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News and information from the Thames-Coromandel District Council 

Autumn 2012 

In this issue: 

Inside the 

Ten Year Plan 

StrongerCoromandel 

Working together to build the future

2 www.tcdc.govt.nz/ourcoromandel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Contents 

Main feature: 

2012-2022 Draft 

Ten Year Plan 

highlights, dates 

and FAQs 

p. 4 

Mayor and Councillors ..... 8 

Community Boards ........ 9 

Chief Executive............ 10 

Organisational review . . . . . . 11 

Wharf decision ............ 13 

Building changes .......... 14 

Waste water plant ......... 16 

ECHO Walking Festival ..... 18 

Plans to halve waste ....... 21 

Tourism .................. 23 

Road rule changes ......... 24 

Rail Trail ................. 25 

NZ Book Month............ 26 

Pool tops audit . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Walkway ‘on track’......... 31 

Twitter ................... 32 

Mercury Bay Sports Park.... 34 

Hands that built Pauanui ... 35 

Community Awards ........ 36 

Council’s new iPad app..... 37 

Meeting calendar .......... 39 

Autumn rubbish schedule .. 40 

OurCoromandel is published quarterly by 

Thames-Coromandel District Council. 

Find out how to get 

short chirpy Council 

updates on Twitter! 

p. 32 

Email: ourcoromandel@tcdc.govt.nz 

www.tcdc.govt.nz/ourcoromandel 

Postal Address: 

OurCoromandel 

The Communications Team 

Thames-Coromandel District Council 

Private Bag, Thames 3540 

NZ Book Month 

special feature 

p. 26


3 

Welcome 

We’re excited about the decade ahead but we 

know it won’t be easy. It’s our commitment to 

partner with communities and build a prosperous, 

liveable and clean and green district here on the 

Coromandel. 

One of the themes of our 2012-2022 draft 

Ten Year Plan is the impact of a lasting 

recession. We know the community is 

hurting, and we must face this situation. 

It’s a balancing act to grasp opportunities 

for building prosperity while resetting 

our financial foundations. We cannot 

launch forward with ambitious 

development aspirations without being 

confident in our financial base. 

Economic development remains a 

priority to us. Our support of the growth 

of the aquaculture industry, Destination 

Coromandel, information centres and 

local economic development initiatives 

will return real value to ratepayers in the 

form of new jobs and greater business 

turnover. 

Rather than leading it ourselves by 

spending rates revenue, we will foster 

a Council that helps the business 

community trade its way out of recession. 

New infrastructure must still be 

considered in the decade ahead. From 

the Thames Valley and Matatoki water 

supply upgrades to the Pauanui and 

Tairua water treatment plants and 

Whitianga Town Centre upgrade, our 

focus is on quality, appropriate and 

affordable infrastructure. With the reality 

of the age of infrastructure in our towns, 

we need to share the costs of these 

upgrades together. 

Our draft Ten Year Plan outlines some 

$324.9 million of capital expenditure. 

We’ve reduced a number of projects 

to channel funding into infrastructure 

renewal and have had to prepare for 

tough spending choices. 

We encourage you to read through the 

Plan and give feedback to work with us 

to build a stronger Coromandel. 

His Worship The Mayor, 

Glenn Leach


2012 Ten Year Plan 

Consultation Period 

5 March—2 April 2012 

Help us build a 

Major highlights in 

the draft 

The Council is f inalising the draft Ten 

Year Plan as we speak. You will be 

able to f ind out more details soon by 

reading either the summary or full 

version of the draft plan. 

Here are some of the areas we're 

looking at: 

Economic development 

99increase support for Destination 

Coromandel and local economic 

development agencies 

99expand wharf ing infrastructure to 

support the aquaculture industry 

99change our Rates Remission 

Policy to encourage Economic 

Development 

Essential services 

99invest in new water supplies or 

treatment in Thames, the Thames 

Valley, Matatoki, Tairua and 

Pauanui 

Big ticket items over 10 years 

99support a town centre upgrade for 

Whitianga 

99support new sports facilities in 

Thames and Mercury Bay 

99support a new community centre in 

Pauanui 

99support a new swimming pool and 

skate park in Thames 

F ind out more at www.strongercoromandel.com

Changes to fees and charges 

99introduce charges for trade waste 

99introduce fees and charges at the 

Pauanui Airf ield 

99increase dog registration fees 

99increase the cost of rubbish bags 

Reductions or delaying projects 

99reduce the level of service for the 

stormwater activity 

99no longer provide new footpaths 

unless they attract a subsidy on 

safety grounds 

99no longer provide funding for 

community owned and managed 

halls of Te Rerenga, Hikutaia, 

Kauaeranga Valley, Puriri, Matatoki 

and Wharepoa 

99change the timing of a number of 

projects across a range of activities 

Changes to the funding of 

‘essential services’ 

To make things fairer, the Council is 

considering changing the funding of 

‘essential services’ to a district-wide 

basis (not from local rates but paid 

from district rates). Essential services 

include; water supply, wastewater, 

stormwater, district transportation 

(roads etc) and solid waste 

(rubbish services etc). 

Development Contributions 

Policy also out for consultation 

We are proposing some changes to the 

Development Contributions Policy to 

streamline administration and also 

invite your submissions on this. 

When are the hearings? 

Thames – Friday, 11 May 2012 

in the Council Chambers, Thames 

Coromandel/Colville – Wednesday, 9 May 2012 

at the Coromandel Service Centre 

Mercury Bay – Monday, 7 May 2012 

at the Mercury Bay Service Centre, Whitianga 

Tairua/Pauanui – Thursday, 10 May 2012 

at the Lakes Resort, Pauanui 

Whangamata – Tuesday, 8 May 2012 

at the Whangamata Service Centre 

What happens next? 

Your Councillors will consider 

all of the submissions and then 

decide on any amendments to 

the draft and then adopt (signoff) 

the Ten Year Plan by 30 June 

2012 at a Council meeting. 

How can I stay up-todate 

with Council’s f inal 

decisions? 

Sign up to receive our eNewsletter 

at www.tcdc.govt.nz/subscribe


2012 Ten Year Plan 

FAQs 

(Frequently Asked Questions) 

What is a Ten Year Plan? 

