Waikato Times
Te Huia popularity rises
Commuter train Te Huia has posted its best monthly passenger numbers, setting wheels in motion to firm up how much it will cost to make the Hamilton to Auckland rail service permanent. Te Huia was now entering the final months of its trial period,...
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Ratepayers face hefty bill
Waikato homeowners likely face a hefty rates bill after a mandatory accounting process saw the book value of the council’s assets balloon by half a billion dollars. While adopting its 2025-2026 annual report, Waikato District Council celebrated an...
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Blue Spring ‘should close’
One of the region’s most popular but overcrowded tourist spots is looking increasingly likely to be shut this summer as the local authority runs out of time to fix traffic and toilet issues before the next influx. Putāruru’s Blue Spring – Te Waihou...
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CBD street ‘a war zone’
Hamilton mayor Tim Macindoe is promising action to tackle violence and bad behaviour in the central city after a streetie was stabbed last week. The attack has intensified calls for change from businesses in the area, where staff say they are afraid...
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Man discharged, collapses
Ian Newman was discharged from a Waikato Hospital ward earlier this year with an assurance that he was good to go. Later that day he collapsed in ED. The Hamilton resident said if had simply gone home, he could have become “another statistic”. After...
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Region’s warning to big tech
Companies are lining up to build data centres in Waikato as leaders scramble to tighten rules to insure big tech doesn’t suck more from the region than they give. Data centre developers would be expected to provide enough electricity for their own...
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Port seeks rule change
The group behind Hamilton’s Ruakura Inland Port has put in a bid to rewrite noise rules to allow the growing freight hub to operate around the clock. The move would allow the multi-billion dollar port to operate at full capacity but would impact a...
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$50k in thefts admitted
As the checkout manager at New World Rototuna, Amandeep Kaur Singh had eight supervisors and 55 checkout operators working under her. But while she had her hands full in that role, those hands were also helping themselves to whatever unauthorised...
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Waikato tops for treatment
Waikato was once again leading the country in cancer treatment times, with the latest health data showing strong results across all five Government health targets. Figures for April to June show 96.2% of people in Waikato received cancer management...
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Mystery donor saves life
A Hamilton resident said she wouldn’t have won her cancer battle without the help of an unknown person living on the other side of the planet. When Mikyla Brown was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at just 21, doctors quickly realised that she...
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New assault, racial abuse claims follow team’s ban
Weeks after a Tokoroa High School (THS) rugby side was banned from its competition over a supposedly violent end to a match, fresh allegations of assault and racial abuse have emerged against the other team, St Peter’s of Cambridge. The assistant...
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Blue Spring gets $675k boost to ease tourist squeeze
Putāruru’s Blue Spring will get a cash injection to improve infrastructure after being overwhelmed by crowds of tourists last summer. Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston has announced an investment of $675,000 towards the Blue Spring – Te...
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Airport eyes two new routes
Hamilton Airport is riding a post-Covid boom with passenger numbers soaring and bosses eyeing up two new international destinations. City bosses were told yesterday that the airport was now running a pure trading profit (aviation solely, excluding...
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PC1 reprieve welcomed
Waikato farmers say parking Plan Change 1 until 2033 has lifted a weight from their shoulders, but the Waikato River Authority says it stalls urgent work on deteriorating waterways and sets a troubling precedent for treaty settlements. Late on...
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Big pitch for little village
A plan to build an entirely new village on the outskirts of Tauwhare – complete with a retirement village, rural lifestyle lots and an agricultural education institute – could transform life in the small Waikato settlement. And some of the people who...
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Rail death witnesses sought
Police are seeking witnesses and multiple investigations are underway after a person died on a Glenbrook Vintage Railway excursion in Te Awamutu. Emergency services were called to the station about 6.20pm on Sunday. “Sadly, one person died at the...
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Resident: ‘We’re locked in’
Residents living on the doorstep of Hamilton’s booming Ruakura industrial hub say they feel trapped in homes they cannot sell for a fair price with no idea when they will be able to move on. About 25 households sit in the Percival-Ryburn Rd enclave...
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Surgeon tackles heart condition
New figures show one in three rheumatic heart disease patients at Waikato Hospital are lost to follow-up after surgery, and Nishith Patel is keen to change that. Boosting follow-up care, as well as education before going under the knife, are key...
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Aerial cover under scrutiny
Hamilton is getting more and more tall buildings, but if fire breaks out in one we’ll be relying on an old ladder truck. City firefighters say the current appliance is 28 years old and the nearest backups are about an hour’s drive away, so a second...
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No plan for tourist mayhem
Crowds overwhelmed Putāruru’s Blue Spring last summer, South Waikato District Council admits it “didn’t quite get it right”, and with another tourism season looming there is no agreed plan in place. Six months after councillors requested detailed...
