i-Site to stay open
Cambridge’s i-Site will remain in the Town Hall after July 1 despite its funding from Waipā District Council discontinuing from that date.
Tali Jellyman, Ruth Crampton and Sue Devonshire at the Waipa Home & Leisure Show at Karapiro.
Destination Cambridge general manager Ruth Crampton made the announcement to industry partners today (Friday) that local tourism operator Riverside Adventures Waikato will take over the information centre, supported by Destination Cambridge. Rural Tours, who had previously signed a working agreement with the i-Site have renewed their relationship and secured two of the current i-Site staff post July 1.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Simon Brew and the Cambridge Town Hall Trust board who understood the delicate situation the Cambridge isite found itself in,” said Crampton.
“With their support, an affordable rental has been agreed, which will be shared by Rural Tours, Riverside Adventures and Destination Cambridge. This also enables the Town Hall to recoup some cost as they look to secure funding to continue to upgrade and develop the majestic building which is at the very heart of Cambridge.”
Crampton will stay on in a reduced capacity overseeing the digital aspects of the Destination Cambridge business and focuising on a more active promotion of the tourism industry.
The cambridge.co.nz website – which has more than 140,000 visits a year – is a key promotional tool for the town and will continue under her stewardship.
Riverside will offer transportation bookings, accommodation and activity advice and bookings, visitor information, DOC hut tickets, NZ and local gifts, as well as their bike hire and kayak business from the Town Hall while retaining a presence at the Velodrome and Horahora.
See: New focus for i-Site
See: Tourism: i-Site going alone
See: Challenge for i-Site
Home and Leisure show opens
First in, first servied. Marlene Prince and Graham Hopkins from the Highfield Retirement Village in Te Awamutu were first in the door at 10am for the Waipa Home & Leisure Show. By 10.50am, 100 people had gone through the gates.
A steady stream of people from throughout the region visited the Waipā Home & Leisure Show at the Sir Don Rowlands Centre in Karāpiro today. The event continues tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday.
See: It’s show time at Karapiro
Cambridge pair chosen
Madeleine Waddell, 16, and Boh Ritchie, 17, (pictured) have been named in an initial team of 12 which is set to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru from August 27 to 31.
Both attend St Peter’s School in Cambridge. Ritchie has earned a big reputation after landing a slew of national titles in 2022 and 2023 over a range of distances and surfaces.
Her form has continued to impress in 2024 with her display at the Potts Classic in Hastings earlier this month – when she wiped more than two seconds from her lifetime best to run 2:06:51 for fourth in the Sylvia Potts Memorial 800m.
Waddell won the U20 400m Hurdles and U18 400m national titles in March and has enjoyed a meteoric season. In only her third ever 400m hurdles race, the Hamilton City Hawks athlete romped to the World U20 performance standard mark when securing the national U20 400m hurdles title in 1:00.40. More recently she slashed more than a second from her 400m flat personal best of 53.97 in New York to earn her berth in the latter event.
Kiwifruit appeal
An Environment Court appeal by an Ōhaupō lifestyler over a decision to allow a kiwifruit grower to add vertical black screens and planting next door to his Parallel Road property could be dropped following legal discussions between the two parties. Mediation last year did not result in a resolution, but subsequent discussions between the appellant and the consent holder has resulted in a draft put to both of them which if signed would amend the consent and drop the appeal.
Jan wins new skill
Jan Soanes who received the New Skill award for her entry Safe as Houses (the new skill being intarsia knitting) at the Cambridge Creative Fibre annual exhibition and craft fair in the Cambridge Town Hall.
Members of Cambridge Creative Fibre are showcasing their skills in their annual exhibition in the Cambridge Town Hall this week. The show opened on Tuesday and wraps up on Sunday. Fibre arts disciplines from handspun yarn to delicate lace knitting from snuggly knitwear to intricate weaves are on display. Jan Soanes took out the New Skill award for her entry Safe as Houses.
Road fatality
A Cambridge man died following a crash involving a motorcycle on Flat Road, Kihikihi on Saturday evening.
Grants made
Cambridge Community Board committed $4544.96 from its Community Discretionary Funds this financial year for the previous year, with $3,478.11 paid to date. Funds of $49,981.11 have been committed from the current year with $35,456.07 being paid to date. There is a balance of $5838.84 in uncommitted funds. The board recently made the following grants from its funds:
- Cambridge Tree Trust $2000
- Harbour City Rod Club $1000
- House of Science $1000
- Riding for the Disabled – Cambridge Incorporated $2750
- Roto O Rangi Memorial Hall Society Inc $3683
- Ko Wai Au Trust $500 – subject to the Trust confirming that this funding will be spent in Cambridge.
- Cambridge Safer Community Charitable Trust $7500
- Leamington Croquet Club Inc $1000
Pools winner
Cambridge’s Perry Aquatic Centre, Puna Kaukau o Te Oko Horoi, has won a top public architecture design award.
Cambridge’s Perry Aquatic Centre picked up a design award at last week’s New Zealand Institute of Architects Waikato and Bay of Plenty Awards.
Consents down
Resource consent applications are down four for the quarter ended March 31 compared to the previous three months, Waipā’s Strategic Planning and Policy committee heard this week. The 77 consents comprised 43 for land use and 34 for subdivisions. Meanwhile 276 Land Information Memorandums (Lims) – up from 247 – were also processed.
Consultation closes
Consultation on Waikato District Council’s draft Enhanced Annual Plan closed on Friday, with 224 submissions received. The council is proposing a rate revenue increase of 13.75 per cent.
Parking pings
Motorists continue to rack up parking fines in Cambridge and Te Awamutu with 437 infringements issued from January 1 to March 31. Most were for overstaying in time limited parking in the two towns.
Building proceeds
Four significant projects feature among building consents totalling $46 million for the quarter ended March 31, down from $77.9 million in the same time frame last year. Roading for the Cambridge Summerset retirement village, a new church and community centre in Te Awamutu, remedial works for Woolworths, Te Awamutu and a new technology teaching block at Cambridge Middle School are among the 170 new building consents.
Dairy Awards
Waipā is well represented at the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards to be announced this weekend. Among the finalists are Logan and Sian Dawson (Ōhaupō) in the share farmers category and Kirwyn Ellis (Pirongia) in the dairy trainee section.
Arvida in
Retirement health provider Arvida has taken over the development of elderly accommodation in Waipā’s 41ha western Te Awamutu T2 residential zone. The publicly listed company has 35 communities throughout New Zealand including Lauriston Park in Leamington.
Coles’ new role
Philip Coles
Cambridge ward councillor Philip Coles announced to the council’s Strategic Planning and Policy committee this week that he had joined the board of Global Cities New Zealand (formerly Sister Cities New Zealand) as a director. He was one of four nominees for four positions. The group’s aim is to connect people globally for peace and prosperity. Waipā has long-standing sister city relationshups with Bihoro in Japan – formed in 1997 – and Le Quesnoy in France, started in 1999.
