Waikato Business News April/May 2019

CAMBRIDGE
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2019
Making connections
Our cover photo for this issue was
taken by Cambridge architect Antanas
Procuta some 20 years ago when
he realised it was possible to capture the
town’s iconic clock tower and Maungatautari
in a single image. Connecting the two
landmarks was about acknowledging the
Māori origins of the area. “There are things
that are Māori that we aren’t recognising as
well as we ought to. And the Waikato River
flows right through Cambridge. When I
lived in Cambridge in England, I pictured
in my mind you could photograph the town
clock and Maungatautari, a pou whenua,”
he says. “I’m positive that in time there
will be a change.” His firm, PAUA Architects,
is designing the museum upgrade
in Cambridge, which will stand alongside
the old courthouse at the south end of the
CBD, and more than double the size of
the museum and its display, workshop and
storage spaces. “That’s the opportunity to
reflect the Māori history of Cambridge as
well as that of the early settlers.”
17
that really strong definition
between what is urban and
what is rural. It’s almost like
a palisade but actually it’s just
between two different activities.
That green belt constraint
I think made Cambridge fantastic.”
His concern is that current
planning lacks the sense
of a new green belt, a new
boundary.
“There’s no indication
there will be a limit somewhere.
And that is the challenge.”
When it comes to future
growth cells, each one needs
to have its own identity, a
sense of community centre,
rather than just growing as an
accretion of the town, he says.
Growing pains aside, for
now Cambridge is whirring
along nicely. Procuta says that
has been helped by a council
decision to invest in the centre.
“When I came back to
Cambridge [from the UK] in
1994 there were empty shops
and people were worried about
the future of Cambridge. Now
there are no empty shops and
people are looking for more
space. But the Waipā District
Council did invest in streetscaping
and after that the building
owners started spending
more money and the shops got
more confident.”
The main street boasts a
mix of boutique stores, eateries
and antiques among other
retailers. Cambridge Chamber
of Commerce chief executive
Kelly Bouzaid says some of
the food trailers around town
are a story in their own right.
That includes Hanoi Boy and
Smoke Collective, the latter
proving so successful it is
opening an outlet in Carter’s
Flat.
“It's all part of the ambience,”
Bouzaid says.
Meanwhile, Destination
Cambridge chief executive
Miff Macdiarmid highlights
Homebrew Coffee and Ivy
Florist at the south end of Victoria
Street.
“That's quite fun because
retail is creeping a bit further
out, and nice funky retail,” she
says.
The variety is appealing,
and shows no sign of abating.
“It has that village feel, it's
got a lot of energy and there's
a real cool factor sneaking in,”
Bouzaid says.
She says there are some
“very cool” businesses operating
in Cambridge, with a
number of international businesses
also looking to base
themselves there. “There's a
great appeal from a location,
safety and a lifestyle point of
view.”
Insurance broker David
Cooney, who has an office
close to the town centre,
points out the IT industry has
a developing presence. “Some
of these smaller businesses
are establishing themselves
on the world stage.
“Out of that comes a stable
workforce. A lot of people in
the town actually work here.”
Coles also sells lifestyle
real estate and says he gets
a cross section of buyers,
including overseas.”They see
Cambridge as a great central
spot, close to Hamilton and
Auckland and to the beaches
on the east and west coast, the
lakes in Rotorua, Taupo. And
then the mountains aren't far
away, plus a university and
good hospital nearby. It ticks
a lot of boxes.”
The town is also becoming
a visitor destination, bringing
day trippers from Auckland to
stores that would be equally
at home in Parnell. Even with
the expressway bypassing
the town, the streets quickly
fill up and parking is one of
the town’s challenges, often
remarked on.
It’s a delicate business,
given how deeply embedded
is the rural tradition of, as
Bouzaid puts it, going to the
bank and being able to park
right outside.
The solution may partly
come back to making it more
obvious there is parking
behind the main street, and
also from enforcement of
time limits, with employees
playing their part by parking
further away. The feasibility
of carpark buildings is being
looked into.
Bouzaid points to the need
for an improved bus service
within and between Cambridge
and Leamington, as
does Procuta.
And there is talk about
Continued on page 18
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