In this issue, the latest on Waipā's transition to recovery, Council's role supporting iwi and Pasifika businesses, and Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum achieves a gold award
Community services
Gold award for Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum
Te Whare Taonga o Te Awamutu Museum has once again achieved a Qualmark Gold Award, maintaining the rating it first received in April 2022. Qualmark is New Zealand tourism’s official quality assurance programme, assessing visitor experiences across sustainability, customer experience, operations and health and safety. The March 2026 assessment confirmed the museum’s Gold status and recognised the Roche Street site as a high-quality, sustainable visitor experience. Staff will continue working with Qualmark to further enhance the visitor offering.
The Museum’s education programme also had a busy Term 1, welcoming 1404 ākonga (students) from early learning centres, primary, intermediate and secondary schools from across the region and beyond.
A highlight included supporting Onewhero School Year 9 students as part of their learning about the Waikato invasion. The visit began at the museum with hands-on learning, followed by visits to Rangiaowhia and Ōrākau, connecting classroom learning with local sites of significance.
The programme continues in Term 2, with schools from across the North Island booked to visit. These education visits support local learning opportunities while also bringing visitors into the district and supporting local businesses.
Transition to recovery
Waipā's road to recovery
Waipā remains in the transition phase following the February severe weather event, with work continuing to support communities while longer-term recovery planning progresses to identify infrastructure repairs, timeframes and costs. Staff are still connecting directly with affected residents and monitoring local businesses for any ongoing impacts, particularly in areas that experienced access issues or disruption.
We are also continuing to work with the National Emergency Management Agency to identify potential funding opportunities to support recovery work and reduce the financial impact on the district.
Corcoran Road repairs are progressing well and are now in the final stages. Recent rain helped with culvert clearing and caused no additional damage. Concrete pouring for the new kerb was underway last week, road surface repairs are continuing, and around 80 percent of grassing is completed, with the remainder due early next week. Crews will then carry out a final tidy-up, seal the road surface, install markings and reinstate fencing. Weather permitting, all work is expected to be completed next week. The road is open under priority give way for residents, and a blessing/karakia of the worksite is being planned once conditions allow.
Our bush and reserve areas are also steadily improving. Lower slopes of Pirongia Forest have reopened, and contractors are finishing repairs on the Kakepuku Mountain tracks ahead of reopening. The work has included repairing erosion, clearing culverts and debris, improving drainage, and realigning a section of track higher up the maunga where tension cracking occurred, with a handrail installed for safety. Staff have also visited 205 Sainsbury Road Reserve with the grazier and the Pirongia Horse Riders Club to assess options for reopening, guided by geotechnical advice. Those options are now being considered to safely restore access.
The Mayoral Relief Fund continues to support those affected, with approximately $62,000 allocated so far. Applications are still being processed, and we are continuing to work with community organisations to ensure assistance reaches those who need it.
View the Road to Recovery Dashboard below or through the link here.
Economic development
Partnerships for delivery
Council continues to put its role as an anchor in the community into action, supporting local iwi and Pacific businesses through practical initiatives that build their capability.
Over the past 18 months, our economic development advisor has been working closely with Waikato-Tainui to support iwi businesses to be better positioned to tender for Council contracts. Last year, a pilot health and safety accreditation programme was developed in collaboration with our procurement and health and safety teams, and delivered with 16 iwi businesses participating. Eight have now achieved accreditation, enabling them to tender for work with up to 20 councils across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
Building on that success, a tender writing skills programme will be delivered on Wednesday, May 6 for ‘tender-ready’ iwi businesses. This is a joint effort with Waikato-Tainui and procurement teams from Tainui Group Holdings and Waikato District Council. The benefits are clear: businesses are more confident submitting compliant tenders, procurement teams spend less time assessing non-compliant bids, and – most importantly – strong, trusted relationships continue to be built between Council, iwi businesses and partners.
Similar kaupapa (work) is underway with the Waikato Pacific Business Network, supporting a small but growing Pacific business community in Waipā, particularly in healthcare, property maintenance and construction. A two-evening health and safety pre-qualification pilot programme will run in April, helping Pacific businesses access Council opportunities while building connections and trust with Council.
These initiatives show how collaboration can deliver real results: stronger local businesses, better procurement outcomes, and positive social, cultural, and economic impact across Waipā.
Service delivery
Arapuni Dam enhancement project
Mercury Energy are beginning major safety work on the Arapuni Dam soon, with Arapuni Road across the dam closing from May 2026 for approximately 24–36 months to allow strengthening works to proceed.
A temporary onelane detour via Powerhouse Road will be in place for local traffic, managed by traffic lights.
Freight and heavy commercial vehicles travelling between Te Awamutu and Putaruru will need to use an alternative highway route (via SH1/SH21/SH3), which is expected to add around 28km and around 15-20 minutes travel time for that journey.
There is a risk that some detoured heavy traffic (up to 50 tonnes who can travel without a permit) will use our local roads through Te Awamutu and Cambridge to complete their journeys, but Mercury's detour advice to the trucking industry is to stay on the state highways.
