John Reihana Kaati
State of Emergency extended
Both Waipā and Ōtorohanga districts have extended their respective states of emergency for a further seven days.
Ōtorohanga Mayor Rodney Dow (left) and Waipā Mayor Mike Pettit (right) sign their district states of emergency with Ōtorohanga Mayoral Dog Zeb.
The decision follows ongoing response efforts by both councils, emergency services, iwi and partner agencies after severe weather events across the two districts.
The State of Emergency now remains in place until Saturday, February 28, enabling response agencies to continue accessing resources and acting quickly to support affected communities.
Waipā mayor Mike Pettit said the extension was about keeping people safe as work continued.
“Extending the State of Emergency is about one thing – keeping our community safe. We are not out of the woods yet. While good progress has been made, there are still some significant issues we are dealing with,” Pettit said.
Ōtorohanga mayor Rodney Dow said conditions in parts of the Ōtorohanga District also remained challenging, with ongoing impacts to roads, farms and access routes.
19 February 11am
Drop-in open days
Civil Defence has arranged local open days to help people access support from social service agencies. The events this week in Ōtorohanga and Waipā Districts are designed as ‘one-stop shops’ to make it easier for those most affected by the weather events to find out more about support options.
- Friday 20 February – 11 am to 7 pm at Pirongia Community Centre, 574 Crozier St, Pirongia
Saturday 21 February – 10am to 3pm at Ōtorohanga Truck and Ute Show, Island Reserve
Road and water update
Ensuring support for residents isolated by damaged roads and bridges and identifying urgent needs in the community remain a key focus for the State of Emergency response, along with maintaining Pirongia’s drinking water supply and continuing returning local roads to service.
The response is being managed by a joint Civil Defence Emergency Operations Centre operating from Ōtorohanga District Council. The centre is supporting Waipā and Ōtorohanga councils with their respective states of emergency.
Solution in progress
Pirongia residents have done an outstanding job of conserving water for the last five days, despite returning to work and school. Pirongia water is currently being supplied from a bore-fed reservoir with limited capacity, while emergency work is underway to install infrastructure to boost resilience in the network.
A solution is expected to be in place by Sunday, which will reduce the need to conserve water. Tankered water remains a contingency in the meantime, with water tanks in place to support the fire service if needed.
Kaati remembered
Waikato River Authority has acknowledged the work of one of its founding board members. John Reihana Kaati, who died in early January, served as the Ngāti Maniapoto representative on the authority from 2011 to 2013. “He was a respected leader within Māoridom and, among many roles, served as deputy chair of the Maniapoto Māori Trust Board, a trustee of Te Nehenehenui, and a long-serving Waitomo district councillor,” chief executive (kaihautū) Antoine Coffin said.
John Reihana Kaati
Numbers up
Tens of thousands more air passengers are pouring through Hamilton Airport as travellers cash in on more choice and cheaper air fares.
In its six-month report (1 July 2025 – 31 December 2025) Hamilton Airport passenger numbers are up 39 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. That’s an increase of 71,000 travellers.
Of those, around 55,000 were on international flights between Hamilton, Sydney and the Gold Coast. Jetstar launched daily international flights to Australia in June 2025 and Hamilton Airport chief executive Mark Morgan said “the buzz hasn’t stopped since.”
Power play
King Country Energy’s major shareholder, Contact Energy, has made a non-binding indicative offer to King Country Trust to buy 24.98 per cent of King Country Energy for about $47 million. Contact already owns the about 75 per cent of the company shares.
Kapa Haka
Claudelands will host one of the regional finals of the Kapa Haka nationals, in mid-April. The first was held at Waipukurau last weekend and is followed by another 12, including one on the Gold Coast, through to mid-June.
Balloon inflation
Balloons over Waikato.
The reasoning behind Waipā District Council’s decision not to host an evening of the Balloons over Waikato this year has become clearer. The council says it would have faced a near 30 per cent increase in costs to host an event – up to about $25,400. Most of the increase was due to higher costs for traffic and waste management. Many of the costs cannot be recovered if the event is cancelled at short notice.
Arrowing in
Bowhunter Gary Keoghan will be a guest at the Mt Pirongia Lions’ market on Sunday when the winner of a Predator Free Te Awamutu and Pirongia Kids Koi Carp Challenge will be announced. Koi have caused considerable biodiversity loss and water quality decline. They can grow to 75cm and weight 12kg.
