Waimate District Council

16/06/2026

VACANCY: ROADING ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
Part time | 25 hours per week | School-friendly hours

Looking for a part-time role with variety, flexibility and a great team? Join our Roading team and play an important part in keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes.

✅ Support the roading team by dealing with customer calls and enquiries, access and service requests, road closure administration, purchase orders and invoices.
✅ Experience in administration, customer service, roading, traffic management or a similar environment is an advantage, but not essential.
✅ Flexible start times that can fit around school hours.
✅ Potential to work from home for up to two days a week once fully trained.

Applications close on Sunday 5 July.

To read the full details, download the position description and APPLY, see the link in the comments.

16/06/2026

WAIMATE WOOFERS: DOG REGISTRATION
🐾 Have you paid your registration renewal yet?
Payment is due by 31 July 2026.

Council has set the fees for the 2026/27 registration year, including an increase to the Urban non-working (not desexed) category:
🐕 Urban non-working dog (not desexed): $120
🐕 Urban desexed non-working dog or puppy 12 months and under: $65
🐕 Selected owner, working dog or farm pet: $35
🐕 Classified dangerous dog: 150% of applicable fee.

All dogs from the age of three months must be registered. If a dog reaches the age of three months after 1 July 2026, the registration fee will be a proportion of the annual fee.

❌ A 50% penalty will apply to each unpaid registration on 1 August 2026.
☑️ Avoid late penalties by setting up weekly or fortnightly automatic payments. Apply now to have your instalments in place before the due date.

📩 Dog registration forms will be mailed to all known dog owners. If you have not received your registration form within the first week of July, please contact Council on 03 689 0000 or email [email protected]. If you have left the district, please let us know so that we can update our details.

15/06/2026

UPDATED CLOSURE: BENMORE DAM ROAD, 17 JUNE (NOT JULY AS PREVIOUSLY ADVISED)

Meridian Energy is planning on completing maintenance on the Benmore Dam structure and advises that Benmore Dam Road will be closed to all traffic on the following dates and times (including a postponement date in case of poor weather):

Wednesday 17 June 2026 – 8.30am to 4.30pm
(Postponement date Thursday 18 June 2026)

During these road closure periods, all motorised, peddle power and walking traffic, will be unable to cross the Benmore dam top.

For any questions relating to the work on 17/18 June, please contact David Armstrong, Meridian Energy, Dams and gates owner 021 221 2596

14/06/2026

Coeliac Awareness Week at the Library

We’ve put together a special display in the library to support Coeliac Awareness Week—come in and explore a range of resources, information, and reading to help build understanding around coeliac disease.

We’re also gauging interest in starting a Coeliac Friends Group—a relaxed, friendly and non-judgemental space to connect with others, share experiences, and support one another.

If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, pop into the library and add your name to the list. Once there are a few people interested, the group will look at meeting every couple of months for an informal catch-up.
We’d love to see you.

11/06/2026

LIBRARY NEWS: Luna the Unicorn had a wonderful time at Esk Valley Kindergarten yesterday morning, which coincided with the 100-year anniversary of the New Zealand kindergarten movement!

Luna sang and danced to magical tunes with the kindergarten tamariki who then listened to a story all about ... unicorns! 🦄🌈🦄

10/06/2026

CIRCUIT TRAINING AT THE EVENT CENTRE

📅 Mondays and Thursdays - $5
⏰ 9.15am to 10am and 5.15pm to 6pm (choice of two timeslots)

Led by Rob De Paulo, this is a friendly supportive atmosphere for all fitness levels. Come and join in – it's a great full-body workout! 💪

There are 10 'stations' and at each, you'll do a specific exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds before the next exercise. After two rounds, we break for a few minutes and then do two more rounds.

Each week, Rob will change it up a bit. Skipping, squats, lunges, weights, battling ropes – it's a mix of exercises to keep you motivated and target muscle groups. Rob will offer variations for those who need it and you can choose your pace - sit something out or push harder.

After a warm-up and before a cool-down, it's 30 minutes of rewarding hard yakka - you'll love it! 😍🏆

09/06/2026

COUNCIL AMALGAMATION
In November 2025, the Government released a proposal to ‘simplify’ the structure of local government across New Zealand. The proposal outlined changes wherein elected members from regional councils (ECan) would be replaced with Mayors, who’d then have two years to come up with regional reorganisation plans (amalgamations).

