From Monday [30 September] parking pay and display ticket machines will be operational at the car parks of Founders Memorial Theatre, The Meteor, and the museum. Roads and traffic manager Cliff Boyt says the car parks were provided for the users of the leisure facilities, however, because of their locations and lack of time controls, they have tended to be used for general and commuter parking. ... more...

Hamilton Zoo has had to put down a long-serving and rare attraction, the Asiatic Golden cat, Charles. Team leader mammals Mark Bryant says the cat had protracted kidney problems and developed major liver cancer so it was a mercy to put it to sleep. "Charles was about 17 years old, which is very old so when the vet examined him last week and found a large lump in his liver, we decided it was a me... more...

Guitarist, improviser and composer Greg Malcolm is stopping at the Waikato Museum of Art and History during his national tour, Homesick for Nowhere, promoting his latest album of the same name. Education services team leader Kirsty Glengarry says Greg is a solo artist with an instinct for innovation that provides a great deal of interest. "His acoustic set is characterised by hypnotic, evolving ... more...

Community groups and the general public are being encouraged to contact Council now and register their involvement in Clean Up Hamilton Day this Saturday [21 September]. Environmental projects officer Liz Bell says about 600 people have currently expressed interest and that there is still room for many more to be involved. "We have identified a number of parks and reserves that need a good spruc... more...

An exhibition from top Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) MediArts students opened over the weekend at the Waikato Museum of Art and History. Programmes and collections manager Kent Ericksen says Honours 02 is a vibrant, exuberant exhibition that entertains with its wide range of technical, intellectual and craft approaches. "These 11 artists bring lively and clever extensions to contempor... more...

Hamilton Zoo is confident its efforts in helping preserve New Zealand’s rare brown teal duck will pay off. Avian curator Peter Smits says 20 ducks, of which 12 were bred at the zoo, were released into Warrenheip Reserve in partnership with the Brown Teal Recovery Group. "This is the only group of brown teal ducks wild in the Waikato. Warrenheip is one of the very few pest-free m... more...

The Waikato Museum of Art and History's education team has recently purchased a collection of taonga for museum education programmes. Designed for use by school children, the collection includes a canoe bailer, bird trap, stone drill, toki (adze) as well as fish hooks, a taiaha and a traditional wooden puppet. Education services team leader Kirsty Glengarry says the taonga were carved by maste... more...

Hamilton City Council is putting on a commemoration service in conjunction with the Waikato Rivertones Chorus of Sweet Adelines to mark the anniversary of the 11 September atrocities. Hamilton mayor David Braithwaite says the event is an opportunity for the community to come together to remember the events of 11 September and the lives lost. "Last year's terrorist attacks shocked the world. Coun... more...

The Waikato Museum of Art and History's latest exhibition [Friday, 6 September], Ecstatic Flow, is a sculptural exploration into the properties of water by acclaimed artist Pauline Rhodes. Communication and customer service team leader Cam McCracken says Rhodes has specifically designed the exhibition for the museum's level five."Ecstatic Flow is a sensory experience created through the use of ... more...

Council's Food Safety Awards are to be presented tomorrow morning (7.30am), with 33 food outlets recognised for excellence in food safety practices. Environmental health manager Peter McGregor says the awards are a positive way for his unit to promote food safety in Hamilton. "As a unit we want to encourage food outlets to maintain the very good food safety record we have in Hamilton. These awar... more...