Waikato Times
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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Land at centre of Bill battle
A proposed shake-up of the country’s conservation laws will open up the Waikato region to unwanted and unneeded developments on public conservation land says Forest & Bird. But Conservation Minister and Hamilton West MP Tama Potaka says the reforms...
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Rusty boat a major headache
Officials trying to remove a derelict boat used as a floating bolthole for rough sleepers were stymied for months by legal hurdles before it sank in a storm, leaving ratepayers to pick up the tab. The MV Gleaner – better known to many Thames locals as...
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US-Iran conflict has ‘modest impact’ on NZ
The renewed conflict between the United States and Iran is expected to have only a modest impact on petrol prices in New Zealand. But an international law expert says the war could drag on for some time yet. The renewed fighting has lifted oil prices...
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Bishop signals rethink on PC1
New rules that will affect thousands of Waikato farms are on a “collision course” with planned RMA changes, says the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop. Faced with a sea of anxious faces at Mystery Creek yesterday, he said the...
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Keyrings linked to draw
Undelivered keyrings sold as part of a cancelled Matamata muscle car promotion are at the centre of an Internal Affairs investigation into whether the promotion breached gambling laws. Eight people who bought Key to Communities keyrings as part of NZ...
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Stop hoping for a
Every great makeup look needs a finishing touch, and your smile is no exception. If you have a special event or a big night out, reach for Colgate Optic White Purple Serum. Think of this as a purple toner for your teeth. Drawing on the principles of...
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‘Give way to buses’ coming
Buses are about to get a lot harder to ignore. Before the end of the year, motorists will be legally required to give way to buses pulling out of stops on roads with speed limits of 60kph or less, a long-awaited rule change Hamilton’s biggest bus...
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PM’s public meeting garners applause and protest
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s public meeting in Hamilton was punctuated by cheers, boos, and pointed questions, with one attendee forcibly removed from the hall after tensions spilled over. More than 250 people from across the political spectrum...
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ED ward debate heats up
A new 28-bed ward earmarked for Waikato Hospital may never end up being built, according to Labour health spokeswoman Ayesha Verrall. But the Minister in charge says it’s still on the way to relieve pressure on the hospital’s struggling emergency...
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City leads in price growth
New data from Cotality shows Hamilton’s median property price edged upwards in June to $732,114 and remained stable over the second quarter of the year. Hamilton posted the strongest monthly increase at 0.5%, followed by Christchurch and Dunedin at...
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ED death ‘an utter tragedy’
Hours before news broke of a patient death at Waikato Hospital’s beleaguered Emergency Department, a nurse was calling for an urgent capacity boost. Staff were overwhelmed, the union representative warned, and would leave a shift feeling relieved that...
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Canada geese invasion
A fake wolf could hold the key to saving a popular Hamilton lake from a noisy, messy and potentially dangerous invasion of hundreds of Canada geese. Following the end of the recent duck-shooting/game-bird season the nomadic population of Canada geese...
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Mayor’s amalgamation plea
Hamilton city leaders are launching a social media blitz to rescue the biggest shake-up in local government for a generation from community apathy. With a strict central government deadline on August 9 looming, Hamilton City Council is facing immense...
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Couple build dream home
After two-and-a-half decades of DIY and managing rentals in Te Kūiti, the Brandons are stepping into retirement. They reckon they’ve put “blood, sweat and tears” into their investment rentals and it’s paid off for them as they relax in their...
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Council signs off Annual Plan
Hamilton’s city leaders have served up an expected 6.9% general rates rise and an unexpected $20 million debt drop. Yesterday, Hamilton City Council officially adopted its 2026 Annual Plan, and rates strike. Mayor Tim Macindoe and councillors were...
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TELEGRAPH CROSSWORD
Across 1 Body of water (3) 3 Atmosphere (3) 5 Slaughtered (4) 7 Expert; speed (5) 8 Danger (6) 10 Crikey! (4) 11 Majesty (8) 13 Secure (6) 14 Shout (6) 17 Shone (8) 19 Part of church (4) 21 Flat fish (6) 22 Emulsion, e.g. (5) 23...
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Rape remark, teacher resigns
A Hamilton teacher censured for telling a student “you only scream like that when you’re being raped” has resigned from Rototuna Junior High School. Shannan McPeak’s resignation was confirmed by Rototuna principal Mel Moore. “Mr McPeak has decided to...
