Waikato Business News

Waikato Thoroughbred Racing’s application to buy 150 hectares south of Hamilton to consolidate the region’s racing and trotting activities south of Hamilton has been given Fast-track approval by Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop. Inside the old board room at Te Rapa Racecourse last year, racing club chair Bruce Harvey, left, and chief executive Andrew Castles planned the purchase for months.

Chiefs legends, administrators and supporters came together at the University of Waikato to celebrate the launch of the Ruakura Rugby Football Club and mark the franchise’s 30-year milestone. The gala dinner held at The Pā drew alumni, sponsors and fans from across Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, with a strong sense of pride and history evident throughout the evening.

Fonterra’s $85 million investment in a new wastewater treatment plant at its Hautapu site is already delivering more than environmental gains, helping secure the long-term future of one of the region’s key processing assets. At the co-operative’s annual community meeting last month, staff outlined how the Wai Mahia plant, opened in February and now fully operational, is improving compliance, reducing risk and strengthening relationships with regulators and mana whenua.

Duo tops the country Benjamin Barbour, left, and Toby Christensen were the winners from Waikato Bay of Plenty. A year 10 duo from Putāruru College and Rotorua’s John Paul College representing Waikato Bay of Plenty have been crowned the Junior Young Farmer of the Year after an impressive performance at the grand final in New Plymouth.

Demand for retirement living in the Waikato continues to grow, but securing suitably large development sites is becoming increasingly challenging, according to Summerset chief executive Scott Scoullar. Mary Anne Gill reports. Summerset chief executive Scott Scoullar, left, and Cambridge village manager Lucy Lloyd-Barker.

A new fund honouring one of Waikato’s most influential farming and political figures was launched at Fieldays, aiming to open doors for Māori into the primary sector. Jesse Wood was there. Westpac Head of Agribusiness New Zealand Richard Anderson, left, Momentum Waikato professional advisor network manager Pamela Storey and Richard Luxton after the “fireside” talk at Fieldays. Photo: Jesse Wood John Luxton believed farming was one of the best lives a person could have.

A new national alumni network is bringing schools together to share solutions and strengthen engagement with former students, writes Viv Posselt. Some of the delegates enjoying dinner in Cambridge the evening before the conference.

A 25-metre-high mobile phone tower east near SH29 and SH1 is helping close long standing coverage gaps for communities, including the Hobbiton movie set which draws about 600,000 visitors a year. The work forms part of a wider push to improve connectivity across the region and is critical infrastructure, Waikato MP Tim van de Molen said at the Hobbiton Lord of the Rings site launch this week. Reliable mobile coverage was now expected, particularly along state highways, he said.

Janice Kuka attributes her giving nature to growing up in a community of people who contributed. The Welcome Bay woman, whose formative years were spent in Te Puna, has been awarded a King’s Service Medal in recognition of her services to Māori health. Kuka (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi) has been a leading figure and advocate for Māori healthcare in New Zealand for more than 40 years.

A Bay of Plenty scientist behind the commercialisation of RubyRed kiwifruit has been recognised for his decades of innovation. Scientist Russell Lowe won the plant raisers award for developing the popular Zespri Sungold kiwifruit. Photo: Bioeconomy Science Institute. Russell Lowe has been awarded an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the King’s Birthday Honours. “I’m very, very honoured,” he said.