Mercury is planning a community drop-in session tomorrow, Saturday April 11, from 9:30 am–noon at Rhubarb Cafe, 6 Arapuni Road, so residents and road users can meet the project team, ask questions and get information about what to expect.
The dam work itself focuses on strengthening the left abutment to manage longterm seepage risk and protect the dam into the future, and hydro generation will continue unchanged during construction.
Mercury is engaging with iwi, local authorities and the community to minimise disruption and provide uptodate information as planning and construction progress.
You can find out more about the work here
Road renewals
Roads to be resealed around the district over the next two weeks:
- Cambridge Road (Te Awamutu)
- Koromatua Road
- Te Mawhai Road
- Wharepapa South Road
- Whitmore Street
Regulatory services
Dog prosecution
Staff have instructed our legal services provider to initiate a prosecution under the Dog Control Act 1996. This follows an incident in Cambridge in late January where a dog, already classified as dangerous by another Council following an attack, bit a five-year-old girl, who was a family member. This resulted in significant and serious facial injury that required hospitalisation and surgery. The dog was seized by Council’s after-hours contractor at the time with Police assistance and has been held in custody, until the owner agreed last week to voluntarily euthanise the dog, which has now occurred.
Due to the serious nature of the dog bite incident the decision has been made to prosecute the dog owner and place the matter before the District Court. Documents will be filed in the Hamilton District Court next week.
Changes to alcohol sale and supply rules
The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Sales on Anzac Day Morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day) Amendment Act 2026 came into force last Thursday with immediate effect, meaning on-licence premises usually restricted to only serving dining guests and lodgers on these days could trade as normal. The two business chambers were given information in advance, and all affected businesses were emailed on the day. Licences will be amended as they are renewed or reissued.
RSAs are also now permitted to serve the public on Anzac Day morning (not just members) and wine makers with off-licences who were previously only permitted to sell alcohol on Easter Sunday may now open the other days as well. There was no change for other off-licences, such as bottle stores, that must remain closed.
Strategy
Legislation tracker
We actively monitor legislation changes and wider central government reform – and the impact on Council. We aim to keep Elected Members across these changes, their progress, and Council submissions.
The tables below provide updates from the last two weeks.
What’s new? A list of new, relevant legislation | ||
Item | Description | Stage |
Nothing new to report. | ||
Open for submissions Relevant items that are currently open for submission or coming up | |||
Item | Description | Submission status | Closing date |
Proposed updates to the Code of Practice for Firefighting Water Supplies | Fire and Emergency New Zealand is updating its Code of Practice to set clearer benchmarks and guidance for firefighting water supply, ensuring coordinated planning and resilient infrastructure so growing communities have adequate water for emergencies. | Staff submitting as subject matter experts | Closing date for submissions, Wednesday, April 15 |
Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Improving Alcohol Regulation) Amendment Bill | The Government is proposing changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to simplify licensing, modernise and clarify rules (including digital ID and delivery), changing who can serve and sell alcohol (such as hairdressers and takeaways), updating rules for events and changing licence requirements for community clubs. | Potential ramifications for Council in relation to Resource Management Act and Local Alcohol Policy requirements. | Closing date for submissions Thursday, May 14 |
Progress tracker Status updates on relevant items as they progress past submissions | |||
Item name | Description | Council response | Status |
The Bill amends the Local Government Act to refocus councils on delivering core infrastructure and services, while removing references to the four aspects of community well-being. It also introduces new financial management and performance frameworks, reduces regulatory requirements, and gives the Secretary for Local Government authority to issue codes of conduct and standing orders for elected members. | Submitted on August 27, 2025. | Expected to be completed in the week of March 30, 2026. Potential enactment mid-April. | |
Proposals to control rate rises and introduce rate capping | The Government will introduce a rates cap limiting most council rate increases to 2–4% per capita annually, covering general and targeted rates but excluding water and non-rates revenue, with any increases above the cap requiring central Government approval. | Submitted | February 4, 2026 – Submissions closed |
This Bill will strengthen community and iwi Māori involvement, makes mayors primarily responsible for local emergency declarations, requires better identification of high-risk communities, and allows the Minister to set national rules and minimum standards for emergency management. | Submitting as part of Waikato CDEM | February 15, 2026 - Submissions closed | |
Together, these Bills will replace the Resource Management Act and establish a new planning and natural environment framework governing land use, development, and environmental protection. They introduce simplified activity categories and a permit system, combined regional plans with environmental limits, clearer roles for regional and territorial authorities, and requirements to balance environmental regulation with landowners’ reasonable use of land. | Submitted | Select Committee report due June 26, 2026. | |
