Te Awamutu Ph (07) 871-5069 email: [email protected] 410 Bond Road, Te Awamutu YourC community newspaper for over 100 years Thursday, February 18, 2021 A/H 021 503 404 BRIEFLY Predator-free goal Shakespeare and Children’s Day Te Awamutu Free Concert in the Park Trust brings Shakespeare in the Park— Two Gentlemen of Verona —toTe Awamutu War Memorial Park for Mystery Creek a 5pm this Sunday (see page 6 for details) and a free children’s play in association with Te Awamutu Little Local groups create Theatre on Children’s Day — Sunday, March 7. community hub More details on Children’s Day activities will be published in to protect species next week’s edition. Dean Taylor Boys and Girls Rally ystery Creek has been Every Boys and Girls Rally is designated a predator- back for 2021 at the Te free hub and is joining Awamutu Bible Chapel. forces with local protec- Last night was the first for the Mtion groups to extend its reach and year. help further the Waikato’s conserva- A fun and safe programme tion goals. where they can learn about Conservation and protection have God, socialise with others and been a large focus for the NZ National learn life skills. Fieldays Society over the past 12 Crafts, games and many other months. With an investment pro- fun activities. gramme and support from DoC and All boys and girls aged 7-15 are the Waikato Regional Council, the welcome to come on society undertakes predator control Wednesday nights from 7pm- on the entire 114-hectare Mystery 8.30pm. Creek property. Now the society is teaming up with Predator-Free Hamilton and Cam- Be a blood donor bridge to expand the project and The Te Awamutu Blood Drive create the Predator Free Mystery is happening next week at Te Creek Community Hub. Awamutu Sport and Rugby The community hub was Club. launched at a function at the Fieldays Donate an hour of your site — bringing together local Predator Free Community co-ordinator Karen Barlow addressing the Mystery Creek Predator Free Community Hub summer to save a live on neighbours, iwi, businesses, and launch on Thursday evening. Photos / Dean Taylor Wednesday between 1—7pm schools to educate, inspire and pro- or Thursday from 8am until vide support for their own The traps are currently serviced 1pm. biodiversity and predator control weekly by four community volun- Contact 0800 448325 to make efforts. teers, with more than 80 rats, 140 an appointment. The society has secured funding possums and 31 hedgehogs caught from the Waikato Regional Council since the end of August, 2019. Environmental Initiatives Fund to The team use the Trap NZ app to Covid disclaimer run the hub over the next two years. record every catch, keep an accurate At the time of going to press “As a community hub, we will record of where they are catching the Government provide predator traps for our different pests and create valuable announcement regarding neighbours and will offer ongoing reports from the data. Covid-19 Alert Levels had not support and training days,” says Used and funded by many of New taken place. society CEO Peter Nation. Zealand’s regional councils, the app The Te Awamutu Courier will “We would like to see this as a is an on-the-ground tool for mapping, monitor the situation and place where in the future, schools can Mystery Creek neighbours and volunteers attending the launch of the locating and managing traps, and update any information we visit and learn more, with a focus on Mystery Creek Predator Free Community Hub. monitoring site and bait station have published in print if the science and innovation in the en- records. Alert Level results in any vironmental space. protect these species, but also to leverage these relationships to cham- DoC is also installing bat monitors changes. “Critically endangered long-tailed encourage the wider community to pion conservation and protection in on the property to detect bat activity Please check our Facebook bats and long-finned eels reside at get involved in predator trapping. the greater Waikato region.” and determine where they are page for updates information. Mystery Creek, and on neighbouring “The society is well connected More than 75 traps have been roosting. properties, and kaka often visit too. with extensive networks. This initiat- installed across the property so far, “The hub is designed not only to ive will give us the opportunity to with more scheduled to go in. continued on A3 SUZUKI DR200SEL5 TROJAN INCL $5,995 GST $600 ON WAIKATO MILKING MINIMUM TRADE-IN SYSTEMS CUP REMOVERS ANY TRADE DEAD OR ALIVE See instore for details Te Awamutu Otorohanga Putaruru 2 Livingstone Brothers Ln 12 Progress Drive 89 Tirau Street P: 07 871 6781 P: 07 873 8500 P: 07 883 3423 2 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, February 