Waipā District Council

This is your last chance to help shape the draft Lake Ngā Roto Recreation Reserve Management Plan!

To have your say on what should be considered visit waipadc.govt.nz/ngarotoreview.

Feedback closes 5pm on Sunday!

UPDATE: This work has been postponed. As soon as the new date is confirmed, we will let you know.

We need to fix a section of sewer pipe under Bank Street, Te Awamutu. The roundabout at Bank and Vaile Streets will be under stop/go traffic management on Thursday, July 25, between 9am and 3pm, so our crews can safely access the manhole.

The medical centre and the Pathlab will be operating as usual. Businesses and residents should not experience any interruptions to their services.

Please use alternative routes, if possible, we thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

- Plastic food packaging how do we avoid it? 🍱

Plastic is everywhere! Avoiding it can be challenging, especially when visiting a supermarket. But nothing is impossible, and everyone can start changing their daily habits to make an impact.

Some key things to remember:
🥦 Bring your re-usable bags when buying fruits and vegetables and avoid pre-packaged food
🫘 Visit a refill store to stock up on pantry essentials like pasta, rice, seeds and nuts
🥛 Use refillable glass milk bottles instead of buying it in plastic containers
🥩 Take a container to the local butcher instead of purchasing pre-packaged meat
🧺 Visit your local markets to purchase food

Learn more about reducing plastic food packaging at waipadc.govt.nz/zero-waste.

UPDATE: Due to the wet weather yesterday, our contractors couldn’t finish the asphalting. We'll be back on Thursday to get the job done. Fingers crossed for good weather!

If the weather plays nice, we'll finish the Wilson Street work next week!

⛔But before we do, we need to close a section of the road outside The Warehouse on Monday and Tuesday.
🚗 Drivers will be able to enter Wilson Street from Victoria Street to access The Warehouse carpark.

While this section is closed, we'll be installing ducting for new streetlights and finishing the raised safety platform.

Cameras have been installed at Cambridge’s Terry Came Drive playground following three vandal attacks in the past two weeks - the most recent incident saw cement spread around the site!

The playground has been attacked four times since it opened in October 2023, resulting in around $16,500 in damages. If you know anything, please contact the Police.

Read more here bit.ly/3xS3wGR

Waipā businesses 📣Show our Waipā Olympians and Paralympians their community is right behind them!

We'll be spotlighting local businesses who get on board and celebrate our hometown heroes as they compete at the Paris Games!

- Let's talk about plastic takeout containers 🥡

Takeaways are a great and easy option when you have a busy schedule. However takeaways can produce a lot of waste, especially in the containers they come in!

Here are some tips on how you can avoid plastic takeout container waste:
♻️ Bring a reusable container, cutlery and cup to get your takeout in
♻️ Encourage your local businesses to promote reusable containers
♻️ Dispose of the containers correctly
♻️ Or eat in instead!

Deepen your knowledge and start getting involved: sustainabletaranaki.org.nz/news/takeaway-containers-explained

Hold on to your seat, Te Awamutu! The new Walton Street toilets are open!

Their improved location and the new footpath make them safer and more accessible for everyone.

The old toilets were at the end of their life, had ongoing maintenance issues and opened right into the road corridor.

There are still a few things left to do on Walton Street, including road signs and street markings.

Tick tock, the town clock strikes on the dot. 🕰️

A lot of work has gone into restoring the historic Cambridge Town Clock, including automation, a rebuild of the clock mechanism and structural upgrades.

Check out the new lights as we put them to the test tonight to mark the occasion.

Read more here: bit.ly/3zI00zc

Ten new tenants will soon have a place to call home now that the new pensioner housing units at Leamington’s Vaile Court are complete. 🏠

Bright and early this morning the keys were officially handed over to Habitat for Humanity Central Region, New Zealand who will manage the tenants on our behalf.

The homes aim enhance quality of life for the eligible seniors. They promise energy savings and a healthier living environment with improved warmth and dryness.

Read more here: bit.ly/4cOHhR2

UPDATE: 3:30pm The truck is now free and there is stop/go in place while the road edge is being repaired.

A truck has slipped off the road into a culvert near Rukuhia School. A crane is needed to pull the truck free.

Rukuhia Road will be closed between the school and McGregor Road, Ōhaupō, from 12 to 5 pm.

Traffic management is in place, and staff onsite will assist residents in accessing their properties.

♻️10 July - Recycling collection delay update♻️

▪ Cambridge South/Leamington/Karāpiro/Whitehall/Taotaoroa/Te Miro: Yellow bin collections for routes 5 and 6 are underway and should be completed by the end of today.
▪ Kihikihi/Te Awamutu/Te Mawhai/Pokuru/Tokanui: Blue bin collections for route 15 is underway and should be completed tomorrow.

Please leave your bins at the kerbside until collected.

Paw five! 🐾 64.6 percent of dog owners have led the way and registered their canine companions so far. 🐩

If you still need to register yours, get online or come into one of our council offices today! waipadc.govt.nz/dogregistration

Remember penalty fees apply from August 1, if you need support please get in touch.

♻️Recycling collection delay update♻️

▪️ Maungatautari/Pukeatua/Rotoorangi/Karāpiro: Collections for missed yellow bins on route 17 are underway and will be complete by the end of today. Route 18 is running late and will be completed tomorrow.
▪️ Pirongia/Te Pahu/Ngāhinapōuri: Routes 19 and 20 will be collected tomorrow.
▪️ Cambridge South/Leamington/Whitehall/Taotaoroa/Te Miro: Collection for yellow bins for routes 5 and 6 will run as usual tomorrow.
▪️ Kihikihi/Te Awamutu/Te Mawhai/Pokuru/Tokanui: Glass collection for route 15 will run as usual tomorrow.