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Clinic to help city’s homeless
A new solution is underway in Hamilton to help homeless and housing-insecure people struggling to access healthcare – bring the healthcare to them. A nurse-practitioner clinic will run every Tuesday morning at the Anglesea St night shelter, providing...
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Wendy’s been bitten by the bittern bug
With fewer than 1000 Australasian bitterns, or matuku-hūrepo, thought to remain, Waikato volunteers are being called on to help track one of New Zealand’s most endangered birds. Among those answering the call are Ōhaupō residents Karen and Alasdair...
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Horotiu a hit with buyers
Buying a home just north of Hamilton’s border can be up to $300,000 cheaper than a purchase in the southern growth area of Peacocke, a developer says. Leon Da-Silva is winding up construction of the 76-home Horotiu village, which he says is still...
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Regatta opening a watershed for city
Hamilton’s biggest natural asset is getting a new showcase as long-awaited riverside restaurant Regatta opens its doors and welcomes the city in. Situated just a stone’s throw from Victoria Bridge in the former Ferrybank Reception Centre, the eatery...
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Day surgery to ease pressure
A new $17 million day surgery in Hamilton could take about 100 patients a week out of Waikato Hospital if Health New Zealand accepts an offer to lease it. “Something needs to be done” to ease pressure on the public system, according to Dr Luk Chin. He...
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‘Bully battler’ faces $40k bill after legal stoush
A long-running legal battle with Hamilton City Council has left workplace advocate and self-styled “bully battler” Allan Halse facing a $31,000 bill – on top of another $9300 he already owes the council. The Employment Court ordered Halse to pay...
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‘We’re busier than ever’
Waikato’s building sector is punching well above its weight, with a major housing company reporting it is now busier than ever before. Sentinel Homes Hamilton and Waikato managing director Nate Alley told the Waikato Times his team is experiencing...
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Patient’s 27.5 hours in ED
Strain on Waikato Hospital’s emergency department (ED) has caused one unlucky patient to wait more than 27 hours to be seen as presentations skyrocket. The number of people seeking help at ED between June 1 and July 13 has jumped 64.8% compared with...
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Peters woos city faithful
There will have been many sermons delivered in Hamilton yesterday, but even the most passionate of priests might have taken a moment to admire the preaching power of Winston Peters. About 300 people – evidently mostly already devoted followers – filed...
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Hamilton fashion boutique fights to stay afloat
Boutique fashion stores in the city are feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis and changing shopping habits, with several closing their doors and others using grocery money to pay their bills. Parlour store owner Ali Moffitt opened her shop...
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Uni eyes ratepayers’ cash
Cash-strapped Hamilton ratepayers could end up giving “cash strong’’ University of Waikato a $7 million subsidy towards its much-vaunted $280m medical school. The university’s vice-chancellor Neil Quigley made the pitch to city leaders at a meeting of...
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‘The worst Father’s Day ever’
A Father’s Day card 6-year-old Shakoda Daymond never got to finish is a reminder of the dad she lost at Te Toto Gorge. Her father, Cody Daymond, 34, died after falling from a cliff at the coastal reserve south of Raglan last Thursday night. Police...
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A sign of the times
Nothing says “Welcome to Hamilton” quite like a dumped three-seater sofa, trimmed in mouldy grey velour. Spooked by a “horrifying” bill, Hamilton city leaders have scrapped a project to replace the city’s decrepit welcome signs. And in a sign of the...
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Make the switch to Stitch
Who doesn’t love the mischievous Stitch from Lilo & Stitch? Disney’s cheeky alien will inspire children aged 6 and up to get brushing with the cool blue Oral-B iO Kids electric toothbrush. It’s designed with dentists to be gentle on kids’ teeth and...
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One for your diary.
Summerset’s Nationwide Open Day is on Sunday 13 September.
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City councillor prepares to welcome third child
Life as a mum and councillor is one of happy chaos for Sarah Thomson, who is set to welcome her third child early next month. Thomson has been a Hamilton city councillor for about seven years and for the majority of that time she’s been juggling work...
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SuperGold free rides over?
Waikato SuperGold card holders may lose the right to ride buses during peak times for free. The change is part of a Waikato Regional Council proposal that will go to community consultation after being approved in chambers yesterday morning. If...
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Hub proposed for Cambridge
A row of Cambridge shops could be turned into a Ponsonby-style development by a duo looking to rev up the main street. Grovic Property Ltd is pitching a four-storey commercial, retail and residential hub at the bridge end of Victoria St and aiming to...
