Waikato mayors are planning a co-ordinated response to the tsunami disaster in Asia in an effort to make the most of the relief contributions by the local community. The local response will be discussed at a meeting with Waikato ethnic communities who have strong ties into the disaster areas. The meeting is being held in Hamilton on Sunday. Hamilton mayor Michael Redman says the co-ordinated ... more...

Friday 24 December 2004 For Immediate ReleaseNecessary bridge surface maintenance will be undertaken on the Massey Street Rail Overbridge and Palmerston Street bridge over Cobham Drive during this summer break. The work has been scheduled for when there is traditionally low traffic volumes to minimise the level of inconvenience to motorists.Closure of the West Bound Lane on the Massey Street Rai... more...

Development of creative centre at The Meteor site being considered24 December 2004For Immediate Release The first steps have been taken towards creating a plan for the future use of The Meteor theatre site as a potential creative industries innovation centre.A group of organisations representing a cross section of the creative industries in the region have come together as a means of generatin... more...

Before the dawn of bikinis and board shorts, what did we wear to the beach? Find out at the Waikato Museum where in the foyer you will find the 'Moppets and Mermaids - Swimwear in the 1950s' exhibition. The timely summer exhibition steps back into the summers of yesteryear when bright floral bathing caps were all the rage and rouched cotton swimsuits had removable straps to ensure an even tan. ... more...

Wednesday, 15 December 2004 Council and Environment Waikato working in conjunction with Transit New Zealand, have commissioned a study of alternatives to travelling by car in Hamilton.The study - known as HARTS (Hamilton Alternative to Roading Transportation Study) - will get underway in the New Year and will be undertaken by Opus International Consultants.Council transport committee chair Dave ... more...

At the fourth and final citizenship ceremony held tonight [Monday, 13 December 2004] at Founders Memorial Theatre, Hamilton will welcome 120 new citizens bringing the total number of new citizens for 2004 to 720. The ceremony will be held at Founders Theatre tonight at 7pm. The new citizens that have been welcomed to our country and our city this year come from a wide range of ethnic backgro... more...

A live wood carving performance by acclaimed carver Edwin Barham will be a highlight at the Waikato Museum summer programme which started on Saturday, 11 December 2004. Edwin will be supported by his cousin Kurt Barham and his 11 year old son Tyler Barham. Together they can be observed carving pieces that will eventually be used by the museum education team for special classes with school group... more...

Each year near Council's birthday, the Civic Awards ceremony is held to honour some of those individuals who have contributed to making our city a better place to live. The Civic Awards were held for the first time in 1991. This year, 14 finalists received awards in one or more of the six categories being: Art and Culture; Education; Environment; Human Rights; People and Well-being; and Sport. ... more...

Waikato Museum will be presented with a special quilt by the Friends of the Museum Society tonight [Thursday, 9 December 2004]. The anniversary function held at the museum will mark 30 years of support given by the Friends' society. The presentation of the quilt recognises this long-standing relationship. It also continues the tradition of a substantial amount of artwork being gifted by the Fri... more...

Winners of the Hamilton Civic Trust Awards have been released ahead of the official ceremony on Wednesday, 8 December 2004 at 2pm in the Council Chambers.The awards recognise those who have made a positive contribution to the environment of Hamilton so all citizens can enjoy a better quality of life.Trust president Maurice Boswell says the awards began in 1974 and are an expression of the Civic ... more...

He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake - especially on Sunday, 12 December because Santa Claus is coming to town for the Christmas Parade. Christmas has come early for Santa as he will be travelling in a brand new santa float. Complete with reindeer and a ready supply of lollies, Santa will be delivering presents and Christmas wishes in style. Santa has plenty of... more...

Contract approved by Council for Water Treatment Station Upgrade8 December 2004For Immediate ReleaseHamilton City Council today approved a $16.1 million contract for the upgrade of the city's Water Treatment Station.Work will begin on the upgrade project in January next year and is expected to be completed in July 2006.The work is being undertaken to ensure that Council continues to maintain a... more...

Calling all six-12 year olds with a sense of fun and adventure - Hamilton City Libraries summer reading programme starts today [6 December 2004] and you are invited to slither into the libraries' Snakes and Ladders Challenge during the summer holidays. The Snakes and Ladders Challenge will run from 6 December 2004 to 16 January 2005. It is a reading and research programme aimed at encouraging c... more...

The Waikato region's new emergency management operations centre will be officially opened on Friday, 10 December 2004. The centre is a dedicated facility situated at Duke Street, from where Civil Defence emergencies throughout the region will be coordinated.The mayors, councillors and chief executives from the 11 local authorities in the Waikato region along with local government staff, Ministry... more...

They've been Hamilton residents for only two months but Hamilton Zoo's six chimps have already made a difference to the zoo's visitor numbers.The number of visits made to Hamilton Zoo since the chimps' arrival has increased significantly.Visitor numbers for November are the highest ever achieved for this month, reaching 10,860, a 20% increase from the previous year.In addition, zoo visits by edu... more...

2 December 2004A new environmentally friendly electricity facility is being opened and commissioned in Hamilton [Friday, 3 December 2004]. It will generate enough electricity to power 1000 homes and will save Council thousands of dollars.The project is a partnership between Council and local company WEL Green Energy (a joint venture between Wel Networks and Green Energy). A 920kW gas engine has ... more...

Winner of the Mitre 10 Gnome Place Like Home award at the Keep Hamilton Beautiful Garden competition, Dorothy Miller is donating half her $1000 prize to charity. Ms Miller won $1000 worth of Mitre 10 prizes and she is donating half to the Waimarie Community House. The community house has a permiculture garden and relys on volunteer work and donation of tools to maintain this. Environmental pro... more...

Last night [Tuesday, 30 November] keen gardeners from across Hamilton gathered at Hamilton Gardens Victorian Greenhouse to celebrate the 2004 Keep Hamilton Beautiful Garden competition.Council provided sponsorship for the event which was led by Jenny-May Coffin and Councillor Glenda Saunders showed her interest in 'green fingered' endeavours by attending the competition along with the ma... more...