When Taupō Opportunity candidate Sam Plummer returned to New Zealand in 2018, he found a very different country from the one he left. Hailing from Hawke’s Bay, Plummer spent 15 years in Cambodia before making Taupō his home.
When Louise Upston won the Taupō seat from Labour incumbent Mark Burton in 2008, she had no plan for how long she’d stay around.
When George O’Conner Patena advised the Greens he couldn’t stand as their Taupō candidate again, his party colleague Celine Kearney decided to throw her hat in. Kearney says Patena is a hard act to follow. “I do not put myself on the same level as George.”
Ratepayers need to choose between lower rates or getting infrastructure and services, a leading economist says.
Labour's Taupō candidate is under no illusion knocking National's six-term MP off her perch is an easy task, but says he's up for the challenge. Incumbent MP Louise Upston has held the Taupō seat for six consecutive terms since defeating Labour’s Mark Burton in 2008.
South Waikato District Council is asking people not to visit Blue Spring (Te Waihou Walkway) over Labour weekend to ease pressure on the popular tourist destination.
The Tūrangi-Taupō bus service has grown, literally. The 11-seater shuttle that formerly serviced the route has been upgraded to a full-sized passenger bus. The initially two-day-a-week service also now operates on three days: Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Waikato could be heading into its strongest summer tourism season since the pandemic as international visitor numbers sky-rocket.
South Waikato councillor Kerry Purdy has called for a temporary closure of Te Waihou (Blue Spring) until solutions for the tourist attraction’s long standing issues are found.
More than 250 hectares of weed control has been carried out and 91 deer removed from Tongariro National Park since fires destroyed thousands of hectares of alpine ecosystems late last year. The major recovery effort is targeting weeds and introduced browsers such as deer and hares.
A parade of former soldiers, currently serving soldiers and their families marched through the streets of Taupō on Sunday. The parade was part of the biannual reunion of the NZ Vietnam Veterans Association, which was held in Taupō for the second time.
The amount of rubbish going into the landfill on Tauhara Maunga, is about to decrease. Taupō District Council says upgrades to the Broadlands Resource Recovery Centre will reduce waste going into the landfill by up to 8000 tonnes a year.
As Taiopenga, the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Schools Kapa Haka Festival, commemorated its 40th anniversary during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, Local Democracy Reporting spoke with Te Ururoa Flavell, one of its original organisers.
More people are using Waikato’s public transport network but the regional council has still taken a $40 million loss on operational costs. And ticket prices are about to go up for bus and train users, as the council tries to ensure fares cover more of the cost of the service.
A $405,000 Government investment will help fill a critical gap in visitor facilities on the Mountains to Sea – Ngā Ara Tūhono Great Ride, with public toilets among the features planned for a new hub at Horopito.
A new land and housing deal between the New Zealand Defence Force and central North Island iwi Ngāti Rangi will see 50 homes built for military families at Waiouru.