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Keep it local, says Bydder
Home-grown Waikato businesses could get a bigger slice of Hamilton City contracts if new recommendations are approved. The council has been seen as “hard to do business with” but the proposed approach is intended to be easier for smaller businesses...
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Paid parking on cards?
Paid parking may be on the cards for Cambridge’s CBD – but locals and businesses are worried if it goes ahead the town could grind to a halt. The idea is being considered under Cambridge Connections, Waipā District Council’s transport plan that aims...
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‘Modern-day slavery’
The background to the industrial scale cannabis operation busted just 200 metres from Huntly police station isn’t just a drugs story – it’s “modern-day slavery”, according to a leading immigration lawyer. After the jailing of Tu Ngoc Vu and Hong Thi...
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Drugs, gangs and the city vulnerable
Children as young as six used as drug spotters, vulnerable people exploited for sex and shoplifting, and debts ending in beatings. That is the unvarnished picture of street life described by a former homeless Hamilton man, who says gangs prey on...
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Shooting justified - IPCA
The fatal shooting of Tom Phillips by a police officer in September last year was justified, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found. The IPCA released its report yesterday, examining the events of September 8, 2025, when Phillips was shot...
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Relief for Waikato farmers
Waikato farmers can breathe a sigh of relief with the Government announcing it is hitting pause on controversial environmental legislation. Agriculture and RMA Reform ministers Todd McClay and Chris Bishop have delivered on their promises to take...
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Flu spike worst in 20 years
On a normal day a Hamilton walk-in GP clinic sees between 30 and 35 patients – but an unprecedented surge in demand has seen one doctor reach that number in just four hours. At Hamilton Lake Urgent Care clinic yesterday, Dr Dilawar Singh had already...
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We want a ‘metro pathway’
Hamilton City Council wants the Government to rethink its local government reforms by carving out a “metro pathway’’ for cities. The Government’s local government reforms will see regional councils scrapped from 2028, meaning city and district...
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‘We just want a peaceful life’
When Trish and Jack Flonk settled down for a peaceful retirement they never imagined a dispute over a replacement garage door would spiral into months of disagreement and angst over what they were allowed to do to their own home. Since meeting in...
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Flagstaff eyesore: ‘We want it gone’
A rare Flagstaff section at the centre of a years-long planning battle is up for sale with consent for a duplex — but its neighbours’ reaction suggests the property may be easier to sell on paper than it is to develop. David and Barbara Yzendoorn are...
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Renters struggle to survive
Waikato renters are feeling the pinch as demand outstrips supply and the cost of living climbs. Hamilton renter Chris Reid, 67, said he will struggle to make ends meet after his landlord hiked the rent by $60 a week to $760. “When I was a young...
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Family flees burning residence barefoot
YESTERDAY ’S SOLUTION Across: 1 Tea, 3 Wrecks (T. Rex), 7 Umpteen, 8 Metal, 10 Guru, 11 Trenches, 13 Rumpus, 15 Coupon, 17 Abattoir, 18 Twee, 21 Therm, 22 Rawhide, 23 Starve, 24 Née. Down: 1 Taper, 2 Apex, 3 Wintry, 4 Edmonton, 5 Ketchup, 6...
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Health hub on doctor’s list
A doctor has offered to build a $150 million health facility in Cambridge to help take pressure off Waikato Hospital. After nearly 60 years working in the public health system, Waikato anaesthetist Dr Luk Chin says he wants to “help de-clutter the...
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Hotel boom gathers pace
The people behind Hamilton’s new Pullman hotel are expanding their empire, signing up to deliver two more Accor offerings in the city. One is intended to tap into the hospital market, while another in Pukete will be aimed at business customers. They...
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Free lunches going uneaten
Fifteen per cent of school lunches are going to waste as more than half of the schools continue to over-order students’ daily taxpayer-funded meal. Data released under the Official Information Act to the Waikato Times by the Ministry of Education...
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NZTA ignored warnings
Warnings over the long-term performance of the Cambridge section of the Waikato Expressway were raised by Transport Agency engineers before the road even opened, with newly released documents revealing concerns that dated back to its construction. The...
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City ‘no’ to amalgamation
Hamilton City leaders have walked away from amalgamation talks and told the Government to expect a “backlash’’ at the election ballot box. Hamilton City Council yesterday voted 12-3 to not submit a Head Start proposal, opting to enter the still...
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Team banned after complaints
A team of Tokoroa high schoolers have been disqualified from their rugby competition after a match that allegedly involved a headbutt and men “barking” behind the goal post. After the Tokoroa under-14 team lost a home game on Saturday, the situation...
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Free Sunday parking in gun
If you’re having Sunday brunch or working in the CBD on the Sabbath, expect to start paying for your parking. Yesterday, Hamilton City Council’s city centre revitalisation subcommittee confirmed the scope of a wide-ranging, streetby-street review of...