18, 2021 Council Council to remove keeps AA- Circulated free to 14,045 homes in rating Te Awamutu and surrounding districts. sites for rubbish CIRCULATION 14,045* Waipa¯District Council has retained PHONE: 07 871 5151 its AA- credit rating after a review. Drop-off points abolished after complaints from residents Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s POSTAL ADDRESS: top credit rating agencies, has con- 97 Sloane Street, PO Box 1, number of unofficial ample, should be using a wheelie firmed Waipa¯’s Issuer Default Te Awamutu 3840 rubbish bag drop-off bin service instead or taking their Rating (IDR) of ‘AA-’ with a stable OFFICE HOURS: points across the district rubbish to a transfer station as their outlook and short-term local cur- will be removed in the bags will not be collected from the rency IDR of ‘F1+’. This is the coun- Monday - Wednesday 10am - 2pm Acoming months in an effort to street outside their houses.” cil’s third review and in all three Closed Thursday, Friday, Public Holidays eliminate littering, odour and ver- Karl said council would phase reviews the ratings have been DELIVERY QUERIES: 0800 111 200 min at the sites. out the sites one by one from retained. Located across the district, the Friday, February 26. Deputy chief executive Ken EDITORIAL unofficial sites are used by resi- “We understand residents will Morris says credit ratings are im- Dean Taylor (Editor) dents whose properties are not need a bit of time to sort out a new portant because a good rating Ext: 67705 0274 819951 serviced by EnviroWaste to drop rubbish provider if they have been brings down the cost of borrowing. [email protected] off their yellow rubbish bags for The corner of Maungakawa and using these drop-off points so The ratings are assigned based Caitlan Johnston Ext: 67710 collection. French Pass roads. Photo / Supplied they’ll have a short grace period on Fitch’s strict rating criteria for Some of the sites are so popular, to do so. international local and regional [email protected] piles of up to 30 or more bags are “It’s unfair for those living “However, after this time we will governments, for the most part Jesse Wood Ext: 67713 often left on the berm for days nearby to have to deal with these start actively monitoring these looking at profiles and debt [email protected] ahead of collection. sites. If rubbish bags were only left sites and fining those who con- sustainability ratios. SPORT Waipa¯ District Council com- there on the day of collection, then tinue to dump their rubbish there.” “A good rating gives investors [email protected] pliance manager Karl Tutty said it wouldn’t be an issue but that Some of the drop-off sites in- confidence because there is lesser the sites were now a major prob- unfortunately is not what is clude the corner of Baffin and risk of default,” he says. ADVERTISING lem for nearby residents, for local happening.” Franklin streets in Pirongia, the “A favourable re-rating will re- Sarah Verran 021 345 951 communities and for council Karl said rubbish collection was corner of French Pass and duce interest costs and an unfav- [email protected] which was responding to numer- a private service in Waipa¯and was Maungakawa roads in Cambridge ourable re-rating will increase CLASSIFIEDS ous complaints. not managed by council. and the intersection of Hydro Rd them. A good credit rating will save “Bags left at these locations for “It is up to all residents to select and State Highway 1 in Kara¯piro. ratepayers tens of thousands of Tania King Ext: 67708 a long time are not only unsightly a provider who will service their dollars in interest costs.” [email protected] but they attract vermin and properties. Not all properties can More information on Recently Rotorua Lakes Council We welcome letters - preferably via email. animals which leads to littering use the yellow rubbish bags which i rubbish providers in Waipa¯ has had its credit rating affirmed They should be under 300 words and when bags are ripped open, and are provided by EnviroWaste. can be found at www. at AA- and Selwyn District Council must have the sender’s name, address can create a terrible odour. “Many rural properties, for ex- waipadc.govt.nz/rubbish. was affirmed at AA+. and phone number. No pseudonyms are accepted and names will only be ■ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR withheld in special circumstances at the discretion of the editor. Letters are not Somuch poverty much power and never before from there made me want to retch. on future council decision making usually acknowledged and may be edited, Never before in the history of have people been so prepared to I was embarrassed with the when having a greater number of abridged or discarded.