Local Opinion

Alcohol sales: have your say

The Local Alcohol Policy submissions closes at 5pm tomorrow (Friday). This is an important submission to participate in if you care about our businesses and the well-being of our community. As of January 2023, Te…

St John’s cemetery

The grounds of St John’s Anglican church in Arawata St  hold an historical cemetery. It’s a closed cemetery, meaning that there can be no future burials there. I’m always surprised by the number of people…

Where did race come into it?

Much is being made of ‘race’ today wherein some sides in the political debate refer to Māori being privileged as a ‘race’ of people; and others refer to Māori as being marginalised because of their/our…

Heat and Ice

Standing in South Crater, Ngauruhoe towers above you to the south and all around are thick, old lava flows. Along the Tongariro Alpine Crossing the path takes you up some of these lavas towards Red…

A burgeoning industry

The flax mill at Ōhaupō again started operations after new owners updated the machinery.  A washer and scraper, which washed and cleaned the fibre of all vegetation after it left the stripper leaving it ready for…

Mourning in Pirongia

There were no smiling faces to be seen in Pirongia during a grim week in November 1899 when two of the Te Awamutu district’s residents died within days of each other. One was a popular…

When a loss is a gain

Observant residents of Te Awamutu would have noticed recent demolition work on the corner of Racecourse and Ōhaupō Roads. The church building that has stood on that corner since 1988 is gone. Naysayers and gossips…

Back to where it all began

“We are so small” I said as I looked up at Ngāuruhoe ahead of us, standing between ancient lava flows towering above us on either side. The younger, black, glassy lava flows that were erupted…

Celebrating the haka

I recall as a young fella watching the All Blacks performing the haka in the 1950’s; 60’s, 70’s… they were all arms and legs flailing wherever, and so unco. Come the Buck Shelford era and…

The Case Against Incineration

Andrew Johnstone put his views forward last week in support of an incinerator plant for Waipā. Today, Nick Cantlon, representing the Don’t Burn Waipā lobby group, responds. Don’t Burn Waipā is a group of local…

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