Every three years local authorities, in 

consultation with their communities, 

put together a new Ten Year Plan that 

describes the goals of the Council 

over the next ten years and how the 

Council plans to achieve them. 

How can I read the draft plan? 

From 5 March 2012, you will be able to read 

a summary of the plan or the full version at 

www.strongercoromandel.com. You 

can request a copy to be sent to you 

by calling 07-868-0200 or emailing 

us at customer.services@tcdc.govt. 

nz. Copies will also be available at all 

District Libraries and Service Centres. 

What about changes to my rates? 

Visit www.strongercoromandel.com to 

f ind out what affect the draft plan might 

have on your rates (in year one) compared 

to your rates this f inancial year. For more 

information please read the draft plan or 

summary document. 

How can I “Have My Say” about 

the draft plan? 

We want to hear from you about our 

draft plan and invite you to “make a 

submission” (this is just a form to write 

on so you can tell us what you think) 

after reading the Ten Year Plan summary. 

We will have summaries and submission 

forms available at all of our District 

Libraries and Service Centres, or we 

can send one out to you. You will also 

be able to make a submission online 

at www.strongercoromandel.com. 

What’s a Hearing? 

If you have sent in a written submission, 

you can also choose to present it at a 

meeting called a Hearing. At one of these 

meetings, your elected members will listen 

to you present your submission in person. 

If you don’t want to present your thoughts 

at a Hearing, that’s ok too. Your elected 

members will receive a copy of every 

submission to read as well. The public can 

attend the Hearings to watch proceedings. 

What do the three icons mean? 

The three icons represent the three main 

outcomes Council is working to achieve: 

A clean, green district, a prosperous 

district and a liveable district. 

You’ll also note in the plan that 

activity groups will show the 

extent they contribute to these 

outcomes by the number of related 

elements beside each icon. 

In that way, it’s like the star rating concept 

used by tourism operators. So a green icon 

with five leaves next to it, for instance, 

means the activity group has a five star 

clean green rating when judged against its 

contribution toward Council’s objectives.


Average rates by Community Board area 

These are AVERAGES. You will either be less or more. To find out 

how you compare, go to http://web.tcdc.govt.nz/ratescalculator/ 

Average Rates Increase 

Mercury 

Bay Community Board Area 

 

 

 

 

 

Tairua-Pauanui Community Board Area 

 

 

 

 

 

Whangamata Community Board Area 

 

 

 

 

 

Thames Community Board Area 

 

 

 

 

 

Coromandel Community Board Area


Deputy Mayor 

Peter French 

Mayor and 

Councillor 

Councillors 

Thames Ward 

Thames Community Board 

Tony Brljevich 

Coromandel-Colville Ward 

Coromandel-Colville Community Board 

Councillor 

Wyn Hoadley QSO 



Coromandel 

-Colville 

Mercury Bay 

Murray 

Me 

Mercury Bay Co 

Me 

Mercury Bay Co 

Sout 

Whangamata Co 

Tairua-Pauanui Co 

His Worship The Mayor, 

Glenn Leach 

glenn.leach@tcdc.govt.nz 

Councillor 

Diane Connors 



Thames 

South Eastern 

J 

Sout 

Whangamata Co 

Tairua-Pauanui Co 

Deputy Mayor 

Peter French 



phrog2@hotmail.com 

Councillor 

Tony Brljevich 

Coromandel-Colville Ward 

Coromandel-Colville Community Board 

billies@slingshot.co.nz 

Councillor 

Wyn Hoadley QSO 



wyn@hoadley.co.nz 

Councillor 

Diane Connors 



dconnors@slingshot.co.nz 

Councillor 

Murray McLean JP 

Mercury Bay Ward 

Mercury Bay Community Board 

mmcl@xtra.co.nz 

Councillor 

Tony Fox 

Mercury Bay Ward 

Mercury Bay Community Board 

tonyfox@xtra.co.nz 

Councillor 

Jack Wells 

South Eastern Ward 

Whangamata Community Board 

Tairua-Pauanui Community Board 

jack.wells@hotmail.co.nz 

Councillor 

Jan Bartley 

South Eastern Ward 

Whangamata Community Board 

Tairua-Pauanui Community Board 

hdb@whangamata.co.nz

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.tcdc.govt.nz/ourcoromandel 

9 

Community Boards 

Coromandel-Colville 

John Walker (Chair) 

07 866 7194 

Kim Brett 

k-n-k@xtra.co.nz 

07 866 7242 

Anne Ward 

07 866 6774 

Keith Stephenson 

a.rc@xtra.co.nz 

07 866 8613 

Mercury Bay 

Alison Henry (Chair) 

henry.a@xtra.co.nz 

07 866 0020 

Sheree Webster 

info@hotwaterbeachholidaypark.com 

June Bennett 

janbr@slingshot.co.nz 

07 866 5996 

Paul Hopkins 

welcome@musselbed.co.nz 

07 866 5786 

Tairua-Pauanui 

Bob Renton (Chair) 

bobcarol@xtra.co.nz 

07 864 9916 

Whangamata 

Keith Johnston (Chair) 

021 201 3463 


Strat Peters (Chair) 

stratsam@slingshot.co.nz 

07 8689975 

Barry Swindles 

swindles@xtra.co.nz 

07 864 8169 

Peter Kerr 

pkerr1001@hotmail.com 

07 865 6062 

Lester George Yates 

lester@lesteryatesmotors.co.nz 

027 492 0243 

Christopher Cooper 

thebigevent@paradise.net.nz 

07 864 9990 

Gloria Giles 

gktrua@xtra.co.nz 

07 864 9497 

Mary Taylor 

marytaylor7@xtra.co.nz 

07 865 9000 

Helen McCabe 

helen@koolfm.biz 

0272 865 709 

Mark Bridgman 

07 868 7273 

Justine Baverstock 

just.bavs@vodafone.co.nz 

027 434 1565


Meet our new 

Chief Executive 

Our new Chief Executive was officially welcomed at 

a Powhiri in the Council Chambers in February. 

Representatives of Council and tangata 

whenua (Pare Hauraki) welcomed 

David Hammond 

to his new role as 

Chief Executive 

of the Thames- 

Coromandel District 

Council. 