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Tough new rules spook farmer
Jayden Corbett is one of many farmers around Whangamarino and the wider Waikato spooked over how pending environmental policies might affect his farming future. “Our catchment is a thriving community, and each catchment would be the same. We’re not...
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Fire trucks get green light
Fire trucks in Hamilton will be the first in New Zealand to use satellite technology to turn traffic lights green on demand. Hamilton senior firefighter and driver Jay Culhane said the technology would be a “major benefit’’ for crews responding...
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‘It’s this time, boys’, Chiefs fans tell their team
FANDOM Isaako Matau feels it in his bones that the Chiefs will win when they take the field in Wellington tonight. He also sees it on his fence. “Up Da Chiefs” stands out in large white letters on the palings in the backyard of the Nawton home he...
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Council rails against fare hikes
Hamilton city leaders have hauled fellow Waikato Regional Council decision-makers over the tracks, accusing them of a “breach of trust’’ around an unexpected 25% hike in Te Huia passenger fares. It means it is now cheaper to get a bus between...
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$700k rubbish bins discarded
More than $700,000 of ratepayer money went into solar-powered Big Belly bins that are now being dumped by Hauraki District Council. Hauraki district mayor Toby Adams said they were “not always reliable”, but supplier Manco Environmental – which leased...
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Water charges loom for city
Hard-to-stomach charges could be on the way if the new company in charge of drinking and wastewater approves a water meter roll-out. IAWAI is the new council-owned company responsible for water and wastewater services in the Hamilton City and Waikato...
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FROM 8-hour results TO 3-hour patches
STEP 1: Cleanse with precision Great skin starts with a clean slate. The Effaclar Foaming Gel Cleanser is a gentle yet highly effective face wash formulated specifically for sensitive, oily and acne-prone skin. Instead of stripping your skin of its...
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Hamilton’s Aussie boom
The return of international flights to Hamilton Airport has helped generate an almost 20% surge in Australian spending in the city, hitting $50.2m in the year to April. That’s just one of the reasons why, according to airport chief executive Mark...
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Brakes go on crushing street boy-racer cars
Not a single street-racer car has been crushed by authorities in Waikato in the Past five years, with one justice expert saying courts are “sympathetic” and avoid it. The lack of action is despite the introduction of new police powers to seize and...
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First look at ‘vertical city’ hotel
“Bold” and “exciting” plans for Hamilton’s first true skyscraper and five-star hotel that will re-shape the city’s skyline have been revealed. The landmark development will see a 25-storey skyscraper on the banks of the Waikato River, towering over...
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Boom time for Fieldays
Fieldays is set to have one of its biggest years yet with a buoyant rural sector leaving farmers with more cash in hand. Fieldays Society CEO Richard Lindroos reckons this year is tracking to be a record-breaking event at Hamilton’s Mystery Creek...
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Waikato tops retail spending
Waikato led retail spending growth nationwide last month, coinciding with a lift in tractor registrations and interest in farming equipment from farmers. New Paymark data shows annual retail spending growth was strongest in the Waikato region with...
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Solve the clues and uncover the benefits of life at a Ryman village, where it's all taken care of.
Across 3 Furry friends frequently spotted out for walks on village grounds (4) 5 Social activity that gets residents moving to the music (7) 7 A cosy place in the village to enjoy the silver screen (6) 10 The NZ city where Ryman was founded in 1984...
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Has Putin hired a Kiwi nanny?
Job seekers are being “called back to the land” and finding the grass is greener down on the farm. Local recruiters are seeing a wave of young Kiwis wanting work in the agricultural sector with strong employment growth reflecting an upbeat farming...
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Mums under pressure
Expectant Waikato mothers are facing a growing shortage of midwives, with the region down 48 frontline clinical staff. Waikato is also struggling with a lack of community-based midwives, while an anonymous locum told Waikato Times that a funding cut...
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Gold clam numbers explode
Gold clams are thriving in the Waikato River. Teams from Earth Sciences NZ and the regional council are trying to find out why. From left to right are Fern Kumeroa, Mashanta Mohsin, Elizabeth Graham, Michele Melchior and Gordon Tieman.
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Tow truck escapes disability park fine
A council-contracted tow truck snapped in a disabled car park in central Hamilton has avoided a fine. A local business owner recently spied the Hamilton Parking Services truck on Barton St at 4pm one day, and took a photo. They claimed the driver was...
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