Hamilton City Council has been given an internationally recognised credit rating of AA- by Fitch Ratings, one of the top three credit rating agencies in the world. Council has sought the credit rating to enable access to more competitive borrowing rates and to give greater flexibility when raising loans, including having potentially cheaper sources of loan funding available. Fitch Ratings is one... more...

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock has come out in support of local government amalgamation, but not the model proposed by former Mayor Margaret Evans. Mayor Simcock says it makes sense to think about amalgamation of councils where there is a real sense of shared interest between the effected communities. Forcing an amalgamation of communities that do not have that sense of common purpose will only end ... more...

Nominations are now open for Hamilton's Recognyz Youth Awards '09. The annual awards, which were first held in 2003, are open to all young people aged 12-24 who reside in Hamilton. Awesome musicians, talented artists, ideas people, great leaders, strong role models and members of fantastic groups – every day there are young people throughout the city doing special things that set them apart from ... more...

Results from Hamilton City Council's most recent Residents Survey show that 85% of city residents think a Hamilton to Auckland Passenger Rail Service would be a good idea with over 43% stating that they would use services if they were restarted. The survey which is carried out quarterly and benchmarks residents' satisfaction levels, recently included a question which asked residents if they... more...

Hamilton City Council is concerned that a proposed law change which would see heavier vehicles allowed on Hamilton roads without a permit could compromise road safety, causing more accidents and more damage to roads in what is already, per capita, New Zealand's most trafficked region. Hamilton City Council is preparing a submission against the proposed Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and M... more...

New Zealand's first pair of endangered fishing cats has taken up residence at Hamilton Zoo. Six-year-old male Besar and 10-year-old female Imphal arrived at Hamilton Zoo last Thursday [16 July] from Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Besar (which means 'Big' in Malay) was born in Singapore Zoo on 17 September 2002 before moving to Taronga Zoo in July 2005, while Imphal (which is also the name of an Indian ci... more...

    Lifeline Waikato were today announced as the second-ever recipient of the Community Media Grant. It is an apt decision which continues the Community Media Grant's year-one tradition of helping helpers and bridging the marketing and promotional funds gap in the not-for-profit sector by providing $15,000 worth of campaign planning, graphic design, advertising and editor... more...

Hamilton's newest piece of public art will be unveiled next Tuesday 21 July. Passing Red is a dynamic and interactive work by nationally-acclaimed, local artist Gaye Jurisich which sits along the full length of the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercars pit lane on Mill Street as part of the Landscape Mitigation Plan. The work was chosen from a number of high calibre proposals last year by Hamilton City Counc... more...

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock says he is asking Council staff to withdraw infringement notices issued to people who occupied roofs in an unsafe manner during the V8 supercar event in the city this year. Mayor Simcock says there is no question that the people perching on roofs, which were never intended to be used in that way when constructed, is an illegal and unsafe activity under the Building Act.... more...

Hamilton City Council welcomes another great mind to the city on Thursday 9 July. World-renowned city development specialist David Engwicht will be the third speaker in Council's free public series Shaping Hamilton. Strategy and research unit manager Tegan McIntyre says, "Pru Sanderson, Phil Jones, Jaime Lerner and David Engwicht – these specialists are world renowned in the art of creative probl... more...

Foster Construction Ltd has been awarded the main contract for construction of Claudelands Arena. The contract was approved at a Hamilton City Council Contracts Sub-committee meeting on 30 June for the provisional contract sum of $36,874,565 plus GST, with the scope of work including construction of the arena and entry plaza, and supply and installation of the seating system and kitchen equipment... more...

Hamilton Zoo has welcomed a new addition to its zebra herd, with the recent birth of a female foal. The Plains Zebra foal was born on 16 June to mother Mimi, who was born at Hamilton Zoo in 1992, and father Bwana, who was transferred to the facility from Adelaide Zoo in 2004. Hamilton Zoo Director Stephen Standley said while zebra births are not uncommon at the zoo, the facility had experienced ... more...

Hamilton City Council is urging Hamiltonians to do their bit to help the city to 'Breathe Easy' following the announcement that Hamilton has exceeded the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality (NESAQ) for the month of June. NESAQ sets a standard of no more than one occurrence per 24 hour period of particulate matter (PM10) at a concentration greater than 50µg/m3. PM10 is very small parti... more...

A siamang couple will live out their retirement years at Hamilton Zoo, after relocating to the facility from Auckland Zoo today. Thirty-year-old Iuri and 25-year-old Itam have resided at Auckland Zoo since the late 1980s and during this time have reared six offspring – many of whom now reside at other zoos throughout Australasia. Now retired from breeding and on contraception, Iuri and Itam's mo... more...