News in Brief
Five go burgling
Who are they?
Three more incidents where a group of five thieves in a stolen vehicle carried out a burglary in Waipā have been reported by police. The incidents were at the Spark shop in Te Awamutu and the One NZ shop in Cambridge on Monday and at Fresh Choice in Leamington on Tuesday morning, when there was a similar burglary in Hamilton. Police last week circulated CCTV photos of five thieves taken during another raid in Cambridge on September 30. As this edition went to press Sergeant Greg Foster of Cambridge police said they were following “positive lines of enquiry.”
Conference costs
Waipā spent nearly $18,000 sending seven delegates to the recent Local Government NZ conference in Wellington. Mayor Susan O’Regan, deputy Liz Stolwyk, councillors Mike Pettit and Dale Maree Morgan and community board members Alana Mackay and John Wood attended the three-day conference. Waipā pays $51,000 a year to be a member of LGNZ. Auckland and Christchurch councils both left the organisation this year.
Hall feedback
When Waipā council asked for feedback from hall users on how the Pirongia Community Centre, Memorial Hall and the Rugby and Sports Centre could be better utilised, only 13 people replied. The council is now seeking views from the wider community. Consultation is open until next month.
Hall of famer
Former international cricket umpire John Hastie is the latest inductee to the Te Awamutu Walk of Fame.
John Hastie, 91, will be included in the Te Awamutu Walk of Fame for his achievements as an international cricket umpire. It is the first new induction since 2022 and takes the total number of high-achieving Te Awamutu individuals celebrated with a specially-carved pou in Selwyn Park to 35. Hastie was born and raised in Te Awamutu. The Walk of Fame was officially opened by the late Kingī Tuheitia in 2009.