Speakers led by 

Waati Ngamane 

provided a 

good-humoured 

introduction to the 

new Chief Executive 

and David Hammmond responded with a 

well-received speech in te reo Maori. 

I powhiritia te tumuaki hou no te 

Thames-Coromandel District Council 

i te marama nei. Ka hui tahi katoa nga 

mema no te kaunihera me nga rangatira 

no Parehauraki 

ki te whakatau i a 

David Hammond 

ki runga ano i 

tona turanga 

hou, hei tumuaki 

no te kaunihera. 

Ko Waati 

Ngamane no 

Ngati Maru te 

kaihautu i runga i 

te taumata, nona 

ano te whaikorero whakangahau ki te 

tumuaki hou nei, a, ka whakahokia te 

mihi whakatau e David Hammond i roto 

ano i Te Reo Maori.


11 

Organisational 

Review update 

Council Chief Executive David Hammond 

released an organisational review proposal to 

Council staff in February. 

The proposed structure has been 

designed to facilitate the achievement 

of the Council’s Mission and Vision. 

The major objectives of the review 

are to speed up decision-making, 

streamline accountabilities, create 

more community empowerment and to 

review the scope of Council activities 

given the prolonged recession. Council 

is also reviewing ways it can deliver 

more of its services that it currently 

outsources to consultants. 

“We have to do more with less; we 

also have to deliver higher levels of 

customer satisfaction and community 

empowerment, which may mean 

increasing resources and staff 

delegations to Area Offices,” explains 

Chief Executive David Hammond. 

The proposal sees a boost to area offices 

on the front line, less back-office jobs 

in Thames and fewer management 

positions. “TCDC rates are 14% above 

the national average with the rates in 

Thames being 20% higher still, which 

is a theme that can’t be ignored in our 

review of the organisation.” 

The Council currently employs 191 

staff. The proposal directly affects 

approximately 42 positions and 

proposes to create some 13 new roles. 

Final numbers will not be known until 

the end of the process. 

“The organisational structure is only a 

small part of a bigger review of Council 

expenditure. We are also looking at 

proposals for a 5% and 10% reduction 

in operating budgets as well.” 

Staff have been invited to make 

submissions on the proposal. A final 

decision will be made by the Chief 

Executive in mid-late March. 

“I have already received excellent 

feedback from staff, with many 

proposals coming in to improve 

effectiveness and efficiency and to 

reduce the use of consultants with 

better use of existing staff.”

Aquaculture 

It’s our recreation. Our food. Our passion. 

Our whakapapa. Our mahi kai. 

Could it build a stronger Coromandel? 

Our Ten Year Plan proposes to increase 

our focus on aquaculture. Have your say. 

Make a submission.* 

StrongerCoromandel 

Working together to build our economy 

* Submissions close at 4:00 PM Monday 2 April 2012. Go to www.strongercoromandel.com


13 

Wharf decision 

All options for wharf location will be considered 

by Council on 18 April. 

The Hauraki-Coromandel Economic 

Development Group recently completed 

its report on the location options for 

a new wharf on the Coromandel and 

recommended extending the existing 

wharf at Sugarloaf, near Coromandel 

Town. 

The Council will make a final decision 

on the location at the Council meeting 

scheduled on 18 April. 

“Production from wild fisheries has 

been static since the mid-1990s and 

aquaculture has been supplying the 

growing demand for seafood, and the 

demand is set to soar. The industry 

currently operates from Sugarloaf, and 

it’s close to capacity now, so the statusquo 

isn’t feasible long term,” said Mayor 

Glenn Leach. 

“We’re interested in leading this project 

because economic development is a 

major priority for this Council, but we 

are also best placed to facilitate a winwin 

outcome for the greater-good of our 

community.” 

“While the Development Group 

recommends Sugarloaf, we as a Council 

need to look at the options again to 

make sure all of our communities are 

taken into consideration and we make 

the right decision for the district and the 

local ward.” 

Next steps 

The recommendation made by the 

Hauraki-Coromandel Development 

Group is not necessarily the option 

Council staff will recommend to elected 

members. 

Council staff will consider the following 

issues before writing a final report and 

recommending a preferred option: 

• The Hauraki-Coromandel 

Development Group report 

• Cultural assessment report (still 

under development) 

• The views and submissions of 

stakeholders 

• More information and investigation 

of the ‘windy point’ (Puhi Rare) 

option, as requested by Te Kouma 

residents 

Go to www.tcdc.govt.nz/aquaculture for 

more information and to download the 

options report. You can also subscribe 

to the aquaculture project eNewsletter at 

www.tcdc.govt.nz/subscribe.


Restricted Building 

Works now in force 

Spotlight on primary structure and external 

weather-tightness 

Under the Government’s Restricted 

Building Work (RBW) scheme all aspects 

of design and construction critical to 

the integrity of a residential building 

must be carried out or supervised by 

designers and builders who have been 

independently assessed as competent, 

these people are called a Licensed 

Building Practitioner. 

RBW can only be carried out 

or supervised by a Licensed 

Building Practitioner (LBP). 

It will fall on our building inspectors to 

ensure contractors on site are licensed. 

From 1 March 2012, the council has the 

authority to stop a project and issue 

infringements if unlicensed people carry 

out this restricted building work. 

We also won’t be able to accept an 

application if it hasn’t been designed or 

at least signed off by a suitably qualified 

person. 

Restricted building work also includes 

the design of fire safety systems for 

small to medium apartment buildings. 

Existing building regulations require 

several other trades including drain 

layers and electricians to supply 

certificates of their work as part of the 

building consent process. 

Under Government Restricted Building 

Work legislation all builders, 

brick and block layers, external 

plasterers, roofers and anyone 

else involved in work on the 

primary structure and the 

external weather-tightness 

systems — including those 

designing these aspects of a build — will 

have to produce a certificate for their 

work. 

Our council inspectors have been 

trained in the requirements of the 

scheme. Additional delays in processing 

timeframes are not expected but 

there will be slightly lengthier on-site 

inspections.


15 

How does this affect you? 

If you are undertaking a renovation or new build we advise that you check your 

designers have their license or at the very least have applied for it. 

