Hamilton has won the Creative New Zealand Arts Provision: City and Regional Councils Award 2005. The award was presented earlier today [Tuesday, 26 July] at the Local Government New Zealand Conference in Christchurch. Hamilton mayor Michael Redman accepted the award on behalf of Hamilton city. Hamilton won the award on the strength of the city's art policy development which has led to the rece... more...

A major construction project began this Monday [25 July] on the new commuter car-parking building in Knox Street. The five-level commuter car-parking building will provide approximately 480 car-parks at an opening rate of $4 for all-day parking. Around 8,300 tonnes of concrete will be used in the car-parking building. The entire structure above-ground will be constructed using pre-cast concr... more...

School's back in on Monday [25 July] highlighting another dimension to Council's road safety initiatives within the community and implementation of Access Hamilton. Council's road safety co-ordinator Denise Cole says children are particularly susceptible to accidents so a positive road safety culture plus shared ownership and awareness of road safety issues are essential. "Returning to schoo... more...

18 July 2005For Immediate ReleaseThis year's independent survey of Hamilton residents commissioned by Hamilton City Council shows the highest ever satisfaction levels, across a range of areas, in the 14 years that the survey has been conducted.The biggest satisfaction increase has been with the elected members of Council that has increased by nearly 17 points to a satisfaction score of 74.Sati... more...

Hamilton householders have the opportunity to win an insulation retrofit of their home as part of the energy efficiency campaign which runs from Monday, 18 July 'til Friday, 22 July. Council's sustainable environment team, in collaboration with the Huntly Energy Efficiency Trust, is running the two-week promotion. From Monday, 18 July 'til Friday, 22 July, an interactive display will be set up ... more...

More Hamiltonians are using bicycles as a mode of transport than for many years, according to Council's recent annual cycle survey. The number of cyclists entering the CBD has increased by 30% to 392 compared to 300 in 2004. Similarly, the number of cyclists in selected suburban sites has increased by 44%, reaching 1062 compared to the previous four year average of 735. The cycle survey is ... more...

Hamilton's strong Irish community will be celebrated in the Being Irish exhibition that opens at the Waikato Museum this Saturday [16 July]. The lives and experiences of some of Hamilton's first Irish families are captured through moving image, recorded stories and objects provided by family descendants. While examining the history of Irish influence in Hamilton, the exhibition also raises the... more...

Council has tallied visitor numbers to Council swimming facilities for the 2004/05 financial year and the numbers add up to strong growth. Patronage at the pools continues its steady increase. At Waterworld, visitor numbers are up at 535,560 for 2004/05 from 528,884 for 2003/04 meaning a total increase of 6720 visitors. Gallagher Aquatic Centre has experienced particularly strong visitor grow... more...

Drinking alcohol in public places within Hamilton's CBD will soon be illegal 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From 1 August 2005, a new 24/7 ban comes into force as an extension of the current central city liquor bylaw. The bylaw was originally introduced in October 2003 to assist the police in dealing with alcohol-related problems in the city. Now the bylaw has been extended so the ban is c... more...

A special committee formed to investigate locations for a proposed youth justice residence in Hamilton has identified a site to recommend to the Minister of Justice for consideration. Te Hurihanga Residence Site Selection Steering Committee met again today [13 July] and agreed upon an alternative site for recommendation to the Minister of Justice.The Minister of Justice has allowed the co... more...

Hamilton City Council has decided to enter into a joint venture partnership to develop an area of surplus land at Horseshoe Lake. At a full meeting of Council last night, Council made its decision to subdivide, for residential purposes, an area (approximately 4.9ha) which lies on the perimeter of the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park. The decision to subdivide the land follows intensive inves... more...

The Knox Street car-park will close on Monday, 25 July so work can begin on the new commuter car-parking building being constructed on that site. The new Knox Street commuter car-parking building, that will provide approximately 480 new car-parks, is due to open in January 2006. The project is closely aligned with Council's Access Hamilton strategy which aims to provide a balanced transportat... more...

Hamilton Zoo's visitor numbers for the 2004/05 financial year show there are more of us going to the zoo than ever before. The total number of visits made to Hamilton Zoo this year was 121,721. This number significantly exceeds previous annual totals and marks a substantial increase from the next highest annual tally which was 111,162 in 2001/02. Educational visitor numbers have consistently ... more...

Hamilton Zoo's visitor numbers for the 2004/05 financial year show there are more of us going to the zoo than ever before.The total number of visits made to Hamilton Zoo this year was 121,721. This number significantly exceeds previous annual totals and marks a substantial increase from the next highest annual tally which was 111,162 in 2001/02.Educational visitor numbers have consistently incre... more...

Hamilton City Council has responded cautiously to Transit New Zealand's announcement of its 10 year funding priorities for roading. Mayor Michael Redman says while it is encouraging to see a number of projects in this area still ear-marked for design and future construction, the reality is that the Hamilton area remains worse-off now in terms of road construction than was indicated in Transit's... more...