Waikato’s native wonders unveiled
A wealth of opportunities to learn about and experience the native forest wonders of the Waikato – hidden in plain sight in the region’s unique gullies – is on offer during February.
Tamahere’s Gully Care group plays a key role in the month of tours, lectures, and field trips dedicated to the Waikato and Hamilton city gullies by hosting the first field trip at its Devine Rd plant nursery on Sunday, February 5.
Evening lectures through the Waikato University’s Continuing Education Centre explore the history of urban forest remnants and …
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Welcome to the Tamahere Forum. The Forum is primarily for the residents of Tamahere, Waikato, New Zealand – a place for sharing and discussing the community’s news, events and issues. Interest from those outside the district is welcome. News or notices, comments, questions or observations on developments, events, happenings and places of interest around the Tamahere community are welcome on the Tamahere Forum. Please contact the moderator. For further detail see Contact Us above.
Hot Topics
Sprinkler restrictions triggered
Water restrictions have come into force in the Waikato district and Hamilton city after use shot up over the last two weeks.
Residents in the Waikato district are restricted to using domestic sprinkler and irrigation systems between 6am and 8am and 6pm and 8pm only.
Got a property valuation you are not too happy with?
Objections to the revised property valuations need to be lodged with the Waikato District Council, in writing, by Friday, December 23.
Waikato district property owners and ratepayers received notice of revised values in November, many of them finding values were down for their homes, land or subdivided blocks. The valuations can be challenged.
Where and when Waikato roads are built and how public transport develops in the region are greatly influenced by priorities set by the Waikato Regional Transport Committee.
The committee has just released a draft programme which outlines what transport projects it thinks should be funded, by how much and in what order over the next three years (2012-15) and is asking what local people think of its ideas.
Roads – the Waikato Expressway and Southern Links – are a hot issue in Tamahere and so commenting on the committee’s programme is one way the community can seek to influence what happens in the district.
The Tamahere Community Committee aims to co-ordinate a community-wide response to the proposed Southern Links road route through Tamahere.
The preferred route from Tamahere Drive across the Waikato River to Kahikatea Drive was outlined at information days earlier this month, showing it carving through individual properties and the Narrows Golf Course.
The committee plans to canvas what challenge could be made to the project and is inviting people to share their concerns and views with it.
The NZ Transport Agency is in talks with the Narrows Golf Club, which is taking a positive outlook on its course potentially being cut in two by the Southern Links roading project.
“Where we are crossing the river it’s almost in the middle of the Narrows course so we are having discussions with the golf course about if they could retain the course with an underpass,” NZTA spokesman Barry Dowsett said.
Club president John Bridle was confident the club could secure a positive outcome.
Tamahere has a new blueprint for how it wishes to develop over the next decade.
The Tamahere Community Plan, under discussion from mid-year, has now been completed and can fulfill its role of being the touchstone against which future ideas for the community are measured.
The plan, which itemises local projects to be carried out over the next 10 years, is available on Tamahere Forum.
Tamahere residents and others south of Hamilton say they are in limbo as a proposed $100 million-plus roading project stifles their plans to sell or build until the NZ Transport Agency is ready to buy the land in at least eight years.
The preferred route for the Southern Links roading network linking State Highway 1 at Kahikatea Drive across the Waikato River to Tamahere Drive has been released this week and will carve through Pencarrow Rd and Narrows Landing Golf Course.
The NZ Transport Agency information day on the Southern Links road project in Tamahere on Thursday will also include detail on the Tamahere section of the Waikato Expressway.
The open day in Tamahere on Thursday, December 1 from 2pm to 7pm in the Tamahere Community Centre has been prompted by locals’ “strong desire for certainty and the prompt lodgement of land requirements,” NZTA said.
The proposal prompted a heated backlash and a series of public meetings in Tamahere mid-year, and the formation of a dedicated action group.
