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Waikato Coromandel King Country
- There were lots of fun activities for children at the Enderley market day.
Toffee apple, anyone?
By Huia Lyons
Market days are a regular feature of the Enderley community, with each one more successful than the last. Eighteen stalls with food and information were crammed into the Enderley Community Centre for the most recent one. There were lots of give-aways and plenty to keep everyone entertained.
Fusion, a local hip hop dance company, performed the routine that earned them third place in the world championships to a packed gym of people. For the younger children there were bouncy castles, art competitions, face painting, a slippery pole bash and a giant connect four game to keep them occupied.
Young and old enjoyed the henna art painting and Pio's Parenting with Confidence course which was sponsored by the Police.
All the money raised from the hiring of stalls and from some of the food kiosks (selling everything from toffee apples to "boil up") was donated to the Enderley youth group to help realise their dreams and aspirations.
Lots of local residents and others turned out to support and enjoy the fun, food and sun. The next market day promises to be a ripper.
Meet the Waikato rural team
By Karan Frederikson
Waikato Coromandel King Country Region is a huge area that includes Hamilton city at its centre and four large rural areas on the outskirts:
- Huntly Neighbourhood Unit (Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Te Kauwhata, Taupiri)
- Thames Neighbourhood Unit (Te Aroha, Paeroa, Waihi, Thames, Whitianga, Whangamata, Coromandel)
- South Waikato portfolio (Morrinsville, Matamata, Putaruru, Waharoa, Tokoroa)
- Te Kuiti Neighbourhood Unit (Te Awamutu, Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, Kawhia, Taumarunui).
- The Waikato rural team at a recent training session.
Last year a rural team was formed encompassing these four areas, consisting of 10 staff members and a manager.
The Huntly office is "womaned" by two Housing Access Managers, Lyla Atutahi and Awhina Rooney. They have an in-depth knowledge of the area, and they work with many community groups and other Government organisations to help their customers with a range of services.
The Thames Neighbourhood Unit has two Housing Access Managers, Linda Hall and Stefan Helling, and a half-time Access Manager, Honey Renata. Linda works in the Hauraki and Waihi area, Stefan has responsibility for Thames and the Coromandel Peninsula, and Honey helps customers across the whole area.
Tenancy Manager Sally Hammond looks after the South Waikato/Matamata-Piako districts. Sally is based in the Hamilton Neighbourhood Unit and travels out to her "patch" several times a week.
The Te Kuiti Neighbourhood Unit has two Housing Access Managers, Cecilia Hodson and Paddy Arahanga. The Neighbourhood Unit is in the centre of the area and Cecilia and Paddy travel large distances to work in their respective towns.
Team members from these four offices work mainly on tenancy management, looking after the 1,549 state houses in the areas they cover.
Two other Rural Team members work from the Hamilton office. Claudine Collins is the Access Manager for Huntly, Te Kuiti and South Waikato. She interviews customers with housing needs and, with the assistance of the Tenancy Management team, matches them to homes as they become available. Claudine travels to the different areas to perform this service. John Hughes is the Income Related Rent Specialist for the team. He deals with annual rent reviews and change-of-circumstances applications for the entire rural area.
The team is led by Housing Services Manager, Karan Frederikson, who divides her time between the four offices.Overseeing the whole operation is Tony Osborne, Acting Regional Manager.
