Water must be fluoridated
Director-General of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati has confirmed Cambridge’s water supply must still have fluoride added to it, confirming an original July 2022 directive. Her assessment is that the benefits of fluoridating the water in Cambridge outweigh the rights of individuals to refuse medical treatment. Waipā District Council is working now to finalise the design and costings for the fluoridation of the Cambridge water supply. It will take about nine months to install the equipment, the council said in a media release.
See: Council rejects fluoride plea
See: Board wants fluoride stalled
See: Fluoride: still not convinced
See: Fluoride call still a mystery
Health warning escalated
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora have escalated the health risk for Lake Ngā Roto to “extreme” because of high cyanobacteria levels. No water based activities are to be undertaken while the warning is in place.
5 December 2024 9am
Road blocked near Cambridge
A car has collided with a power pole on Cambridge Road between Te Awamutu and Cambridge. Emergency services were called around 8.15am.
The driver is moderately injured and the road is expected to be blocked for several hours while the power pole is repaired.
Traffic to Te Awamutu is being diverted along McLarnon Rd and to Cambridge via Cox Rd.
4 December 8pm
Containing clams
What the clams look like
Biosecurity New Zealand is moving to a “long term management” strategy to deal with golden clams in the Waikato River. The freshwater clams, introduced from Asia, are voracious breeders and pose a threat to native wildlife. The plan will be to contain the tiny clams to the river system downstream of Maraetai and exclude it from all other catchments
Cyber award
Waipā District Council won the Best in Cyber Security award at the Association of Local Government Information Management annual awards last week.
Website popular
Online readers now head straight to cambridgenews.nz home page for the latest, website statistics for last month show.
The best read post was our story on Waipā District Council taking a $57 million budget hit with news of blow out costs for wastewater treatment plants in Te Awamutu and Cambridge.
Close behind was how retailers would make the call on longer parking times in the CBD and third was the story about Glenys Miller who lives next door to the proposed quarry in Newcombe Rd.
Our popular News in brief was fourth and Sheila Luxon’s Melbourne Cup win in fifth.
The second most popular page was the link to the full online version of the newspaper followed by the contact details tab.
Line to open
Damage to the rail track at Telephone and Holland roads on SH1B.
The Telephone Road crossing on SH1B at Holland Rd, Eureka, closed because vehicles were damaging the railway track two and a half years ago is to reopen in the middle of next year after remedial work is done on the road.
Tryathlon event
The Woodward kids are ready for the tryathlon. From left: Jack, Kylie, Charlie and John. Photo: Supplied.
More than 1600 children will participate in the Weet-Bix Kids tryathlon at St Peter’s School in Cambridge on Sunday. The series has been going since 1992 for children aged 6-15 years. Participants get to swim, cycle and run. It will be the first time the event has been in Cambridge. In the past it has been at Waikato University in Hamilton.
Kylie, 14, who goes to Ōtorohanga College and her siblings, Ōtewā School students John, 12, Jack, 10 and Charlie 7 will cycle, run and swim their hearts out at St Peter’s School
Wait for it…
A survey of Cambridge retailers to determine their views on parking times will be taken to a second week by the Chamber of Commerce. A straw poll of retailers at a meeting last week showed a desire to extend times beyond an hour, but a split over taking it to 90 or 120 minutes.
Steelwork goes
Cambridge Water Tower
A steel ladder and walkway at the top of the Cambridge Water Tower started to come down last week. Installed more than a century ago, the steel ladder has now deteriorated and poses a safety risk.
Hassall honoured
Susan Hassall
Cambridge-based Susan Hassall’s contribution to New Zealand’s education sector was celebrated last week with the awarding of the Hamilton Kirikiriroa Medal by Hamilton City Council. Hassall was headmaster of Hamilton Boys’ High School from 1999 until earlier this year.
Correction
The Cambridge Town Clock photo taken in 1996 showing Maungatautari and Pukekura in the background made to look closer by the use of a telephoto lens. Photo: Antanas Procuta.
The hill referred to by architect Antanas Procuta in Designed with maunga in mind (The News, November 28) was Pukekura and not Pukeatua which is tucked behind Maungatautari and not visible.
New career
Karen Rutherford
Newshub reporter Karen Rutherford has joined Bayleys Cambridge as a salesperson and auctioneer. Rutherford worked for TVNZ, Sky News and served as chief of staff for Newshub for 10 years and as a news presenter for Sky.
She won a Voyager Media award for her work on the sinking of the fishing charter vessel Enchanter where Te Awamutu and Cambridge anglers lost their lives.