Licensed Building Practitioners 

Remember, if you apply for a building consent from now, you must make sure that 

the practitioners you use are correctly licensed to carry out the work. 

Licensed Building Practitioners include: 

• designers 

• carpenters 

• roofers 

• external plasterers 

• brick and blocklayers 

• foundations specialists 

Professional engineers, architects, plumbers and gasfitters are treated as Licensed 

Building Practitioners and can carry out some Restricted Building Work. 

If you apply for a building consent now, your building design must be done by a 

licensed designer, a registered architect or a chartered professional engineer. 

Restricted 

fire season 

Permits are required. Call 07 868 0200.


Wastewater Plant 

Myth Busters 

Treatment, storage and disposal of wastewater is 

a science and in Whangamata it goes through a 

number of processes before being safely disposed 

of into pine forests located just outside of town. 

Here’s more information on an asset 

that ratepayers have invested in and 

which has continued to perform 

exceptionally well since it began 

operating two years ago. 

Firstly, what is wastewater? 

Wastewater is liquid and solid material 

that go down the drain and into our 

wastewater network from homes and 

businesses. 

Wastewater is typically made up of 95 

per cent pure H2O. 

However, it’s the other five per cent that 

can cause pollution, odour nuisance, 

and even illness. It’s for these reasons 

that humans began collecting and 

treating their waste at the turn of the 

20th century. 

How our system works 

Wastewater is screened and treated in a 

process known as Intermittent Decant 

Extended Aeration (IDEA). 

In this process, the liquid effluent is 

treated to a very high standard. The 

treated wastewater is then pumped, 

via a lined storage pond, into the 

Whangamata Forest.


17 

Capacity of the system 

It’s important to understand there’s 

a major difference between network 

capacity (the town’s pipe network), 

treatment capacity (the capacity of 

the plant to treat varying volumes of 

waste), storage capacity (the amount 

of available storage in the ponds), and 

irrigation capacity (the amount of 

treated wastewater that can be sprayed 

into the forest in a day). 

Understandably, these have often been 

confused. 

Treatment capacity 

Plants have what is known as peak wet 

weather capacity and peak dry weather 

capacity. 

Wet weather capacity is typically 

greater than dry weather capacity as 

the influent is less concentrated in wet 

weather, when more stormwater enters 

the wastewater network. 

This New Year - and amidst more than 

100mm of rain - the Whangamata 

plant reached only 59% of its peak wet 

weather capacity, and only 59% of its 

dry weather capacity once the rain had 

cleared. 

Only 38% of total storage capacity 

was used, and additional areas of the 

Forest have been identified for future 

irrigation. 

The combined system caters for a peak 

population in 20 years time with the 

additional load of a major storm event 

in the calculated flows. 

Benefits of the system 

Treated wastewater from Pauanui, 

Whangamata and Whitianga 

is amongst the highest quality 

produced in New Zealand and we’ve 

won national environmental and 

engineering accolades for this project. 

Anniversary Weekend 2011 

The Coromandel Peninsula was hit by 

Cyclone Wilma which led to land slips, 

blocked roads, and minor overflows of 

wastewater and stormwater networks. 

It should be noted that issues 

experienced during the storm were 

solely within the town pipe network 

and due to inundation of stormwater 

into the wastewater system. 

The treatment process remained 

unaffected and the quality of water 

irrigated into the forest remained at 

the very high standard required by the 

Regional Council. 

Cyclone Wilma was classified as a onein-100-year 

rain event (300mm+ over 

24 hours). 

Town pipe networks are not typically 

designed to cater for such events 

as the construction cost would be 

unwarranted due to the infrequent 

occurrence of such events.


April marks the ninth annual 

ECHO (Enjoy Connecting Hills 

and Oceans) Walking Festival and 

all registered walkers in 2012 will 

enter a prize draw to win one of the 

following accommodation prizes: 

• Whiritoa 

• Tangiaro Kiwi Retreat 

• Aroha Mountain Lodge 

• Poets Corner Lodge 

• Pinnacles Hut OR Crosbies Hut 

• Katikati Bird Gardens 

More prizes on offer to be announced 

soon at www.echowalkfest.org.nz.


19 

Photo Competition 

Capture the essence of the ECHO Walking Festival!! 

The ECHO Walking Festival walks take 

you to some of the most beautiful and 

scenic spots in the Kaimai/Coromandel 

area. This year, organisers are offering a 

photo competition to all participants. 

2012 Walks 

Prizes on offer are: 

• 1st Prize - $100 Cash 

• 2nd prize - $50 Cash 

• 3rd Prize - $25 Cash 

Details at www.echowalkfest.org.nz 

Simplified grade guide 1 Most fitness levels, 3 Moderate fitness, 5 Very fit 

Date Walk Location Grade 

Tuesday 10 Following the Dreams of the Cornish Miners Paeroa 4 

Tuesday 10 Otanewainuku PuzzleSouth Kaimai 1-2 

Tuesday 10 Hellooooo Mr. Weta Thames 1 

Wednesday 11 Union Hill Moon Walk Waihi 2-3 

Wednesday 11 Dam those Kauri’s Katikati 2 

Thursday 12 “Falls for Dinner” Walk Paeroa 1 

Friday 13 Paeroa to Waitekauri Packhorse Track Paeroa 5 

Friday 13 Waihi Express Waihi 1 

Saturday 14 Be Sure of a Wet Surprise Katikati 1 

Saturday 14 Coromandel Coastal Walkway Whitianga 4 

Saturday 14 Into the Valley - Waiorongomai Discovery Te Aroha 5 

Sunday 15 She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain Paeroa 5 

Sunday 15 Conveyor Belt Boogie Waihi 3 

Monday 16 Te Aroha Glow Worms Te Aroha 2 

Monday 16 Cook’s Discovery Whitianga 2 

Tuesday 17 Broken Hills Whitianga 3 

Tuesday 17 Waiorongomai Rails and Trails Te Aroha 3 

Wednesday 18 Whitianganui a Kupe Whitianga 1-2 

Wednesday 18 The Adventures of Mt Eliza Katikati 4 

Thursday 19 Cathedral Cove Whitianga 4 

Thursday 19 Aongatete MysterySouth Kaimai 2-3 

Thursday 19 Wairere Falls to Te Tuhi Te Aroha 5 

Friday 20 Wentworth Valley Falls Whitianga 3 

Friday 20 Cookson Kauri Thames 2-3 

Friday 20 Dubbo to Dickie’s Flat Paeroa 3-4 

Saturday 21 Mining Days - Journey Back in Time Paeroa 2 

Saturday 21 Hot Springs Domain to Tui Mine - Return Te Aroha 4-5 

Saturday 21 Orokawa Bay to William Wright Falls Waihi 4 

Sunday 22 Magnificent Muriwai Thames 2-3 

Sunday 22 Tides Out & The Beach Has Gone To The Dogs Katikati 1

Protect plants and 

animals 

Remove rubbish 

Keep streams and 

lakes clean 

Camp carefully 

Keep to the track 

Consider others 

Respect our 

cultural heritage 

Toitu te whenua 

(leave the land 

undisturbed)


