Local Government NZ has established a new group focused on local electoral system reforms that drive greater voter participation and implement four-year terms.
The group includes Waipa mayor Susan O’Regan.
The four key areas of focus for the electoral reform group are:
- Increasing voter turnout
- Implementation and transition to four-year terms
- Considering the ways people can vote
- Who should administer local elections, and how they are best run
Briefs top
Our ever popular News in brief column was the best read news story on the Cambridge News website last month accounting for more than 11 per cent of all visitors.
Waipā District Council’s property projects specialist, Andrew Don and Cambridge Community Menzshed outside the historic Leamington Dairy Factory. Photo: Supplied.
Menzshed finally getting a home of their own was second following our disturbing story about a virus hitting the council pound in third.
Ngaire Fisher’s 100th birthday celebrations around the Velodrome was fourth with the tragic story about Te Awamutu motorcyclist Donna McCauley’s death at Te Poi only days after she joined 225 fellow female bike riders who gather in Cambridge for the International Female Ride Day rounding out the top five.
Website visits were up 36 per cent on the previous month with the home page the most popular followed by Publications in second, the online version of Cambridge News.
The Cambridge News App continues to add subscribers – up 24 per cent in May. The app can be downloaded on both Google Play and Apple’s App store and is the best way to keep in touch with local news between publication days.
A successful lunch
More than 150 people attended the pink ribbon luncheon.
The generosity of Cambridge retailers led to a successful Pink Ribbon luncheon at Cambridge Oaks Lifestyle Village last week.
Oaks residents, friends, family, some local retirement village residents as well as the Oaks’ sister village residents from Matamata and Rotorua made up the 150 plus who attended. Lyn Smolenski told The News almost $4800 was raised for Breast Cancer New Zealand from the event.
“We know times are tough for our local retailers so we are especially grateful to those who supported this great cause,” she said. Resident Val Evans was MC and ran the raffle with 30 prizes and silent auction.
Entertainment was provided by Cambridge High School music students and the Zimmer Dance Troupe, a group of women aged 73 to 83 from Papakura. Guest speaker was Ruth Crampton – a survivor of breast cancer – who spoke about her life and the changes to the structure of Cambridge i-Site.
Jammie squad
A Cambridge real estate company has joined Dame Valerie Adams’ “Jammies for June” campaign and is the Cambridge drop off for children’s winter pyjamas. Harcourts’ Cassie Emmett said she and the team are pounding the streets to get the message out about the importance of meeting Adams’ target of 15,000 pyjamas. The appeal runs through June.
Rotary visit
Gordon McInally
Rotary International president Gordon McInally and his wife Heather are visiting Waipā tomorrow (Thursday) as part of his New Zealand tour. McInally, who lives in Yetholm in the Scottish Borders and grew up in Portobella, is the second Scot to become international president. He was to visit Rotopiko/Lake Serpentine near Ōhaupō and Urban Miners in Cambridge this morning and attend a dinner in Hamilton tonight. Yesterday he visited Hamilton Airport to see the Life Flight Rotary project.
Choir song
The acclaimed Christ’s College Chapel choir from Cambridge in the UK is to perform in St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Cambridge, New Zealand next month. The choir was founded in 1505 and today is a mixed-voice ensemble which undertakes world tours.
Stewart missed
Barbara Stewart
Former NZ First MP and Cambridge resident Barbara Stewart has died aged 72. She is survived by her son Alister.
Her husband Gordon died in early 2017 which prompted her announcement she would not stand for re-election later that year. Her greatest achievement was working with Labour on providing free doctors’ visits for children under six.
Night works
The finishing touches are being applied to the fifth turnaround bay in the SH1 Cambridge to Piarere safety improvements project, just north of Hickey Road. Along with constructing the turnaround bay, the entrance road at the weigh station on SH1, between Hickey and Hydro Roads, will have median and side safety barriers installed. Night works began on Tuesday, to undertake line marking, followed by the removal of existing line marking and the installation of barriers.
More clams
Pest clams found earlier this year at Lake Taupō’s Aqua Park are not the same as those discovered at Lake Karāpiro in Waipā. The clams are an Australian based subspecies of the unwanted golden clam – but are, like their cousins, prolific breeders and present an environmental threat to New Zealand waterways.
Budget boost
Funding for flood management infrastructure as part of Budget 2024 will accelerate six projects in the Waikato Regional Council area. An initial $200 million for flood resilience infrastructure and with co-investment from regional and unitary councils will assist at total of 42 flood resilience projects,
