VOTE Caroline Hobman, Mercury Bay Ward, Thames Coromandel District Council

27/10/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟯𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀.

31 October 2025 - Council Swearing in Ceremony

10/10/2025

Scientists are resurrecting a 2,000-year-old Roman concrete recipe that could transform how we build along coastlines.

Led by geologist Marie Jackson and startup Silica-X, the project is testing “self-healing” Roman-style concrete slabs off Long Island Sound.

Unlike modern cement, which cracks and corrodes, this ancient formula reacts with seawater to grow new minerals, strengthening itself over time.

The team hopes it could replace today’s short-lived seawalls and reduce the carbon footprint of construction.

Inspired by Roman harbors that still stand, this revived concrete may help fortify America’s coasts against rising seas.

09/10/2025

At last policy.nz have put my profile up on its website:
https://policy.nz/2025/mercury-bay-community-board/candidates/caroline-hobman

Don’t know who to vote for? Policy.nz is the complete guide to elections. Compare the candidates to see where you stand.

29/09/2025

From 22 September 2025, you can vote in your local body elections selecting your next Mayor, Councillors and Board members to represent your voice in decisions made for your community!

25/09/2025

Hey voters, in areas without a post box or a TCDC office... 👇🏼👇🏼

22/09/2025

22/09/2025

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗟𝗚𝗡𝗭 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲.
See post in comments below as to one of the reasons why...

18/09/2025

Mercury Bay is a place of sublime beauty but it has the fastest urban growth of the Coromandel Peninsula. It is important that the Thames-Coromandel District Council has careful plans and policies in place for future development, ensuring that developers fulfill their obligations, including providing quality infrastructure for any developments and when "they leave town", that they have met their contractual obligations, so ratepayers are not left to carry any financial burdens due to any possible shortfalls.
𝗧𝗖𝗗𝗖 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗱.
Cook's Beach Lake A and B are principally detention ponds designed as part of a development to manage storm water and reduce flooding by temporarily holding excess water, however, they've been problematic in that there's been an aquatic w**d overgrowth. After battling for sometime with TCDC, the locals will, hopefully, soon be hosting their preferred form of aquatic w**d control, Triploid Grass Carp. Several of these fish will be introduced into the lakes ideally before Christmas and they will happily chomp away on the w**ds, at last.
I appreciate the saint-like patience and persistent work of the Southern Residents' and Ratepayers' Association chairperson Paul Hopkins, and his associates Frank Geoghegan and Justin Fisher. Locals finding solutions for local issues albeit a frustrating and long process.

18/09/2025

It was many years ago that I was sitting in my night classes of Town & Country (T&C) Planning at Wellington Polytechnic, as part of my Survey Draughting NZ Certificate learning about footpaths, median strips and gutters and wondering how planners decided to plant what trees where, whilst operating exquisite Swiss, aerial mapping machines by day.
Never then imagining that I'd be involved, many years later, carefully listening to and bringing members of the public's questions, ideas and concerns to a Community Board that is a cog in the Town & Country Planning operations wheel, of the local Thames-Coromandel District Council.
One never knows where ones life can lead, especially if one has been traveling such a meandering path as mine has been. First year out of high school programming IBM Computers the size of mini-vans whilst also studying statistics, accounting, maths and communications English.
Then continuing study for aerial mapping, draughting and T&C for the NZ Department of Lands & Survey followed by four years with the NZ Forest Service, also producing aerial maps, as well as operating and managing a photographic darkroom, producing B&W aerial photographs.
Overseas for seven years living in Greece, England - my homeland, the USA and arriving in the Caribbean on a super yacht from Florida, where I lived for nearly four years.
Returning to NZ in 1992 and eventually landing at my forever home, in Whitianga on Waitangi Day 2016, eventually putting my eclectic past to good use as a member of the Mercury Bay Community Board since October 2022.

18/09/2025

𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗱.
𝗧𝗲𝗹 𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝟰𝟯𝟴 𝟰𝟲𝟱𝟰 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗧𝗖𝗗𝗖@𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗻.𝗺𝗲

16/09/2025

Very disappointing use of a casting vote. 🙁

My August 2025 monthly The Coromandel Informer WRC post ✅️