21 

Waste to halve 

Ambitious plan approved that aims to cut in half the 

waste going to landfill. 

On February 29 we adopted the Eastern 

Waikato Waste Management And 

Minimisation Plan — a joint plan of 

action to work with two other Councils 

in our area in reducing what ends up in 

landfill. 

The Eastern Waikato Waste 

Management and Minimisation Plan 

was developed in consultation with the 

community and science behind it. 

The result is a plan of action in which 

individuals and community groups can 

play a bigger part. 

A joint services contract for collections 

from July 2013 will be tendered later 

this year and will include individual 

goals and targets for each council. 

We believe we can save money and 

do more to reduce waste over the next 

10 years if we work together on other 

initiatives set out in this plan of action. 

The aim is to minimise waste that goes 

to landfill and maximise community 

benefit with re-use centres, food waste 

collections and commercial recycling 

collections. This will be staged over a 

10-year period that calculates down 

kilograms per household as we go. 

“It’s an ambitious plan and there’s 

some really good stuff in it,” says 

Operations Manager Greg Hampton. 

“We’ve set new waste volume targets 

for each household and per population 

which are based on targeting specific 

components of the waste stream. 

“The ultimate aim is to almost halve 

the waste going to landfill from our 

district by 2022. This aims to achieve a 

69% waste diversion rate.” 

We’ll continue to take the lead with 

specific initiatives in key services like 

kerbside collections, drop-off facilities 

and transfer station operations. 

Howver, individuals, businesses and 

community groups will also have 

important roles to play.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tcdc.govt.nz/ourcoromandel 

23 

Tourism going well 

on the Coromandel 

The Coromandel rose above the rest of New 

Zealand to take out New Zealanders’ favourite 

domestic holiday destination in 2011 while at the 

same time it emerged as your favourite holiday 

getaway destination for 2012. 

A Herald-DigiPoll survey found 22.2 per 

cent of those polled chose it as their 

favourite holiday location. 

The AA’s Summer Travel Survey also 

resulted with The Coromandel being 

the favourite destination. This poll 

was conducted through the Go-See- 

Discover monthly newsletter which has 

a subscriber base of over 94,000. 

Destination Coromandel’s CEO, Jim 

Archibald acknowledges “We’ve known 

for some time that The Coromandel is 

New Zealander’s Favourite domestic 

holiday getaway; it’s great to finally see 

it recognized via the polls. 

“Every year we have a large increase 

in domestic arrivals, especially from 

the neighbouring regions of Auckland, 

Waikato and Bay of Plenty, and while a 

large number are youth, each year we 

are seeing a larger increase in families. 

“The Coromandel is only a short 

drive from the likes of Auckland and 

Hamilton and yet when you’re here it 

feels a million miles away. 

“The region is an accessible and 

affordable destination which offers 

a variety of accommodation and 

recreational activities’. With a large 

percentage of absentee ratepayers the 

influx in visitors during the summer 

period is considerably large, but the 

region has the infrastructure to support 

it.” 

With the wet and inclement weather 

that the Coromandel endured over 

the Christmas New Year period, many 

activity providers have seen a decrease 

in numbers, however with the weather 

affecting most of New Zealand, it 

appears the majority of people have 

decided to tough it out and come on 

over regardless, meaning the majority 

of accommodation providers have 

managed to maintain bookings.   

For more information about the 

Coromandel, visit: 

www.thecoromandel.com


Road rule changes 

At 5am on Sunday 25 March 2012, two of the 

give way rules change. 

Change 1: The left turn versus 

right turn rule 

From 5am on 25 March 2012, this new 

rule will require all traffic turning right 

to give way to a vehicle coming from the 

opposite direction and turning left. 

This only applies at cross roads, 

T-intersections and driveways where: 

• both vehicles are facing each other 

with no signs or signals (neither 

vehicle is controlled) 

• both vehicles are facing give way 

signs 

• both vehicles are facing stop signs 

• both vehicles are facing green 

traffic signals 

Example facing no sign or signal: 

Change 2: At uncontrolled 

T-intersections (‘uncontrolled’ means 

when there are no signs or signals.) 

At an uncontrolled T-intersection, all 

traffic from a terminating road (bottom 

of the T) will have to give way to all 

traffic on a continuing road (top of 

the T). This will bring it into line with 

T-intersections where there are Stop or 

Give Way signs on the terminating road. 

This rule change will also apply to 

uncontrolled driveways, such as at a 

supermarket or hospital. From 5am on 

25 March 2012 the traffic exiting the 

driveway will need to give way to all 

traffic on the road. 

All vehicles entering or exiting a 

driveway must continue to give way to 

pedestrians on a footpath, or cyclists 

and pedestrians on a cycle path or 

shared path. Drivers should not pull 

out to block the footpath in front of 

pedestrians and cyclists.


25 

Rail Trail on track 

The construction of the cycleway is well underway 

and on target for completion by May 2012. 

Paeroa - 

Te Aroha 

The track 

construction 

is complete. 

All bridges 

(11) have been 

completed. 

Fencing is 

complete 

and the 

installation 

of the bike 

barriers, cattle 

deterrents, signs (road and track) and 

minor works should be completed by 2 

March 2012, allowing for the route to be 

opened shortly thereafter. 

Paeroa – Waikino 

The track construction is completed. The 

construction of the bridges and fencing 

was all that remained at the time of 

writing. 