Please leave your bins at the kerbside until collected.

- Stop using single-use coffee cups and start using reusable cups! ☕

Single-use coffee cups have a wax coating making them non-recyclable. Using reusable cups instead can help make a dent in the 295 million coffee cups that end up in landfills yearly in Aotearoa. That’s equivalent to every adult throwing away a single-use cup every five days!

Need more convincing? Single-use coffee cups also release billions of microplastics into the hot drinks they hold. 😬

By making a simple switch from plastic to reusable cups, you're not only helping the environment but also protecting your health. It's a win-win!

Heads up Kaipaki!

Kaipaki Road will be down to one lane in front of Kaipaki School on Thursday and Friday, from 9am – 3pm, while we remove a large tree.

🚫You won't be able to turn right out of Goodwin Road onto Kaipaki Road.
🚗However, a detour will be in place around Kaipaki/Mellow/Mystery Creek/Mceldownie Roads.

We're doing the work during the holidays, so we don't impact the parents, kids and teachers during the term.

Businesses and critically-endangered bats are set to soar, with the rezoning of rural land for development in the Airport Business Zone and creation of two bat habitats.

This move marks a significant step toward fostering economic growth in Waipā while ensuring the protection of our environment. Read more: bit.ly/4bzoaZO

♻️Recycling collection delay update♻️

If your yellow or blue recycling bin hasn't been emptied yet, please leave it at the kerbside until collected.

Time is nearly up on the Cambridge Town Clock refurbishment! 🕰️

The scaffolding and wrap will be coming down by the end of today.

We need to close some sections of Victoria and Lake Streets around the clock tower worksite on Monday from 5am – 9:30am, so we can get a crane in to remove the scaffolding.

Next week the hoardings will be removed, and concrete pavers will be installed.

Another vandalism attack on Cambridge’s Terry Came Drive playground will cost ratepayers thousands of dollars in repairs.

The artistic wall wrap had been ripped off the toilet - costing up to $15,000! Established plants were torn out of the garden and the BBQ had been turned on with rubbish and plants on top.

Read more here: bit.ly/3VNDjBb.

Good afternoon Waipā. Here's the latest update for your recycling collection. Please leave your bins at the kerbside until collected.

♻️Thornton Road/Norfolk Drive area: Blue bin collection for Route 4 is currently being collected.
♻️Leamington: Blue bin collection for Route 6 is underway.
♻️Te Awamutu/Kihikihi: We are halfway through collecting yellow bins for routes 15 and 16.
♻️Leamington: Blue bin collection for Route 8 is running late and collections will continue tomorrow.
♻️Maungatautari/Rotoorangi/Pukeatua/Karāpiro: Collections for yellow bins for routes 17 and 18 have yet to start.
♻️Ōhaupō/Pirongia/Te Pahu/Ngāhinapōuri: Routes 10, 19 and 20 will be collected this weekend.

Have you checked out the new safety measures at the Cook and Shakespeare Street roundabout? We’ve heard they are getting your attention 👀

The yellow and black rubber mats widen the roundabout causing traffic to slow, making drivers more careful in the way they negotiate their way around. That makes it safer for pedestrians, particularly school children who find it harder to estimate distance and timing when they cross the road.

The mats are also a cost effective and less disruptive option than a full roundabout reconstruction. Find out more here: bit.ly/3WcsKsU

🛹Pirongia skaters, we want to know what you think of the Pirongia skatepark concept design! Have we got enough quarter pipes? What skate features would you like more of?

Join us at a drop-in session, check out the designs, chat with the experts and have your say!
📅Saturday, 27 July, 1pm – 3pm
📍Pirongia Rugby and Sports Club

Explore the interactive skatepark concept map and share your thoughts at waipadc.govt.nz/pirongiaskatepark.

♻️Hey Waipā, our recycling contractor is running behind and is unable to complete routes 4, 6, 15 and 16 (around Cambridge, Leamington and Kihikihi).

Our crew will prioritise the missed areas tomorrow morning. Please leave your bin kerbside until it is collected.

Thanks for your understanding.

These gorgeous dogs need a forever home! 🐾

Our amazing dog control team at Waipā are currently looking after these dogs but they need to find a family of their own. If you're interested or know someone who can care for these pups for their entire lifetime please get in touch with our Waipa Animal Control team

Over 130 years of Te Awamutu Brass Band history has been preserved for all of time thanks to a free digitisation service at Te Awamutu Museum - Education & Research Centre. 📷

The local group and museum staff worked together to digitise over 70 photographs that depicted past band members and events. Some of the photographs date back to the 1890s.

For more information on digitising your own photographs please email [email protected].

June may have marked the start of winter, but people were still getting out and using our pathways!

🚴‍♂️Hamilton Road, Cambridge: There were a total of 6713 users, 1876 more users than June last year. The busiest day was Saturday, 8 June with 374 users.
🚴‍♂️Park Road, Te Awamutu: There were a total of 2611 users, 293 more users than June last year. The busiest day was Saturday, 29 June with 169 users.

♻️Hey Cambridge, our recycling truck has had a breakdown this afternoon and is unable to complete Route 4.

Not to worry though! Our crew will be making the missed areas a priority in the morning. Please leave your bin kerbside until it is collected.

Thanks for your understanding.

♻️Want to challenge yourself this month for Plastic Free July? Be a part of the plastic pollution solution by making sustainable swaps to reduce your plastic waste.

Create new, sustainable habits by keeping an eye out for our plastic free swaps and ideas, or sign up for the Plastic Free July Challenge.

✅When you sign up, you will receive weekly tips and tricks on how to find plastic alternatives! plasticfreejuly.org/take-the-challenge/