Cambridge Christmas Parade
Deputy Waipā mayor Jo Davies-Colley is backing calls to move Te Awamutu Christmas Parade back to a Sunday.
Waipā deputy mayor Jo Davies-Colley, pictured with mayor Mike Pettit, supports moving the Te Awamutu Christmas Parade back to a Sunday. Photo: Chris Gardner
“I do understand that a Saturday morning in Te Awamutu is a busy time for traders,” Davies-Colley said.
“Moving it to a Sunday is a good idea. Most shops are shut, and more people are free.”
Shane Walsh
Her comments come after Te Awamutu Ward councillor Shane Walsh urged Waipā District Council to engage in deeper and wider consultation on road closures as Te Awamutu retailers take a financial hit every time the road is closed on a Saturday for a parade.
The deputy mayor joined Walsh and mayor Mike Pettit to mix with the community at the town’s annual craft fair on Saturday.
“The three of us met a lot of people who told us how much they loved living in Te Awamutu and how great it was to see so many people coming into their town for the busy market,” she said.
“It was absolutely packed. Some of the concerns we heard were around the need for increased parking in the Te Awamutu CBD, a Te Awamutu town centre freshen up, too may speed bumps and an increased amount of litter on Te Pahu Road.”
Davies-Colley said she had collated the feedback to share with other councillors.
“It will be interesting to see if the same thoughts are brought up consistently.”
Clare St Pierre
It was the first of a series of Waipā wide visits announced after Pirongia – Kakepuku Ward councillor Clare St Pierre expressed concern that the mayor and his deputy were Cambridge based and would be too focussed on the town.
“People can expect to see me in rural towns,” Davies-Colley said.
Pettit is in the midst of producing council T-shirts for them to be visible and approachable at events.
“People can see we are available and friendly,” Davies-Colley said.
“We are really keen to get out there and listen to people.”
Perhaps, not unsurprising from someone who served last triennium as chair of Cambridge Community Board.
Davies-Colley said she was “pretty happy” with the way the board worked with the council during her time on the board.
“I got to sit at the table and ask questions. They were always open to listen. The community board will always be a group that is listened to.”
It was important that relationship continued this triennium with the reset of the Cambridge Connections project.
“People in Cambridge are spending so much time sat in congestion,” she said.
Katie Mayes
She was pleased with the way new project director Katie Mayes had stepped into the project.
“No option is off the table.”
Her community board successor, Charlotte FitzPatrick, is investigating moving next month’s community board meeting in order to giver members time to feedback on three Cambridge Connections problem statements going before a council committee next month.
“It’s something that needs to be looked at,” Davies-Colley said.
She would welcome a wider discussion on the days and times of council meetings – particularly readers having to wait eight days to read a report of a council meeting in The News if the council were to stick with Wednesday meetings.
“I think we need to have a wider discussion around that,” she said.
“There are a lot of people who get their council news from the newspaper, and I like to pick it up.”
See: Lions take pride in parade
Jo Davies-Colley in the Cambridge Town Hall piazza. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
