Business Awards Finalists, Art Initiative, and Latest Updates
Published on 06 September 2024
Council meeting highlights – Tuesday 3 September
Council affirms Māori Ward decision
Applause and a heartfelt karanga from the packed floor of Thames War Memorial Civic Centre were the response to Council’s near-unanimous decision yesterday to reaffirm our decision last October to establish a Māori ward.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend and share your views in the public forum, and for the respect that you showed to one other. Many of you had travelled some distance to speak both for and against upholding the decision.
Chair Mayor Len Salt began the meeting with a welcome and a moment to honour the passing of Māori King, Kiingi Tūheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, before opening the floor to the public.
Councillors Morrissey, Connell, Sinclair, Gotlieb and Giri-Percival then spoke in support of reaffirming the original decision. Councillors Morrissey and Sinclair also addressed a perception that the Māori ward would cost ratepayers, explaining that remuneration for the additional Councillor would be shared from their existing salary ‘pool’. “We’re all happy to support your journey - it will be an utter privilege to sit with you at the table,” said Councillor Sinclair.
The decision to establish a Māori ward was passed by a strong majority, with Deputy Mayor Terry Walker abstaining from voting, and one voting against.
Read more on our website
Council open to all options regarding future of three waters services
Our Council has been discussing with other councils in the Waikato region on what the future of water services arrangements could look like.
At its meeting on Tuesday 3 September, our Council decided that all options should continue to be investigated, ranging from banding together with other councils in a Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO) to deliver water services, or going it alone. Our Council considers it too premature to make a commitment right now on the shape of future service delivery arrangements.
Read the full press release
Hauraki Coromandel Business Awards finalists
We are pleased to announce the following finalists in the Hauraki Coromandel Business Awards:
Sector Excellence finalists
New and Emerging: Pahi Coastal Walk, Te Kouma Heights Glamping, Opito Bay Salt, Fitzone Waihī
Consumer Services: Flowers on Pollen, Mercury Bay Discoveries, Top10 Coromandel Shelly Beach
Professional Services: Bayleys Coromandel, Woof Woof Ranch, Beside the Seaside
Trades and Manufacturing: Major Oak Safety Training, Coromandel Distilling Co, EPL Construction
Māori: Evolution Fitness, Manavation
Category Excellence finalists
Community Contribution: Major Oak Safety Training, Dive Zone Whitianga, EPL Construction, Wāhi Tukurua, Evolution Fitness
Business Resilience: Centre Line Construction, Hello World Thames, Professional Trade Services, Matariki Tours
Waste Minimisation: Wāhi Tukurua, Buffalo Lodge, Gastronomic
Contribution to Tourism: Coromandel Distilling Co, Valley Tours and Transfers, The Waterworks, Thames Museum
Digital Strategy and e-Commerce: Flowers on Pollen, Mom Store, The Waterworks
Highly Commended
These businesses were praised by the judges although they did not make the finalist list.
• Kate Sedon – Consumer Services and Business Resilience
• Matariki Tours – Digital Strategy, Contribution to Tourism and Waste Minimisation
• Mercury Bay Discoveries – New and Emerging
• Professional Trade Services – Trades and Manufacturing
• Gastronomics – Community Contribution
• Two Tides Bakery – Business Resilience
• Centre Line Construction – Waste Minimisation
• Kaimai Distillery – Contribution to Tourism
Congratulations to all the finalists. The judges report that there was an amazing number of high-quality entries: 45 business entries and 117 category entries.
Our thanks and congratulations to all entrants.
The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in Thames on the evening of Thursday 23 October. It promises to be a night of celebration that you won't want to miss.
Find out more and get your tickets here
Get your votes in for the People’s Choice Award
Voting is open for the People’s Choice Award until 16 September. Due to the number of nominations received, there will be two People's Choice Awards this year - one for Hauraki District and one for Thames-Coromandel. Everyone can vote for one business in each district.