Paeroa – Kopu 

Track construction 

has started. This is 

due for completion 

on 20 April (delays 

aside). The bridges 

are expected to be 

complete by the end 

of March. 

Kopu - Thames 

This section is still 

under consideration 

and should 

agreement on the consented route be 

reached by early March, it is believed 

that construction of the route can be 

completed by May 2012. 

If agreement is reached on the alternate 

route, then construction will be delayed. 

Works planned for March/April 

1. Completion of all bridges 

2. Completion of track construction 

3. Completion of all fencing 

4. Completion of installation of all 

crossings, cattle deterrents and 

bike slides. 

5. Installation of sign boards


March 2012


27 

NZ Book Month 

TCDC Libraries are celebrating NZ Book Month 

with author visits, NZ book-themed story times, 

displays and prizes. 

Visit Thames, Tairua or Mercury Bay 

library, pick up a book month prize card 

and to be in to win. 

Simply borrow four NZ books during 

the month of March, get your card 

stamped, and go in the draw to win a 

New Zealand book. 

There are prizes for children, teens and 

adults. 

District Libraries Co-ordinator Linda 

Hayfield believes New Zealand Book 

Month plays a vital role in teaching 

children and parents that books can be 

fun and engaging for all ages. 

“We are so pleased to be able to offer our 

communities the chance to enjoy stories 

directly from the authors. For children 

and adults to discover the magic of 

the written and spoken word connects 

them with a lifetime of possibilities. To 

have three writers in one month is very 

exciting and will cater to all ages from 

grandchildren to grandparents.” 

Booksellers NZ will also send every 

household a $5 book voucher to help 

encourage communities to get reading. 

The organiser of the nationwide event, 

Megan Dunn, said: “I hope the Thames- 

Coromandel community will join us in 

celebrating NZ Book Month and take 

this special time to bond with their 

families. We believe everyone should 

be able to experience the magic of the 

written word.” 

New Zealand Book Month is a non-profit 

initiative promoting books and reading 

– and as a result, literacy – in New 

Zealand. 

For more information please contact: 

Linda Hayfield on 07 868 6616.


Author visits 

We also have special guest authors visiting TCDC 

Libraries this month: 

• Children’s author Susan Brocker 

Susan’s books have been listed as 

Storylines Notable Young Adult 

Fiction and Non Fiction. Dreams 

of Warriors was also shortlisted 

for the 2011 LIANZA Esther Glen 

Award. 

• Picture book author Terri Baynton 

Terri is a scriptwriter and story-liner 

for children’s television, working 

with Weta Productions on ‘Jane 

and the Dragon’ and ‘The Wotwots’ 

alongside her father, Wotwots creator 

Martin Baynton. Terri lives in 

Waihi Beach. 

• Non-fiction author Julian Fitter 

A finalist in the Environment 

category of the 2009 Montana New 

Zealand Book Awards. His most 

recent work, Birds of New Zealand 

(2011), was written with Don 

Merton.) 

Book Launch at Thames Library 

Time Speaker by Ke-Yana Drake 

Murderer. Assassin. Cold-blooded killer. 

Jaola is the best in the business. Trapped 

between her duty to the Agency and her 

deep-seated desire to be free, Jaola turns 

fugitive. Fast-paced, with twists and 

turns, her battle to stay alive will keep 

you enthralled. 

Thames author Ke-Yana Drake has been 

writing for 20 years, mainly in the genres 

of science fiction and urban fantasy. 

Her work has been published in local 

and international print anthologies, 

and has featured on literary blogs and 

websites including international art and 

literature website deviantART. 

We are proud to have Ke-Yana launch 

her first print novel, Time Speaker, 

at Thames Library on Wednesday 28 

March, 5:30 pm.


29 

Borrow eBooks 

A whole new world of possibilities has opened up 

through our district libraries with the arrival of a 

great selection of e-books. 

The Oxford Dictionary of English 

defines the e-book as “an electronic 

version of a printed book,” but 

e-books do exist without any printed 

equivalent. E-books are usually read 

on dedicated e-book readers. Personal 

computers and some mobile phones 

can also be used to read e-books. 

Library users can download e-books 

using a log-in with their library card. 

The application will automatically 

download the book to the borrower’s 

device and make it available for them 

to read for a period of two weeks. 

It’s just another of the many great 

services offered by our libraries. 

“It will be a growing collection and 

we’ll be regularly adding material in 

e-book form as it’s available,” says 

Library Co-ordinator Linda Hayfield. 

It is worth noting that Kindle e-reader 

users will not be able to download 

free through libraries because these 

devices can only download purchased 

material through Amazon. 

Want to know more? 

To see our titles and learn more about 

eReader applications, here’s the 

website: 

http://coromandel.wheelers.co/ 

Or, you can ask one of our librarians 

to explain more. Feel free to give your 

nearestthames-Coromandel District 

Library a call: 

• Thames 07 868 6616 

• Tairua 07 864 7960 

• Whitianga 07 866 4776


ACC says pool best 

Thames Centennial Pool users can be assured the 

facility is being operated with great care after an 

independent audit gave staff flying colours under 

the national Safe Pools criteria. 

The audit —undertaken by ACC and the 

New Zealand Recreation Association— 

found operation of the facility in Mackay 

Street was the best out of 15 pools 

inspected from Rotorua to Coromandel. 

Included in the extensive inspection 

was supervision by lifeguards, normal 

operating procedures, ratios of staff to 

customers, emergency action plans, 

water quality, pool-alone criteria to 

ensure children are being monitored by 

caregivers, first aid and more. 

Pool Manager Paul Dufty says he was 

unsurprised at the level of knowledge 

held by staff. “It was a really good 

indication that we have a very broad and 

extensive knowledge between all six 

of our permanent staff and that all our 

training is paying off.” 

Learn to swim—get the kids signed up at 

the swim school. 

www.tcdc.govt.nz/swim


31 

Moana Anu Anu 

walkway ‘on track’ 

It’s hoped visitors will make the most of a walking 

experience taking in all the beauty and calm of 

the Whangamata Harbour following a big clean up 

behind the town’s industrial area. 

The first stage of the Te Ara O Te Wairoa 

(Moana Anu Anu Harbour) Walkway has 

gone out to tender and construction of 

signage and a walkway path will follow 

soon. 