This Bill will amend the Building Act and Building (Dam Safety) Regulations by replacing earthquake ratings with tiered risk-based mitigation requirements, narrowing the earthquake-prone building system to high-risk buildings in medium and high seismic zones, removing low-risk areas and building types from the regime, allowing longer compliance extensions, and reclassifying parts of Otago and Stewart Island as medium seismic zones. | Did not submit | February 16, 2026 - Submissions closed Select Committee Report due June 16, 2026 | |
Simplifying Local Government / Proposed changes to regional councils and local government structure | The Government is proposing reforms to the local government system alongside its resource management changes, including abolishing elected regional councils and replacing them with Combined Territories Boards made up of regional mayors. These Boards would oversee regional planning, infrastructure, and environmental management, and be required to develop reorganisation plans that could include shared services, council mergers, or restructuring into unitary authorities. |
| February 20, 2026 - Submissions closed |
Infrastructure Funding and Financing Amendment Bill – Development levies | The Government is proposing to replace development contributions with a new development levies system through the draft Local Government (Infrastructure Funding) Amendment Bill. The new system would separate levies by infrastructure type, define larger levy areas, allow extra charges in high-cost locations, and require a standardised methodology for calculating growth-related infrastructure costs. | Submitted | February 20, 2026 - Submissions closed Expected in the third quarter of 2026. |
Hospitality sector review | Review covers regulation affecting, restaurants, bars, cafés, food stalls at markets, food trucks, catering businesses and hotels. Gambling regulations are out of scope. | Early expert feedback provided | Early feedback closed February 11, 2026. |
Proposed changes to lane use and road safety | NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi is proposing updates to the Land Transport (Road User) Rule to improve lane safety and efficiency, including allowing children under 12 to ride bikes on footpaths, setting a minimum passing gap, permitting e-scooters in cycle lanes, requiring drivers to give way to buses leaving stops, and clarifying berm-parking signage rules. | Submitting under delegated authority. Report to be presented to Service Delivery Committee in April. | March 25, 2026 - Submissions closed |
Building and Construction Sector (Strengthening Occupational Licensing Regimes) Amendment Bill | The Bill proposes changes to key building and trade legislation to strengthen disciplinary and enforcement powers, introduce codes of ethics, streamline licensing, and reduce oversight for low-risk work. | Staff submitted in their role as subject matter experts. | March 19, 2026 – Select Committee Report. Expected in the third quarter of 2026. |
Sale and Supply of Alcohol (sale of Alcohol on the morning of Anzac Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day) Amendment Bill | The Bill proposes to allow licensed businesses already permitted to open on ANZAC Day morning, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day to sell alcohol under their usual licence conditions. | Did not submit. | Bill in effect for Easter 2026 |
Proposed changes to alcohol licensing and sales rules/ The Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Participation in Licensing Decisions) Amendment Bill | The Government is proposing changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act to simplify licensing, modernise and clarify rules (including digital ID and delivery), changing who can serve and sell alcohol (such as hairdressers and takeaways), updating rules for events and changing licence requirements for community clubs. | Awaiting further information. | October 2, 2026 - Select Committee Report due |
The Government is ordering a review of the Dog Control Act to address issues with roaming and uncontrolled dogs. The review will:
| Likely to submit | Opportunity to provide feedback on draft guidelines expected before mid-2026. | |
Media releases
Media releases
Media clippings
March 23 - April 7
Cambridge wants a new bridge, but where should it go?
Waikato Times • Katie Hunter • Newspaper • 04 Apr 2026, 12:00 am
A ‘remarkable’ navigator
Te Awamutu News • Viv Posselt • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 8:01 am
When the going gets tough
Te Awamutu News • Angela Holt • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 7:04 am
A touch of green
Cambridge News • Viv Posselt • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 7:01 am
BMX-cellent for Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu News • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 6:03 am
News in brief
Te Awamutu News • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 5:01 am
Trust issues an SOS
Te Awamutu News • Jesse Wood • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 3:02 am
Cambridge wants a new bridge, but has different ideas on where it should go
Waikato Times • Katie Hunter • Internet • 02 Apr 2026, 2:12 am
How Waikato tourism's getting attention online
Waikato Times • Jordan Smith • Newspaper • 01 Apr 2026, 12:00 am
Housing market shows renewed confidence
Waikato Business News • Magazine • 01 Apr 2026, 12:00 am
Wastewater flows through new Cambridge treatment plant
Waikato Times • Internet • 31 Mar 2026, 7:38 am
Why we love Cambridge
Cambridge News • Charlotte Fitzpatrick • Internet • 27 Mar 2026, 11:01 am
Local leaders welcome runway extension
Waikato Herald • Newspaper • 27 Mar 2026, 12:00 am
What's on in the Waikato
Waikato Herald • Newspaper • 27 Mar 2026, 12:00 am
Housing project open for public feedback
Waikato Times • Newspaper • 27 Mar 2026, 12:00 am
Plan for 1,250-home development in Leamington opens for public feedback
Waikato Times • Internet • 26 Mar 2026, 10:23 am
Mental help on canvas
Te Awamutu News • Jesse Wood • Internet • 26 Mar 2026, 9:46 am
From spiders to spotlight
Cambridge News • Mary Anne Gill • Internet • 26 Mar 2026, 4:01 am
School decision backed
Cambridge News • Mary Anne Gill • Internet • 26 Mar 2026, 3:05 am
Weeks on, 116 still waiting to go home in storm-hit districts
Waikato Times • Internet • 25 Mar 2026, 12:19 pm