On 5 May, the Government announced that they are giving councils three months to come up with amalgamation plans. The councils that don’t, will be subject to a backstop process, which will be finalised in 2027, and changes expected to happen in 2028.

The Head Start pathway is stated as voluntary, but as noted in Cabinet Paper ECO-26-MIN 0072 “agreed, that councils not in the head start will go through a compulsory backstop process, with regional council governance during the transition being exercised by some form of interim body (e.g. a board of mayors, Crown commissioners, or a hybrid), with the precise model to be confirmed by Cabinet 2027”.

➡️ Will merging create efficiencies?
National and international research indicates council size does not necessarily reduce costs. Anticipated efficiency gains are uncertain; however, they will need to be identified as part of the amalgamation proposal.

➡️ Are we amalgamating with Timaru?
The recent meeting between Environment Canterbury and the Waimate, Mackenzie, Timaru, Ashburton and Waitaki District Councils was a constructive and useful discussion, with all parties approaching the conversation in good faith. It provided an opportunity to begin building a shared understanding of the Government’s Head Start programme and the potential implications for our respective communities. It would be premature to rule anything in or out at this stage.

➡️ Why should we take on other councils’ debt?
That is a valid concern. Council will advocate strongly to ensure Waimate does not end up worse off financially. Equally, we want to be clear that if any proposal is not in the best interests of Waimate, your Council is prepared to stand firm, even if that means walking away.

➡️ What happens to our water services if we amalgamate with other councils who have formed a water CCO?
In the event of a reorganisation proceeding to a new unitary authority, the future structure of water services delivery would ultimately be determined by that new governing body. This means that all existing organisational arrangements of the legacy councils, including our internal water services business unit, would be reviewed and rationalised alongside any existing council-controlled organisations (CCO). It is therefore likely that, where a regional water CCO or equivalent entity is established, existing internal business units would be integrated into that structure.

08/06/2026

Meridian Energy is planning on completing maintenance on the Benmore Dam structure and advises that Benmore Dam Road will be closed to all traffic on the following dates and times (including a postponement date in case of poor weather):

Friday 17 July 2026 – 8.30am to 4.30pm
(Postponement date Saturday 18 July 2026)

During these road closure periods, all motorised, peddle power and walking traffic, will be unable to cross the Benmore dam top.

For any questions relating to the work on 17/18 July, please contact David Armstrong, Meridian Energy, Dams and gates owner 021 221 2596

08/06/2026

VACANCY: ACCOUNTS PAYABLE / RECEPTION
Full time | 37.5 hours per week

Waimate District Council is seeking a superstar for a hands-on role with great variety, where responsibilities range from processing invoices and reconciling payments through to welcoming customers, answering phone enquiries, and supporting colleagues across the organisation.

✅ Strong confidence working with systems and technology, with the ability to learn new tools and support others to use them effectively.
✅ An interest in or experience with accounting or financial processes, with a focus on accuracy and attention to detail.
✅ A friendly, welcoming manner and strong customer service skills.

Applications close on Sunday 28 June.

To read the full details, download the position description and APPLY, see the link in the comments.

Waimate District Council is seeking an Accounts Payable / Reception superstar to join the team. This is a hands-on role with great variety, where responsibilities range from processing invoices and re...

08/06/2026

UPDATE TO PONY CLUB JUMPS AT KNOTTINGLEY
The Waimate Pony Club is in the process of replacing 18 jumps within Knottingley Park and Arboretum following discussions earlier this year with Council’s Parks and Reserves team about the purchase of new jumps.

The proposal was accepted as the jump locations remain unchanged and the new jumps offer a significant upgrade in both appearance and rider safety.

At its meeting on 21 April 2026, Council considered a report from the Parks and Reserves Manager following a request from the Pony Club to paint the new jumps in bright colours.

Elected members discussed the possibility of a more muted colour scheme, weighing benefits such as improved visibility against the importance of maintaining the park’s wilderness character and true arboretum ambience, as outlined in the Knottingley Park and Arboretum Reserve Management Plan.

Council will work with the Pony Club to identify a suitable colour scheme (which includes retaining their natural state). The jumps are constructed using tanalised timber which does not require painting for longevity.