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Transform WINTER SKIN
Why skin is so dry in winter That feeling of tightness after a shower? Blame it on the season. This is what experts mean when they talk about a ‘compromised skin barrier’, and it’s something many of us are experiencing right now. Dryness is caused by...
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Mayor’s battle cry to arms
Taupō mayor John Funnell has drawn on the battle cries of bygone leaders with a clarion call to residents to rebel against the Government’s plans to amalgamate them with other councils. Funnell has raised the spectre of the district’s debt ballooning...
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Locals wary about gold hunt
A historic mining area could be revived in the Kaimai Range after the Government green lighted an Australian-headquartered company to search for silver and gold. If it finds a deposit, the company says this will lead to “a huge economic boost” for the...
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Burned then burgled
Kaye Roberts escaped the blazing family home only to return days later and discover burglars had ransacked her smoke-damaged house, stealing treasured family heirlooms that had survived the blaze. The burglars searched almost every room of the...
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‘Smoke ring’ to fight charges
Five people smoked out by the Customs service for allegedly being part of a large black market tobacco network are fighting to extinguish the charges against them. The arrests were the result of a New Zealand Customs Service investigation dubbed...
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Laken Rose’s sentence cut
Warning: This story contains distressing details. Laken Rose has been known as one of the country’s most prolific female child sex offenders after she helped her former partner to sexually abuse four young girls. But yesterday, the Court of Appeal...
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‘The wheels have come off’
With just days left before a Government deadline, it seems nobody wants to play the amalgamation game with Hamilton. City leaders are scrambling to find a way forward and will hold an emergency workshop tomorrow, after their preferred amalgamation...
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Repayment issues revealed
Official documents reveal Hamilton’s key Peacocke housing development needed early Government help to keep it solvent as a Covid building slowdown left a long hangover. The half-billion dollar transformation of Peacocke has been eight years in the...
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Rescue chopper fundraisers under investigation
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is investigating at least four fundraising campaigns run by charity NZ Rescue, as two major North Island rescue helicopter trusts face questions from concerned supporters over the charity’s failed Matamata...
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Birds in lockdown over flu fears
Most of the Waikato’s free-range chickens have been moved into lockdown to prevent the possible spread of bird flu, but farmers are fearful an outbreak will ruin their livelihoods. The precautionary move follows New Zealand’s first detections of the...
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Teacher accused of misconduct with girls cites ‘big kid energy’
Across 1 Golfer’s goal? (3) 3 Hardwood (4) 5 Levels (a weapon) (4) 8 Friendly (8) 10 Commotion (4) 11 Brownish colour (3) 13 Citrus fruit (5) 14 Curse in an unholy manner (9) 16 Allow (3) 17 Digit (3) 19 Storyteller (9) 21 S American...
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Paeroa’s lifeline project
A national-first housing development for the intellectually disabled has desperate families looking to move to Paeroa, while the $12 million price tag will be picked up by overseas donations. The new co-living housing development pilot with a blend of...
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Surgeon’s game wins fans
It took David McCormack 16 years to become a heart surgeon, but the Waikato doctor has created a digital game allowing those with far less expertise to try their hand at it. The game, Heart Heroes, has been welcomed as a fun way to demystify surgery...
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Playground for growing CBD
Spades are in the ground for Hamilton’s first CBD playground, marking a new chapter for the country’s fastest-growing city. While a recent council report painted a bleak picture for the central city, residents, businesses and local leaders say...
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Mike Mather.
The grief of losing both parents to cancer in quick succession would likely be crushing for most people. For Jonathan Nabbs, it galvanised him into running the width of Canada. The epic 7351-kilometre, 10-month journey – during which Nabbs braved...
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Bunnings building for sale
Money isn’t everything, according to Waipā District Council. Especially when empty buildings are concerned. The former Te Awamutu Bunnings site was bought by the council in 2021 and earmarked as a new home for the Te Ara Wai district museum, but a...
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The rise of ‘Megatron’
Hamilton City Council seems to have ruled out half its amalgamation options, leaving three finalists still in the game ahead of an August deadline. Of these, the “Megatron” option looks to be a strong contender, with several councillors expressing...
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Worst recyclers revealed
Hamilton East has been outed as the city’s worst offender when it comes to tipping any old trash – from rats to sex toys – into their recycling bins. The suburb that stretches from stacked student flats near the university to leafy bungalow-lined...
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Pushed on dole to get a job?
Some young Ōtorohanga people may have to go on the benefit before they can get help finding work, the council says. The “counterintuitive situation” is because of national changes to contract rules for the Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs programme, an...
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