Five stars for Woodlands Estate

The gardens at Woodlands Estate have again been recognised for their historic character and unique identity. The rating, awarded every three years by New Zealand Gardens Trust, recognises gardens for their presentation, design and plant interest throughout the year.

Read the full article.

This birthday celebration went to the dogs!

A generous donation by 10-year-old Leah has got tails wagging our dog pound. 

Instead of having a birthday party this year, Leah decided to use her party money to buy some toys and donate them to the Waikato Pound Pups.

Read all about it here.

Look out for Elm Bark Beetle

The discovery of  Elm Bark Beetles in the Mercer, Te Kauwhata and Huntly areas has forced a change to the trapping programme initiated in the north Waikato in November.

Weekly monitoring of a trap line stretching from Waitakaruru to Port Waikato revealed two locations where infected beetles were present. A spot check of a site in the Huntly area also revealed a suspected case of Dutch Elm Disease in two trees.

Read the full article.

Holiday weekends

Our offices, libraries and pounds will be closed on Auckland Anniversary and Waitangi Day.

Our phonelines are available 24/7 should you have any urgent concerns.

There will be no change to your rubbish and recycling collection over Anniversary and Waitangi weekend, this includes the following weeks.

Those that usually have a pick-up on a Monday will continue to be collected on a Monday and so on.

For more info, check out our website,

Creative Communities Funding

Are you wanting to run a local art project or event this year?

We have funding available! Apply by 5pm Friday 10 March to be considered. This will also be the only chance to secure your funding in time for Matariki 2023.

Read more and apply!

10 candidates stand in Tuakau

Ten candidates have put their names forward to fill four vacancies on the Tuakau Community Board in their by-election.

Voting packs are being delivered to enrolled residents within the community board area

Read more.

Work on Main Street

Main Street in Huntly will be closed to traffic for a couple of nights next week.

The closures will be on the nights of Wednesday 1 February and Thursday 2 February, from 8pm to 5am.

A Waikato District Alliance roading crew will improve the pedestrian crossings by removing the brick surface and laying asphalt instead. They will also carry out road surface maintenance work.

Dog days of summer

Little paws can suffer from serious burns. The 5 second test is a quick and easy way to check if the pavement or sand is safe for your furry friends.

How it works: If you can't hold your hand on the pavement or sand for five seconds, it's too hot to walk your dog on it

Ride and shine!

Aotearoa Bike Challenge month starts 1 February!

Get back on a bike and rediscover the joys and benefits of riding a bike!

There are prizes to win for riding too! Find out more and register here.

Photo by @happy_bicycles.

Horotiu Park is closing

AFFCO Horotiu Park will be closing from Monday 27 February 2023.

The land used for the park, was leased from AFFCO Holdings Limited in Horotiu, is required by the owners for future development. 

The playground is also set to be removed, with alternative arrangements being sought for a playground to service the Horotiu community.

Read more.

Are you ready for the challenge?

Did you know that research shows that children are likely to lose an average of 20% of the literacy skills they gained during the school year? It’s called the summer slide, and occurs because kids and teens are less likely to read over the summer holidays.

Fortunately, Waikato District Libraries have a fun summer reading challenge for the whole family!

Come one, come all to the Carnival of Reading! Step right up and join our fair-filled challenge.

Register and participate for free here.