Summer services
Mayor Len enjoyed a community Christmas lunch for 178 people at Crossroads Church in Mercury Bay on Saturday.
Mayor Len's message to residents and ratepayers just before the holidays is: "As we head into our peak summer period many of our businesses rely on this time to get through the rest of the year – and we’re all about bringing it on. Come and visit, but be responsible and play safe," Mayor Len says.
"In terms of Council services, with about four times as many people on the Coromandel compared to winter, we really need to plan. We put on extra rubbish and recycling collections, we encourage water conservation and then spread the word about water restrictions through our Council website, email newsletters, our social media, signboards at town entrances and advertising on local radio stations and community newspapers.
"We’re part of the Safer Coromandel group, a jointly funded initiative between our Council, MediaWorks, Civil Defence and NZ Police, providing key messages – Plan Before You Party, Driver Reviver, boating safety, road safety and more. Check out their Facebook page: facebook.com/SaferCoromandel Also, because we’re an area with lots of bush, we’re really conscious of wildfires. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has instituted a fire and fireworks ban over this time.
"Our rules about dog control and consuming alcohol in public places change in some areas over summer. Your dog may be just saying ‘hello’ to strangers on the beach, but not everyone sees it that way so we ask people to check our website for where and when they need to have their four-legged friend on a lead or where dogs are not allowed at certain times.
"And most of our towns and seaside reserves have summer alcohol bans.
"Check our website for details on all these rule changes.
"A reminder about driving safely and taking care on the narrow, winding roads. Road conditions can change at any time with local roadworks and weather. Visit our website and follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop on our local roads.
"I’ll be around the Coromandel visiting events, meeting ratepayers and enjoying the summer. If you see me out and about come and say hi or email me len.salt@tcdc.govt.nz"
Christmas greetings
Meri Kirihimete | Merry Christmas from me and all of us at Thames-Coromandel District Council to you and your whānau.
May the festive season bring a sense of togetherness, celebration, peace and rest from the hustle and bustle of daily tasks. Christmas is a time we can really value the beauty and special environment of the Coromandel as we get to make great use of our coastline and natural scenic spots and witness visitors flocking here to experience and enjoy what we take for granted.
2022 has been hectic – coming off a COVID lockdown, facing the health challenges of the pandemic, supporting the reopening of our businesses, getting vital projects underway (such as the marine project at Kōpū) and organising elections and bedding in our new Council and elected members.
I look forward to 2023 with optimism. In one sense, these are troubled times with prices on the rise and many people struggling to make ends meet. However, with any challenge comes opportunities. I truly believe that with a sense of community spirit and looking out for each other we can emerge even more healthy and resilient as a district.
I look forward to listening to you and working with, and for you, over the coming year. In the meantime, enjoy a well deserved break.
Our Council will partner with Ngāti Maru to pilot a grassroots employment programme aimed at getting local rangatahi (young people) into sustainable work.
It’s part of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Rural Community Resilience Programme which began as a pilot two years ago. Rural mayors partnered with the Ministry of Social Development during the national response to Covid-19 as part of the pilot. Its subsequent success placing young people not in employment ,education or training into work, saw funding of $14 million secured for the 2022-23 financial year.
“That’s allowed the taskforce to place over 3,000 young people into sustainable employment in just over two years,” says MTFJ Chair and Mayor of Ōtorohanga Max Baxter.
“Thames-Coromandel secured funding of $108,000 this year to kick off their employment programme.
“Young people living in rural communities face more challenges entering the workforce, including a smaller pool of employers, a lack of driver's licence testing facilities, and a shortage of the right training opportunities. The programme is about local people coming together to find local solutions to these issues.”
Mayor Len Salt said “this sort of programme could be a game-changer for young people who just need that extra little bit of support to get them into fulfilling work. Helping rangatahi get their driver's licence or supplying them with the right tools and kit to start an apprenticeship can make a world of difference to their job prospects.
“Our Council will roll out this programme under the leadership of Ngāti Maru, who know our rangatahi and their needs already.”
The latest quarterly survey from our regional economic development agency, Te Waka, shows that despite challenges such as high inflation, a tight labour market and increased import prices, businesspeople in the Waikato region remain confident, with more than half expecting growth during the next 12 months.
Key observations include:
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Unemployment in the region remains very low.
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Median house prices in the Waikato region were 6.5 per cent lower in the September quarter than in the June quarter, however, house prices across the region were 2.4 per cent higher than in the same time period a year ago.
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Import prices are up 23 per cent on the June 2021 quarter, and import volumes are 2.1 per cent lower.
“Economic conditions have continued to require businesspeople and consumers to be resilient and willing to adapt, and we hope that the upcoming holiday season presents a chance for all to rest and reflect,” the agency concluded.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a restricted fire season for the Coromandel until 1 February 2023 to reduce the risk of fires getting out of control with the expected influx of holidaymakers in the area.
No open-air fires can be lit in these areas without a fire permit. There is also a ban on the use of private fireworks within the Thames-Coromandel area. The fireworks ban does not include any already planned and approved public fireworks displays.