The new section of walkway starts at 

Hetherington Reserve and continues 

along the water behind the town’s 

industrial area to an access way at 

Sharryn Place and Wattle Place. 

Much work has been done on the 

project in recent years despite funding 

being delayed, including liaising with 

businesses in the industrial area that 

had encroached on the land and were 

using it for stockpiles and storage. 

With the reserve land now cleared, it’s 

expected to be ready for visitors by next 

summer and is the first stage of a bigger 

proposal to link the town’s reserves with 

walkways along the serene waters of the 

Whangamata Harbour. 

There will be additional work at Moana 

Point Reserve which is well known and 

loved by locals and residents. 

Visitors are encouraged to use this 

publicly owned reserve land and look for 

new signage that will help to keep them 

on track.

32 www.tcdc.govt.nz/ourcoromandel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

For chirpy little updates about, well, everything 

from water shutdowns to events, follow us on 

Twitter at twitter.com/ourcoromandel. 

If you use a Twitter app instead, then 

we’re simply: @ourcoromandel. 

If you’re not a Twitter user and you’re 

not sure what to make of it all, you can 

go to the main Twitter website (when 

you’re next online, type twitter.com/ 

into your browser and go from there) 

and then type our Twitter address: 

ourcoromandel. 

You DON’T need to sign up. You 

can just type in any Twitter address 

and read whatever they’ve written 

(otherwise known as “tweeted.”) 

When you “tweet” you have a limit of 

140 characters, including spaces and 

full stops. So it’s nice and short. 

Did you know that during the huge 

Christchurch earthquakes on February 

2011, Twitter and radio were the two 

fastest ways for people inside and 

outside the disaster zones to get 

information. So, Twitter’s very handy. 

Follow us on Twitter 

http://twitter.com/ourcoromandel 

Of course, you may have seen us 

advertise another twitter address 

(tc_dc) and are wondering which is the 

right one. The answer is both, but for 

different reasons. 

tc_dc is our emergency Twitter channel. 

People have followed this on their 

mobiles so they get a text message of 

our tweets whenever we tweet about 

slips, road closures or major issues like 

that. 

However, each of those texts comes off 

their plan’s free text allowance so we 

only tweet on tc_dc when it’s extremely 

urgent or emergency information. 

For everything else, like events, Council 

decisions, water shuts and everything 

in between, we use ourcoromandel. 

Oh, and you can also see our latest 

tweets right on our website homepage!


33 

If an Emergency hits, 

listen to your local 

radio station. 

We’ll make sure they get all the updates as they come to hand. 

We’ll also tweet on our emergency Twitter channel - follow @tc_dc


MB Sports Park 

Mercury Bay Sports Park — the exciting new 

sporting facility funded by the local community — 

is taking shape in Whitianga. 

The Complex is a major achievement for 

the Whitianga community and features 

five playing fields built to international 

rugby size for rugby, rugby league and 

soccer, five marked asphalt netball 

courts, three asphalt tennis courts, car 

parking for 220 vehicles and five buses, 

a children’s playground, a picnic area, 

landscaped grounds, public toilets and 

a changing facility for 100 women and 

100 men. 

We’ve used reserve contributions earned 

through subdivision over the years 

within the Mercury Bay area to fund the 

development of the playing surfaces, 

car parks, roading and basic toilet and 

changing facilities. 

The total budget for the development 

approved by the Council is $5.2 million 

made up of $3 million land development, 

$2.2 million roading and fields and 

$800,000 for the changing facility with 

showers and toilets. 

The development of the sports fields is 

the first stage of a bigger vision for the 

complex with concept plans prepared by 

the Council for a proposed grandstand 

above the changing facility including 

corporate boxes and seating for 900 

people, and an indoor sports facility 

featuring more courts, a weights gym, 

a café and reception area and second 

level club rooms — all of which would be 

funded externally and not from rates. 

The Mercury Bay Community Board 

is working with representatives of 

different sporting groups to establish a 

Sportsville organisation to coordinate 

management of the facility on behalf of 

all codes and to oversee future stages 

using money raised through grants and 

other non-ratepayer fundraising sources. 

It’s expected that management of the 

facility will need a dedicated role and 

external funding is being investigated 

for this too. 

One of the many positive spin-offs from 

the project is the use of highly treated 

wastewater from the new Whitianga 

wastewater treatment plant to irrigate 

the sports fields when water is needed, 

making the complex an eco-friendly 

asset to Whitianga’s committed sportloving 

community. 

Project Manager Gordon Reynolds says 

the netball courts are expected to be 

open for winter and it will be ready for 

touch rugby and cricket this summer 

and the first game of rugby at the start of 

the 2013 season.


35 

The hands that 

moulded Pauanui 

Pauanui residents and supporters are being 

invited to contribute to a community “Thank 

You” to the Hopper brothers for their work in 

creating the unique township of Pauanui. 

The hands that moulded Pauanui is a 

community-driven tribute to a family 

of brothers unique in their thinking 

and with the skill to bring a grand idea 

to completion. The Hopper brothers 

– Tony, Ian, Bill (deceased) and Guy 

along with Frank Easdale and the team 

– developed Pauanui in 1967. 

Hand impressions of Tony, Ian and Guy, 

together with those of Frank Easdale (at 

the request of the Hoppers) have been 

cast in bronze and enhanced by special 

features relevant to each of them. The 

four bronze plaques will be displayed 

on a pedestal built of schist and will 

stand in the Shopping Centre precinct. 

The “Vision Pauanui” Community Plan 

of 2005 states: “It is the wish of the 

Pauanui community to acknowledge 

Hands sculpted by Nathan Whitehead 

in an appropriate way the outstanding 

vision of the Hopper brothers in 

developing the original concept of 

Pauanui.” 

A small group of property owners 

has under-written this concept and 

the progress to date. It will be funded 

by donation and the expected cost is 

$50,000. 

If you would like to make a donation 

toward the project a voucher is available 

from the Pauanui Information Centre, or 

you can send a cheque to: 

Pauanui Community Office 

Hands Account, 

PO Box 89, Pauanui 3546 

Or, you can make a donation via online 

banking: 03 0458 0161367 01 including 

your name.


