Local Opinion

Strength in disaster

While we call phenomena like devastating eruptions, earthquakes, and storms “natural disasters”, they are actually a social event. If any one of these events strikes a remote area where there is nothing to impact, it…

A burning issue

Over 900 submissions were received by Waipā District Council on the Waste-to-Energy incinerator consent application in Te Awamutu. That’s a record number. A large majority were in opposition. So why the concern? The proposal, yet…

Making a difference in people’s lives

November is the time of year we begin to plan for the summer. We are already feeling some very warm days and enjoying having the doors of the house open early in the morning for…

A column with a difference

This week, I’m going to depart from my weekly summary of police calls for service to talk about community intelligence. Police have recently put more emphasis on intelligence gleaned from the community. This may be…

Paterangi pioneer remembered

Edwin Robinson survived the land wars only to die in an unfortunate accident as Meghan Hawkes reflects on in Tales from the Passed. When a machinery belt broke at the Paterangi creamery in November 1902…

Waipā headwinds

Waipā District Council recently adopted their 2022-23 Annual Report. They said: “Waipā is bracing itself for financial headwinds in the wake of high inflation, soaring interest costs and a need to fund more depreciation.” I…

Rock detectives unlock secrets

If you were to look at a thin slice of rock under a microscope, you would see that they look totally different up close. While rocks might mostly look a dull brown or grey, they…

Facts about calderas

Writing about volcanism in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the term “caldera” pops up frequently. We have a lot of them. For those who have vaguely heard of them, images of “supervolcanoes” and extinction-level eruptions tend to come…

All aflutter at polo

Meghan Hawkes looks back at what was making Waipā headlines in 1913. Local heart throbs, the Te Awamutu polo players, competed in the New Zealand polo tournament at Palmerston North. The Savile Cup challenge was…

Seven days in review

Ryan Fleming looks back on the week of crime in the Te Awamutu district including a man who kept them busy but was ultimately arrested by their Ōtorohanga colleagues and a woman who went on…

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