To apply for a permit, and for more information about the activities you can and can’t do in a restricted fire season, go to www.checkitsalright.nz.
Our summer schedule of extra kerbside rubbish and recycling collections across most of the Coromandel begins on Boxing Day (Monday 26 December) and finishes on Friday 10 February 2023.
The schedules for your area are on our website at tcdc.govt.nz/kerbside. We’ll be posting daily notices each evening on our Council’s Facebook page to remind you of where the next day’s collections are taking place.
Our seven Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) are open from today to their extended summer hours until Sunday 19 February 2023. Every one of our RTSs is open every day during this period except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Please note all Council offices will be closing at midday on Friday 23 December – earlier than previously advertised.
We wish you a relaxing and refreshing break and a bright start to the new year.
Meetings
Our Council’s next meeting is Thursday 26 January 2023. The public are welcome to attend.
For agendas, reports and minutes of meetings, check out this link.
Check out how clean the water is at a beach or river near you.
Throughout the holiday season, there'll be regular monitoring of beaches and rivers in the district and this website will post regular updates.https://www.lawa.org.nz/explore-data/swimming/
It's a project that our Council is part of through Waikato Regional Council.
Your Coromandel Tracks and Trails Guide
Check out our updated online edition of our popular Tracks and Trails Guide. Have a look at it here.
It outlines a wide range of walks and cycle trails for all fitness levels. The mix of locations includes harbour and river margins, heritage town centres, playgrounds, busy working wharves and the Coromandel's famous sandy beaches.
Most of the walks in this guide are short, easy excursions near our town centres), rather than more strenuous tramping routes. The guide also covers mountain biking and cycling trails, ranging from family-friendly easy experiences to harder mountain biking trails.
Printed copies of the guide will be available free from information centres, public libraries and Council officers in mid-to-late January
Track in Tararū temporarily closed
The Tararū end of the Rocky’s Walk to Tinker’s Gully track near Dickson Holiday Park has had to be closed due to a dangerous tree at risk of falling.
The public can still enter the track from the Tinker’s Gully end which is on Department of Conservation land and walk as far as the Council-DOC boundary at about the 3.5km mark, and then return back the way they have come.
Check out DOC’s walking guide to the track.
It is likely the work to remove the tree will require a helicopter, which cannot be organised until after the new year.
A section of the cliff that overlooks the Maramaratotara Bay is subject to erosion and has been closed off. Our Council has put in place warning signs and sectioned off the area of concern.
Please keep clear of the area. Council Parks and Open Spaces Officers will be monitoring the area beach side.
The Roading team have assessed the site in relation to the footpath and advised that the footpath can remain open however additional care should be taken near the site. Ongoing monitoring will occur throughout the break and following significant rain.
Boaties are reminded about our new, smart payment system for launching and trailer parking at ramps where fees apply. This new QR payment system has replaced the physical ramp permits
Simply scan the QR code with your smartphone, camera or Google Lens and follow the easy prompts to pay – right at the ramp. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can still pay in person at our Council offices and participating retail outlets.
tcdc.govt.nz/boatramps.
Just the job
We’re recruiting for some great jobs at the moment – everything from summer jobs (such as ambassadors for walking tracks and wharves) to specialist technical jobs.
Visit tcdc.govt.nz/jobs for more information about long-term career opportunities as well as short-term summer work. For opportunities with our Council's solid waste contractor, Smart Environmental, check out tcdc.govt.nz/summerjobs.
Bookmark our jobs page for regular postings of vacancies.
Work updates
Road maintenance works
Take a look at our webpage for details of work scheduled for Council-run roads and footpaths for 23 December 2022 until 8 January 2023 (weather dependent).
For State Highway road works check out Waka Kotahi’s Forward Works programme.
Long grass at reserves
The very wet spring and early summer combined with the recent warm and humid weather has produced a bumper crop of grass in our Council’s parks and reserves. In some locations there has been 20cm of grass growth in the last two weeks.
Our parks and reserves maintenance contractor, Recreational Services, is working hard to mow it all, especially in our busier seaside communities. If the grass is long in your local reserve or walkway, please be patient and accept our apology. Recreational Services will get to it as soon as possible but in some cases this may not be possible until the New Year.
Some reserve areas remain persistently wet and may not be able to be serviced until the ground conditions have dried enough to allow the grass to be mown. Mowing while the ground is so wet may cause damage, and so it is always a balancing act to consider these factors while undertaking mowing operations.
If you’re out enjoying the Coromandel’s parks and beaches, please be tidy and dispose of your rubbish in an appropriate bin or take it home with you.
Matarangi Jetty
The work on replacing the piles on the Matarangi Jetty has finished and the jetty is open and deemed safe for use.
The work included strengthening and repairs to the boardwalk.
In the new year the contractor will return to carry out other remedial work.
Omara Reserve
Work on Omara Reserve is now complete. Fencing has been removed and the dedicated freedom camping spots can now be accessed.
However, please note that if it rains, be careful of boggy ground which could mean vehicles get stuck.