proud to be your Mayor again for the next three years. Thank you for your support. I want to acknowledge the Councillors from the previous triennium who have moved on – Jeff Gash, Gray Baldwin, Wendy Cook, Adrienne Bell and Herman van Rooijen for their support and effort over the time that they have been on council. Herman has been an elected member on the SWDC for 21 years, that’s a fantastic achievement, Adrienne for nine years, Gray for three years, Jeff for six years and Wendy for a total of six years. I wish them all the very best for their future. And of course a warm welcome We are thrilled with that Brand new facilities in three to our new Councillors Gary response. The future of waste of our reserves – Little Waipa, Petley, Sandra Wallace and Hans management is changing Jones Landing and Dunham’s Nelis representing Putāruru and we need to rise to the Point are a great addition to our and Hamish Daine and Alex challenges, not just as a Council, local reserves. The new shower Jansen representing Tokoroa. but as a community. blocks, bbqs, rubbish and The 2018-19 year has They join me, Deputy Mayor Bill recycling stations are sure to be certainly been a big Machen, Thomas Lee, Arama The Tokoroa CBD upgrade enjoyed this summer season. year. Council has taken Ngapo Lipscombe, Marin kicked off in March. After the bull by the horns Glucina, Peter Schulte to make deciding not to construct a new We supported a number of in terms of supporting, up our Council. Together I am i-SITE building, we redesigned community events this year facilitating, attracting sure we will continue to lead the Leith Place area for better including ANZAC Day services, and seeking our Council forward, complete car parking, new toilets and a the Putāruru Waterfest, Festival economic the changes we've started and multi-purpose grassed Plaza of Cultures and Shining Light on opportunities work collectively to achieve our area. Swanston Street and the Dark. to grow and district vision. SH1 stormwater works were improve our completed and hopefully by There has been significant business investment interest in district and South Waikato has faced some the time you read this, the respond to big changes during 2019 and reseal work by NZTA will be the South Waikato and Council has worked hard to bring in new our growing the Council I've led has had complete. We can’t wait to have population to change its whole way of our beautiful modern new Leith jobs to the district and attract Central Government funding. and towns. thinking. Rather than shrinking Place, toilets and Plaza area This has put our footprint we've had to plan open to enjoy. Council continues to collaborate with the SWIF Trust on a range pressures on the for growth and we're working organisation, but we are rising hard to address this change. The Tīrau Walkway was of initiatives from attracting officially opened, providing new business to business to the challenge and already Achievements during 2019 a public open space to walk, training and attracting business 2020 looks set to be another play and relax in. In 2020, the investment. positive year. Work on the district’s four construction of a pedestrian wastewater treatment plant Our focus on improving So thank you everyone. This will bridge across the Oraka stream be my last term as your Mayor upgrades and consent renewals will join the two halves of the relationships is going from continues following extensive strength to strength. We have so we’ve got three years to look domain. We also installed new for a successor, however I assure community engagement. Work ramps, exercise stations and held successful workshop will be spread over many years sessions with individuals, you I will continue to work very a basketball pad and hoop at hard for the best outcomes for to ensure affordability. Prospect Avenue. groups and organisations from business sectors including our wonderful district We talked extensively about the Responding to economic forestry, estate agents, future of the landfill and from Please keep an eye out for growth - both population and agriculture and with our people on their own this those discussions we decided business - has been a focus and Pacific Island communities. that closing the Tokoroa landfill Christmas. This is a time for staff have made progress on a Our relationship with Raukawa kindness and sharing. and transporting waste out District Plan review in Putāruru and other iwi continues to of the district was the best to re-zone land for residential improve as better relationships To our emergency services, option as the risks and cost of and business development. with all our community medical teams, retail and managing a landfill continues to This work has included play an important role in hospitality staff working and escalate mainly due to stringent infrastructure assessments our collaborative delivery keeping us safe over the holiday environmental, health and and by the time you read this of programmes, events and period, thank you. safety controls and monitoring. we will be consulting on new initiatives for our community. And please remember to keep Construction of a transfer funding for infrastructure that This in turn enhances our safe out there, with seat belts on station will begin in January is necessary to support growth. resilience as a community, as a in the car and life jackets out on in preparation for the landfill Growth planning is not isolated district and as a Council. the boat. closure in October 2020. to Putāruru; with investigation A recap of 2019 would sadly work beginning for other towns Meri Kirihimete Waste management is an not be complete without in the district. Merry Christmas ongoing challenging area. At mentioning the tragic events the time of writing we were We gifted a collection of taonga of 15 March. The terrible act of heading into hearings for ‘Te Toko Tokoroa o Matarawa’ to terrorism on this day affected the public submissions on Raukawa. As kaitiaki, Raukawa every New Zealander and household waste collection. will preserve, maintain and care people in our beautifully multi- We had 546 submissions and of for these taonga in the Huia cultural community were no those 35 people indicated that Kaimanawa room at Te Whare different. Hundreds participated they wanted to o Raukawa.