Last night Council strongly supported erecting a statue depicting a character from the internationally renowned Rocky Horror Picture Show on the site of Hamilton's former Embassy Theatre, to recognise the show's birthplace. The show's creator Richard O'Brien, a former Hamiltonian, developed the idea of Rocky Horror while living and working in Hamilton and attending movies at the now demolishe... more...

Waikato Stadium is preparing to once more prove its versatility as an events venue with two very diverse events booked in March. Stadiums management board chair Peter Bos says Impact World Tour and the New Zealand Marching Championships are expected to bring a new look and feel to the stadium. "We're excited to have a new focus for the stadium over the next three weeks as Impact World Tour a... more...

Hamilton Lake's walkway opening party has confirmed its acts, which are sure to provide great entertainment for the whole family on 29 February. North Waikato Re-enactment Group is all set to let lose at the lakeside, with its interpretation of Viking-era battles - a must see for everyone. Throughout the day, the Fun Bus will be entertaining the kids with face painting, crafts and will run sc... more...

Council is advising people to avoid large trees, or trees that have been damaged in the storm as continued stormy weather and high winds could cause further damage. Parks and gardens manager Bill Featherstone says a number of factors have put large trees particularly at risk of damage or falling over.A full summer canopy becoming heavy with rain and trying to stand in saturated so... more...

Council's Strategic Planning and Policy Coordination Committee will on Monday hear 48 submitters to Hamilton City's Proposed Gambling Venue Policies. A total of 78 submissions were received on the proposed policies that address only non-casino gambling machines and standalone TABs. Most submissions concentrated on the proposed class 4 gambling venue policy, which aims to control the growth o... more...

Hamilton Zoo is celebrating the arrival of another male baby rhino, after second-time mum Caballe gave birth last night. Administration manager Jill Prew says while they had a suspicion Caballe was pregnant again, it was a delightful surprise to see the baby rhino this morning. "We have been keeping an eye on Caballe for a few days now, but really there is no set timeframe for this type of event... more...

Hamilton City Council will hold a 'Dog Day Afternoon' on Saturday 6 March following on from last year's successful event for the promotion of responsible dog ownership in the city. Dog owners and anyone else interested in dogs are being invited to Innes Common by Hamilton Lake at 1pm to learn, share and to show support for good dog control. The first such event was held last year prompted by... more...

Two scheduled resurfacing jobs over the next few days are expected to cause traffic delays. Te Rapa Road (from Vercoe-Vardon Road): preparation works are under way resulting in a rough surface and the resurfacing is programmed for Saturday and Sunday. At least one traffic lane will be open in each direction at all times but delays are still expected while the work is being carried out. Ulste... more...

Hamilton City Council is proposing a rate increase to existing ratepayers of 1.3 per cent in the coming financial year. A special meeting of Council [Wednesday11 February] recommended a total rate of $72.8 million as part of the draft annual budget for the financial year 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005. Council met for two days discussing the Draft Council Community Plan and Budgets. The majori... more...

All Hamilton City Council Sports Fields will be closed today due to waterlogged condition.... more...

A major celebration event is planned to open the Hamilton Lake Walkway on 29 February, and everyone's invited. Social and community committee chair Pippa Mahood says the celebration day is about enjoying what the lake offers as a recreational facility, particularly with the addition of a beautiful walkway. "A project this significant affects the whole city, and it's really important that we ... more...

Waikato Museum of Art and History is showing steadily increasing visitor numbers over the last quarter after a huge effort last year to bring greater community focus to its programmes. Museum director Kate Vusoniwailala is pleased with the positive movement, but says there's plenty of work yet to be done. "It's great to see our work on the public programmes, and building strongly regional ex... more...

Animal care and control officers accompanied by a police constable removed 16 dogs from a Massey Street address today. It is now known that up to 29 dogs have been resident at the address and that they were being bred for fighting. Only two were registered. Earlier in the day an animal care and control officer accompanied the SPCA, which removed two dogs from the same address under the power... more...

All Hamilton City Council Sports Fields will be closed today due to waterlogged condition.... more...

Waikato Stadium's seats are sold out for the pre-season clash between the Vodafone Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons, with only the Greenzone left to fill. Stadiums manager Mark Christie says this is a wonderful showing of support for the Vodafone Warriors and for the stadium's bid to see the team back here in the future. "I am delighted with the region's response to the Vodafone Warr... more...

Waikato Museum features the Waikato's main public map collections in a new exhibition, Putting Waikato on the Map (9 February-30 May). Museum librarian Kathryn Mercer says Putting Waikato on the Map explores diverse map styles and discusses their potential uses including as a means of understanding our past. "Maps combine art and science, expressing the interests and culture of their time. T... more...

Waikato Museum is revisiting its most popular home-grown Exscite exhibition Out of the Toybox from 7 February-25 April. Out of the Toybox - Back by Popular Demand is a vamped-up edition of the hugely popular exhibition, and comes complete with an all-new science show run by the staff. Exhibitions managers Gary Collins says staff have added some refinements to take the exhibition to the next ... more...

Hamilton City Libraries is using the coming Edgefest concert to encourage musically minded young people to take advantage of its CD collection. Libraries director Faye Clark says the libraries has secured a box seat at the concert as a prize for young people who make use of the libraries. "Our research shows high school-aged young people tend to drift away from the libraries until they r... more...

Two of Hamilton Zoo's animals star in New Zealand Post's latest stamp issue, which highlights endangered animals and the role New Zealand zoos play in their long-term protection. Shy red panda Laotzy and sociable ring-tailed lemur Dominique from Hamilton Zoo are two of the five animals in the New Zealand Zoo Animals stamp issue, released in conjunction with The Year of the Monkey. Administration... more...