Waipa Racing track in Te Awamutu
Site confirmed
Inside the old board room at Te Rapa Racecourse, racing club chair Bruce Harvey, left, and chief executive Andrew Castles have planned the purchase for months. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Waikato Thoroughbred Racing has secured a conditional deal to buy 150 hectares in Tamahere, marking the first major step toward relocating and modernising the region’s thoroughbred racing operations. The “super club,” – a 2023 merger of Waikato Racing, Cambridge Jockey and Waipā Racing clubs, has chosen a dairy farm site bordering the Waikato Expressway with Pencarrow and Duncan roads on either side.
Tuia call
Applications have opened for the annual Tuia Leadership programme which offers Māori youth an opportunity to work with Waipā’s mayor, Mike Pettit, receive mentoring and share views on issues which impact on youth.
Person of the Year
Our sister paper the Cambridge News has named Jocelyn Cooney as its 2025 person of the year. Cooney has enjoyed a distinguished career in the legal industry and has been widely acknowledged for her community service.
The Cambridge News Person of the Year, Jocelyn Cooney QSM. Photo: Ruth Gilmour
See: The case for Jocelyn
Values fall
The total rateable value for Waipā district has dropped 5.2 per cent to $34.21 billion. Quotable Value New Zealand Upper North Island general manager Joe Holmes told Waipā District Council’s Finance and Corporate Committee the revaluation of 25,644 properties had been conducted on August 1. Meanwhile, Waipā median house prices rose to $850,000 last month from 85 sales. That is up on the $817,500 in October when there were 83 sales.
Show time
Children as young as four were on stage for the three performances of a Christmas pantomime at the Te Awamutu Little Theatre earlier this month. Tovah O’Neill wrote the pantomime which focused on sharing Christmas spirit, had life lessons and opportunities for the audience to participate.