Celebrate them! 

Nominate for our community service award 

Many of us know someone who is often 

busy helping others and who is always 

there when volunteers are needed. 

These people make a huge contribution 

to our district and they do so willingly 

and without question of financial 

reward. They often slip under the 

radar when it comes to giving thanks 

however and now you have the 

opportunity to celebrate them and their 

special contribution. 

The Thames-Coromandel District 

Community Service Awards are held 

every two years and nominations are 

open until 13 April 2012. 

There are a maximum of three 

Community Service awards given out 

every two years. Nominations will 

be kept confidential and we can help 

if you’re not sure what’s involved in 

filling in the nomination form or if you 

have any questions about eligibility. 

A special committee of council will be 

convened to consider all nominations 

received and the award recipient 

or recipients will be presented with 

their award at a full council meeting 

during the month when we also mark 

volunteer awareness week, in June. 

The Thames-Coromandel District 

Community Services Award is for those 

in our community who volunteer and 

as such the nomination should not 

be for work in which they have been 

rewarded by the payment of wages for 

services rendered. 

The awards are open to any individual 

who has been making a difference to 

our district and they can be of any age. 

Nominate someone you think deserves 

recognition. 

Visit our website to find out more. 

Other awards 

Volunteering Waikato 

Each year to recognise the efforts 

of Volunteers within the region 

Volunteering Waikato organise and 

host the Volunteer Excellence Awards. 

Volunteering Waikato’s Volunteer 

Excellence Awards are a wonderful 

opportunity for the community to come 

together to recognise the contribution 

and achievements of outstanding 

volunteers. 

Your organisation can nominate 

individual volunteers, including 

separate categories for youth 

volunteers and volunteer teams. 

Any community organisation in the 

region can nominate - you don’t need 

to be a Volunteering Waikato member.


37 

Council iPad app 

While most of us were trying to have a summer 

vacation, one young student was cloistered away 

in our Communications department. 

Last November, Thames High School 

student Tunisia Napia wrote to 

the Communications Department 

requesting work as a summer intern. 

With her application, she sent copies of 

previous video production, media and 

design skills. 

Communications Manager, Ben Day, 

said the team was 

very impressed. 

“Tunisia’s work was 

of an extraordinary 

standard so we 

invited her to work 

on a video project 

over the period 

between Christmas 

and New Year. The 

end result was a 

short You-Tubeready 

clip of a day in the life of an 

on-call building inspector. 

“Tunisia did an excellent job and we 

were thrilled with the result.” 

Tunisia was then asked to build the 

initial templates for an upcoming 

series of short “How To” videos for our 

newly redesigned website. 

The series, due to appear this 

season, required her to use various 

professional software packages such as 

Photoshop, Keynote and more, and will 

show how to make a noise complaint, 

how to speak in Public forum and 

many more helpful clips. 

Now back at high school for her final 

year, Tunisia is adding to her already 

highly-employable 

skill-base by 

learning to develop 

applications for 

mobile devices 

running IOS and 

Android. 

For her class 

project, she will 

work with our 

Communications 

and IT teams to make a Council News 

app for iPad, iPhone and Android OS 

tablets and smartphones. 

Keep an eye out for an upcoming 

eNewsletter with questions you can 

answer so that Tunisia can develop an 

app that gives you what you want the 

way you want it.


Flush 

your taps 

The Ministry of Health 

reminds all of us to flush a 

mug of drinking water 

from our taps 

every morning. 

This removes any metals 

that may have dissolved 

from the plumbing fittings 

overnight. 

Some plumbing fittings have 

the potential to allow minute 

traces of metal to accumulate in 

water standing in the fittings for 

several hours. 

The Ministry recommends 

this simple precaution for all 

households in New Zealand, 

including those on public 

and private water 

supplies.


39 

Meeting calendar 

Council and Community Board Meetings in 

March, April and May: 

March 

• 15 District Plan Review Committee 

• 20 Service Delivery and Policy and Planning Committees 

• 26 Coromandel-Colville and Tairua-Pauanui Community Boards 

• 27 Thames and Mercury Bay Community Boards 

• 28 Citizenship Ceremony 

• 29 Judicial Committee and Whangamata Community Board 

April 

• 18 Council 

• 23 Audit Committee 

• 24 Service Delivery Committee 

• 26 Judicial Committee 

• 30 Coromandel-Colville and Tairua-Pauanui Community Boards 

May 

• 1 Thames and Mercury Bay Community Boards 

• 3 Whangamata Community Board 

• 7-18 Ten Year Plan Hearings 

• 23 Council 

• 29-30 District Plan Review Committee 

• 31 Judicial Committee

Rubbish and 

Recycling 

Your guide to autumn collections 

Collection days are as follows except when a public 

holiday falls on a Monday.* 

Whangamata 

Onemana/ Opoutere 

Pauanui 

Mercury Bay South 

Tairua 

Whitianga 

Mercury Bay North 

Coromandel Rural North 

Coromandel Town 

Manaia, Thames Coast 


Thames Rural South 

Monday 

Monday 

Monday 

Monday 

Tuesday 

Tuesday 

Tuesday 

Tuesday 

Wednesday 

Wednesday 

Wednesday 

Wednesday 

Please put your 

official blue bags and 

green recycling bins 

out by 7:30 AM on 

your collection days. 

Collections on the week 

starting Monday 30 

January will be one day 

later due to the Auckland 

Anniversary public 

holiday on Monday 30 

January. 

* When a public holiday falls on a Monday, collections will be a day 

later for that week. This autumn, this applies on the week after Easter 

(the week starting Monday 9 April 2012). That week, collections will 

be as follows: 

Whangamata, Onemana/Opoutere, Pauanui and Mercury Bay South 

Tairua, Whitianga, Mercury Bay North and Coromandel Rural North 

All Coromandel areas, Manaia and all Thames areas 

Tuesday 10 April 

Wednesday 11 April 

Thursday 12 April 

Please fold flat and bundle all cardboard, put recycing in the official green bins and use the official 

blue bags for rubbish. All recycling and rubbish is to be out ready from 7:30 AM on collection day. 

If you miss your collection, remember that our refuse transfer stations take official blue bags FREE.

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