Vote for your People's Choice Awards
Massive thanks to our awards sponsors
The awards evening wouldn’t be possible without the exceptional organisations sponsoring the awards. Thank you to these businesses who we have welcomed into our sponsorship family for the 2024 awards.
Our principal sponsors are Richardsons Real Estate, More FM, our Council and Hauraki District Council.
Gold sponsors: Craigs Investment Partners Waikato, Harkness Henry, Thames' Seagull Centre
Bronze sponsors: Gastronomics Restaurant, Cafe and Bar, Retail NZ, The Rolleston Motel
Carpark closure to allow for Mautohe Cathedral Cove work
The Lees Road carpark near Mautohe Cathedral Cove will be closed to the public while walking access reinstatement work is underway.
Last week, the Department of Conservation (DOC) announced the start of physical work at the famous cove, with arborists set to remove dozens of hazardous and exotic trees.
The Lees Road carpark is on private land, and the landowner has traditionally allowed visitors to access neighbouring public conservation land from the location.
With arborists on site from this week, DOC and the adjacent landowner have agreed to close the Lees Road carpark until further notice.
The landowners support the temporary closure of the carpark, which will be part of a wider active worksite for the walking access reinstatement.
The closure means the McHand’s Lookout Track will be off-limits to the public for the next few months while walking access to the cove is reinstated. McHand’s Lookout has been an alternative visitor option while the walking track to Mautohe Cathedral Cove has been closed.
Te Pare Pā remains open to the public and is not impacted by this closure.
Visiting Mautohe Cathedral Cove is a marine-only experience, and visitors are strongly urged to stay out of the recreation reserve while walking access reinstatement
Find out more
Outward Bound boosts rangatahi confidence
Two rangatahi (young people) from our district now have a clear direction for what they want to do in life, and the confidence to pursue their goals, thanks to a partnership between our Council’s Mayors’ Taskforce For Jobs programme and Outward Bound.
The Taskforce is a grassroots approach led by regional mayors to equip young people with the skills and resources they need for successful, local employment.
The partnership with Outward Bound provided an opportunity for two rangatahi from our district to join 13 others from Waikato region to attend the August Whakatipu eight-day course.
Invitations to apply were extended to schools and local services working with rangatahi in the Coromandel and from the applications received, Ora Wiki and Wetere Kingi were selected to attend the course.
The eight-day course immerses students in challenging outdoor experiences aiming to provide a mix of adventure, teamwork, challenge, and reflection. Ora and Wetere worked with the other participants to overcome obstacles and solve problems as a team.
Both rangatahi had an amazing time learning new things and meeting new people. Ora shares a piece of advice that has stuck with her: “There’s this thing called hard before easy; basically, you just do all your hard tasks first and your easy tasks later, and it’s a game changer. I use it with my room, in the kitchen, and at school. I remind myself of it all the time.”
Wetere reflects on his experience, stating, “Mentally, it’s helped me. Now I feel like I can do anything. My resilience has grown, and I know what I’m capable of.”
Transitioning from school to the workforce is a significant change. Outward Bound has empowered these two rangatahi with a clear sense of direction for their future. Ora Wiki is eager to join the Army. The course helped her firm up her career choice and instilled in her the confidence to believe that she can achieve whatever she sets her mind to. Wetere is deciding between becoming an electrician or pursuing agriculture. Outward Bound gave him the push he needed to “stop being lazy” and just do it.
Our Council, along with Mayors’ Taskforce For Jobs and Outward Bound, is pleased to have made this opportunity possible.
About Mayors Taskforce for Jobs
MTFJ is a movement of mayors around Aotearoa who advocate for a bottom-up approach to employment solutions to deliver the Community Employment Programme (CEP) along with broader initiatives. In particular, CEP is a nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) that’s delivering great outcomes in our rural and provincial communities. It’s championed by mayors who are working together towards the vision of all young people 16-25 engaged in employment, education, or training in their communities.
Click here to find out more
Chorus Cabinet Art Initiative
We are excited to announce applications are now open for the Chorus Cabinet Art Initiative.
