Celebration was in the air, paired with a serious message about the importance of emergency preparedness, at Hamilton’s final Community and Natural Environment Committee meeting for the year.

Chair Kesh Naidoo-Rauf reflected on some of the mahi done throughout the year.

“What we do here makes a real impact to how people feel and live their lives in our city and we’ve completed some meaningful projects for the community,” said Naidoo-Rauf.

“We refreshed playgrounds, opened the new Fairfield skatepark, created a rainbow bridge of remembrance, updated the Lido Pool at Waterworld, launched a kai map and central city play trail, and helped more than 80 dogs find their forever homes through our adoption programmes.”

The core business of the meeting was around several lease proposals aimed at enhancing community spaces and supporting local organisations.

The committee agreed to transfer ownership of an unused block of changing rooms and public toilets at Elliott Park to the Western Community Centre to turn into a space for youth.

Councillors approved a new gymsports facility for Turn and Gymnastics Circle at EastLink in Lugton Park. The Club is currently running out of Hamilton Old Boys Rugby Sports Club.

Whether Hamiltonians are prepared for an emergency was a key consideration as elected members discussed the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) quarterly report.

The report highlighted a recent capacity assessment which recommended Hamilton CDEM look to improve public understanding of hazard risks and encourage community preparedness.

Civil Defence Controller Kelvin Powell said proactively preparing for an emergency now will help save lives when a disaster strikes.

“Making a plan for what you will do in an emergency is often something people put off for another day – but we never know when an event will happen, so waiting until another day to get prepared could be too late,” said Powell.

“It is not a case of if but when – there is a tendency to be complacent here in Hamilton when it comes to emergency preparedness which could be our biggest Archilles’ heel. It is critical that households have these conversations and get ready now, so they are in the best possible position during an emergency.”

To help encourage community preparedness, a social media campaign will kick off tomorrow focussing on helping residents understand the risks we face in Hamilton and providing key tips to get ready for any kind of disaster – with the focus firstly on flood hazards and flood preparedness.

Advice on how to get prepared for an emergency is available on getready.govt.nz

The meeting was wrapped up with a progress update on the city’s major event and visitor destinations, touching on the restoration work underway on the historic Grandstand at Claudelands and strong visitor numbers at Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton Zoo, Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park and Exscite at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum and Gallery.

The next Community and Environment Committee meeting will be on Tuesday 18 February 2025.

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