Local Events
Waikato’s native wonders unveiled A wealth of opportunities to learn about and experience the native forest wonders of the Waikato – hidden in plain sight in the region’s unique gullies – is on offer during February.
Tamahere’s Gully Care group plays a key role in the month of tours, lectures, and field trips dedicated to the Waikato and Hamilton city gullies by hosting the first field trip at its Devine Rd plant nursery on Sunday, February 5.
Evening lectures through the Waikato University’s Continuing Education Centre explore the history of urban forest remnants and …
Tots bop to the beatMainly Music, a creative song and dance activity for pre-schoolers offered by St Stephen’s Church, begins the New Year on Wednesday, February 8.
Each Wednesday morning from 9:30am the hall is filled with creativity and laughter as pre-school children enjoy the music.
Local People
Tough assignment in Tuscany Every year, Tamahere’s Venetia Sherson swaps her briefcase for brambles and olive trees, working as a volunteer on organic farms in Italy. At Spannocchia, a farm in Tuscany, she faced her toughest assignment, helping out at a farmers’ market.
My first encounter with Riccio, the salumi maker, is not reassuring. He is in the butchery, sorting and weighing meat for the farmers’ market, where he will once again confirm his reputation as the best prosciutto maker in the district. I have been assigned to help.
A recipe for fine Christmas Christmas day may be bearing down on us like a runaway reindeer but there is still time to make a scrumptious, traditional Christmas cake.
Forget the notion that the fruity, grog-laden cake has to be made well in advance to let the flavours merge. And forget, too, that it has to be baked in a tin.
Both have been disproved by food lover and writer Annette Taylor of our sister community website, Number 8 Network. The recipe she shares proves winning even on the day.
Our Patch
Ragwort, thistles need action Invasive and noxious pest plants such as ragwort and thistles are obvious on a number of Tamahere properties at the moment raising questions about whether some landowners are aware of their responsibilities.
The yellow-flowering ragwort – highly invasive and poisonous to cattle and horses – is one of the more obvious invaders currently as its bright flowers make an appearance from November to April. The purple flowers of plumeless and nodding thistles are similarly signalling their presence.
Tamahere landowners are required to …
E-waste recycling coming soonGot a big box TV, an old computer and redundant keyboards cluttering up the cupboards but not sure how to get rid of them?
The good news is a new, electronic waste collection facility is scheduled to open early next year in Hamilton.
The new facility, at 8A Jolly Street, Frankton, will collect and disassemble a range of domestic electrical appliances or e-waste so components and materials can be reused and recycled.
On Fire
Gas fears spread to UK Concerns have been raised by British refrigeration engineers over the flammable nature of next-generation refrigerants like the one that caused the fatal 2008 explosion at Tamahere.
RAC, the UK Refrigeration and Air Conditioning magazine, reported that industry concerns were growing over a surge in the use of flammable refrigerants and a lack of controls over who could buy them.
“It follows an inquest in New Zealand which heard that the refrigeration industry there does not have enough skilled staff to deal with the imminent growth of flammable hydrocarbons.”
World monitors Tamahere eventTamahere was put on the world map by the 2008 Icepak tragedy and the aftermath continues to attract global interest.
“A Coronial Inquest into the world’s most severe incident involving hydrocarbon refrigerants in New Zealand has been held recently,” reports hydrocarbons21.com.
Local History
Historic hall on the move Tamahere’s 90-year-old hall is on the move.
Members of the Taupiri Marae have been preparing the hall to shift to Taupiri all week after they acquired the one-time war memorial hall for just $1.
The Waikato District Council had previously tried to sell the hall, including listing it on Trade Me but got no takers.
Landmark tale rolls up The Waikato Times has re-told the story of the landmark Roller on a stick, the 1968 Silver Shadow that is a very distinctive sign of Riverlea Wreckers and Tamahere.
The Rolls Royce has been up on its pole for 20 or 25 years, the idea courtesy of Riverlea’s owner Bryce Lovegrove.
