ISSN 1170-1099 120TC049/04 Published Tuesday and Thursday THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007 Circulated FREE to all households throughout Te Awamutu and surrounding districts. Extra copies 40c. BRIEFLY Dream not over Something fi shy in stream yet for Finn? Te Awamutu raised music Simon Wise (28) has been fi sh- legend Neil Finn is about to re- ing in Mangauika Stream on his form Crowded House - if major parents’ Te Tahi Road property New Zealand media outlets are on the slopes of Mount Pirongia correct. for many years. The New Zealand Herald He’s never had a catch like he reported on Tuesday that the got on Monday night - and hopes former frontman and singer he never does again. had joined forces with bass After noticing that the stream player Nick Seymour and they looked murky and in places were auditioning drummers in ‘frothy’, within 20 minutes Mr Melbourne (Crowded House Wise had fi lled a 10 litre bucket drummer Paul Hester commit- with dead fi sh. ted suicide in 2004). “There were dead eels, trout There has been no offi cial and cockabullies all through the statement yet about the band stream.” being re-formed, but an an- Mr Wise walked upstream past nouncement was expected this more dead and dying aquatic life week. until he reached what he believes Crowded House split in June was the source of the problem - 1996 and bid the world stage the Waipa District Council water farewell with an emotional treatment plant. concert on the Sydney Opera “I certainly could not fi nd any House Steps fi ve months later. dead fi sh beyond the water treat- There has been media specu- ment plant,” Mr Wise says. lation that Neil Finn wanted to He says the plant was being re-form Crowded House for a backwashed earlier in the day 12-month world tour, after re- and he is convinced it overfl owed the oxidation pond and into Man- lease of a solo album in March. gauika Stream. Mr Wise contacted Waipa Dis- Fighting for lab trict Council and Environment Taranaki-King Country MP Waikato to express his concern Shane Ardern has contacted about the contamination of the Waikato Health Board seeking stream. assurances that laboratory Waipa staff arrived that night services will continue in our to carry out work on the treat- rural towns. ment station pond. They shut “I am aware that our Health down the backwash programme UNFIT FOR FISH: Simon Wise with the bucket-full of dead aquatic life he fi shed out of Mangauika Boards are under extreme and the following day dug out fi nancial pressure from this La- the pond. Stream on Monday night. 025071AD bour Government but services They also collected water sam- as a result of the problem, but to the rural communities must ples from the stream. says nothing ‘out of the ordinary’ not be used as a way of saving Environment Waikato contact- has occurred. money,” Mr Ardern said. ed Mr Wise the following day, to He is ‘baffl ed’ by the reaction “I have asked the Board to at get an account from him of what from fi sh in the stream. least assure us that staff and had happened and to advise that “It is possible it was run-off services will be kept open in they were in contact with WDC. from the forest or paddocks, our townships. It is not fair to Mr Wise was pleased that or some kind of natural occur- leave people nervous about the Waipa District Council moved rence.” future.” reasonably quickly to remedy the Mr Kerr wants to emphasise problem - although he was disap- that the Te Awamutu water sup- Raglan roadworks pointed some things had not been ply remains unaffected. done such as clearing out the “We are doing everything we Transit New Zealand advises dead fi sh littered throughout the can to limit further damage motorists that contractors will stream. He was concerned about while we work out what is going be working on SH23 on the ‘downstream’ effects. on,” he says. Raglan side of the Raglan de- Council engineering manager, “Investigations are continuing viation over Auckland Anniver- John Kerr says staff were sent and we are working with Envi- sary weekend. out on Monday night after the ronment Waikato.” Transit area engineer, Ger- notifi cation came through that Environment Waikato visited hard van Blerk, says all work there was contamination of the Mr Wise yesterday , to collect wa- will be weather dependent and stream. ter samples that he had taken on traffi c management will be Mr Kerr says until the water Monday night and a verbal state- implemented at the site with samples are