Author: John Freer

By John Freer Securing a 35-hectare site has residents of the Peninsula’s top end celebrating more than Christmas this year. The land parcel is the catalyst for an ambitious proposed development which will provide the infrastructure for health, wellbeing and community facilities, impacting all communities within northern Coromandel Peninsula. Having its beginnings five years ago, […]

Upgrading and breathing new life into the 55-year-old Whangamata Surf Club is on track with the club already raising more than $500,000 towards its $2.5 million target. Project Transformation started in late 2020 with the club determining that its Williamson Park based building needed a repaint. This opened a massive opportunity as the repaint prompted […]

By John Freer Those looking to complete the cycle and walking trail linking Tairua and Pauanui, have set themselves a mission over the pending holiday season – they want public support. When explaining the remainder of the project to CFM, Hikuai District Trust chairman, Derrick Adams, said a key aspect was engaging the wider community […]

By John Freer Wrestling with the issue of cost recovery from its rubbish and recycling collections, is a challenge for Thames Coromandel District councillors. With an annual bill in excess of $8 million, council has decided that a consultation process will be undertaken, with residents and ratepayers, through its annual plan process. A staff report […]

By John Freer Local councils should continue to manage your water according to a Coromandel’s CFM Three Waters Survey conducted over the past two weeks. An overwhelming 80 percent of the 441 responders, want water management to remain with local councils, rather than being grabbed into the Government’s multi-region management model. Only 15.9 percent supported […]

By John Freer Sitting watching the weather over recent days has been a challenge to those mainly living on the eastern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. Enduring massive rainfalls, eyes have also trawled weather sites looking for that break which could return us to what is considered – normality. Local Civil Defence Controller, Gary Towler, […]

By John Freer Refreshing is an appropriate description for the recently appointed Mercury Bay Community Board chair. Krissy Robinson only stepped up to the plate after noticing there was a low response to available community board positions just prior to the recent elections. Now she has accepted the role of board chair and she has […]

By John Freer Removing the sand build-up on the Tairua Harbour bar could eliminate the current boating accident risk while also achieving positive outcomes for the construction industry. The bar risk for boaties was raised last week by Tairua Pauanui Fishing Club president, Warren Maher, after he was photographed standing on the bar at low […]

By John Freer Those who work voluntarily to keep the lifesavers looking after swimmers and surfers at Tairua’s Ocean Beach, have for a decade dreamed of what a new clubhouse could provide. Now they have achieved reality with the new Tairua Surf Lifesaving Club clubhouse, open to support operations. Club chair, Betsy Warner, had no […]

By John Freer Coming across a world changing moment that was inspired by a Thames High School essay, is worth talking about. The essay, written 23 years ago, outlined the issues with plastic packaging and actions needed to overcome the threat of the world potentially drowning in plastic. Author of the essay was a local […]