This project offers a unique opportunity for Thames-Coromandel based artists to transform those plain telco cabinets into stunning pieces of public art, brighten up the neighbourhood and make your mark in your community. We encourage all local artists, both emerging and established, to submit their designs and help bring a splash of life and colour to our neighbourhoods.
To learn more and submit your design, please visit: Chorus Cabinet Art Project
The deadline for submissions is 1 October - we look forward to seeing your vision.
Find out more
Final call to have your say on two bylaws
Feedback on our proposals for a new Parking Bylaw and for changes to our Traffic Bylaw closes on Monday 9 September. Follow the links below to find out what’s proposed and how to give your feedback.
Parking Bylaw
Find out more about the proposed bylaw and how to give your feedback below.
Have your say
Traffic Bylaw
Find out more about the proposed changes to the bylaw and how to give your feedback below.
Have your say
RTS Temporary closures
Three of our Refuse and Recycling Transfer Stations (RTS) sites—Thames, Whitianga, and Tairua—are scheduled for their annual weighbridge certification.
During the certification, these sites will be temporarily closed for a short time to ensure the safety of our maintenance contractors from traffic:
For safety reasons, speed cushions are being installed near the kiosk buildings / weighbridges at all RTS sites in the next few weeks.
Community Conversation: UN Decade of Healthy Aging
If you'd like to attend, please send an RSVP to isla.anderson@tcdc.govt.nz
Older people in the Thames-Coromandel area are invited to participate in a ‘Community Conversations’ workshop to discuss what population ageing might mean for you and the local community in the coming years.
The event will be held on Wednesday 11 September at the Thames War Memorial Civic Centre Conference Room from 10am to 12pm.
Find out more
Artbeat spring festival launches today
The coromandel artbeat spring festival launches today with the first ever CoroCine film festival - an exciting celebration of Coromandel films that will kick off several months of arty events all around the Coromandel.
Funded by Creative Coromandel to help promote arts in Coromandel Hauraki rohe, the online ‘umbrella’ festival supports district-wide art events from September to December, showcasing everything from life drawing classes to the iconic Steampunk The Thames through its website, coromandelartbeat.nz. It’s free for creatives to register an event.
“The idea is for people to plan their own creative – and scenic – journey to meet the amazing artists who live in our rohe. There’ll be something to inspire and interest everyone,” says Creative Coromandel chairperson, Fiona Cameron.
Creative Coromandel came out of our Council's arts strategy as a way to further community participation in the arts and creative activities within our district. It has elected member representation on its board of trustees and distributes funding from Creative New Zealand under the Creative Communities Scheme.
Register a creative event for free here
Visit the coromandel artbeat spring festival online
Opportunities at our Council
At our Council we ensure work-life balance is not just a dream but a reality. We offer an array of staff benefits including flexible work arrangements, relocation allowance, sick leave on commencement of employment and more.
Our current job vacancies are:
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Team Leader Building Processing
For the first time in seven years a vacancy has occurred within our BCA Lead Team. We're looking for a passionate team leader who loves a challenge and has the technical know-how to lead our processing team.
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Governance Advisor
The Governance Advisor role will work within the Governance Services team which provides high-quality support and advice services to our elected members and Council staff on governance matters, formal meeting requirements and decision-making processes.
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Development Engineer
We are seeking an experienced Development Engineer. In this role you will have the opportunity to be innovative to meet our community and environmental needs.
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Customer Services Representative – Thames
We are searching for a confident, motivated customer services star to bring their skills and enthusiasm to a great team delivering customer services in our Thames office.
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If you're interested in working for us, and there are currently no vacancies that fit your skillset and knowledge, please complete the expression of interest application via the link below.
For more information or to apply
Adoptable dog of the week
Scotty
The handsome boy below is a staffy-cross looking for a place to call home. Scotty is a sweet, fun-loving dog. He loves everyone and everything and lives for pats and cuddles.
Adopt Scotty today