returned from the ment from him. temporary speed restrictions. laboratory later this week, there “They had been up at the water Delays may occur and road is uncertainty over what caused treatment station taking photos users are advised to drive with the problem. of the pond, which they confi rmed care, especially through the He says a desludging of the had not been cleaned out for work site which may have a water treatment pond has been some time and had overfl owed,” SLUDGE-STREAM: Photograph of the stream contamination taken gravel surface. carried out earlier than normal Mr Wise says. on Monday night by Simon Wise. Woodstock OPEN 7 DAYS Phone 871 4009 Dozen stubbies Cnr Sloane & Vaile Sts TE AWAMUTU SALE Offer valid until 29/01/07 while stocks last 1 ITEM 20% OFF 2+ ITEMS 30% OFF St Remys Cruiser Brandy Dozen pack $$20.0020.00 1125ml $$20.0020.00 AND GET A AND GET A 322 ALEXANDRA STREET, TE AWAMUTU PHONE 871 2180 FREE HAT $$33.0033.00 FREE BEACH MAT 025TC004/07 023TC012-07 025TC038-07 YOUR LETTERS What happened to million Just spend the qualifying dollars from promotion? amount in one transaction Christmas 2006 is now in the past million dollars on offer? received the one million dollars (the at any of the *3 participating but many people have long memories May I suggest that in future the busi- retailers involved had stumped up the and the subject of the draw for a mil- nesses in Te Awamutu run their own money for the insurance) - as often businesses below and... lion dollars to some lucky shopper was ‘no hype’ prize draws and publish the explained in articles about the pro- never realised. names of winners as did Paper Plus, for motion, the other 99 envelopes con- There was all the hype of million dol- one I can name. tained a voucher for the $6,000 home lars and a consolation prize. RON BOXELL entertainment package. The other How can there be a consolation prize. Editor’s note: Mr Boxell, yours is a le- 25 signifi cant prizes were all given SSAVEAVE UUPP TOTO How can there be a ‘consolation’ prize gitimate question and the best answer away on the day - those drawn had (which was drawn) if a million dollars I can give is that in new articles and to be present to collect their prize or it was not won? advertisements that appeared in the Many people to whom I have spoken was drawn until a winner was present C Courier, we and the promoters were (most of those whose tickets were PPERER agree with my comment. So where is at pains to point out that what was on 3300 LITRELITRE the million dollars? drawn were present). While a sense of offer was ‘to go in the draw to win the No Te Awamutu shopper has it, nor chance to win a million dollars’. If the disappointment that no-one won the has there been a list of small prize win- person whose name had been drawn million dollars was understandable AATT TT.M.L..M.L. ners been given for publication as with out on the big draw day (December - there was no sense of being misled other much smaller raffl es published. 17 at Albert Park) had drawn the by those who acquainted themselves GGASOLINEASOLINE ALLEYALLEY Again, I repeat, what happened to the winning envelope, they would have with the details of the promotion. CCHURCHILLHURCHILL SSTREETTREET Better policy would be to keep rates Why am I not wanted by Te low rather than providing rebate Awamutu employers? *John Haworth In the December 2006 Word this gives a green light to the I am a 51-year-old female, highly qualifi ed in offi ce on Waipa, I was interested Council to go on raising rates work and I have held responsible positions and I am Betta Electrical to read that there were ap- irrespective of ratepayers;’ sick and tired of having my applications for jobs sent minimum spend $50 proximately 3000 households ability to pay. back with a ‘Thank you, but no thank you’ letter. eligible for some form of rates Far better in my opinion to I have been in Te Awamutu for one year now and I (Excludes contracting & servicing) rebate and that, and as it was restrict the amount of rates have applied for over 40 fulltime jobs in various sec- an Internal Affairs initiative, and charges councils may levy. tors of the workforce - all to no avail. no funding was required from Better still fi nd a more equi- What do employers want? A 20-year-old with 20 *Te Awamutu Council. table means of fi nancing local years’ experience in the job? As you know, that’s im- Whilst any form of rebate government. possible. Wines and Spirits cannot be condemned, surely P.