Tamahere Community Open Day Draws Strong Engagement and Clear Community Direction

The Tamahere Community Committee's recent Open Day has confirmed one thing: residents care deeply about the future of their community.

Held as part of the Vision Tamahere 2075 initiative, the event attracted a steady stream of residents who took the opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing Tamahere over the coming decades.

Throughout the day, people completed a comprehensive community survey, explored information displays and shared their thoughts on topics ranging from transport and environmental protection to future growth, community facilities and long-term planning.

Listening to the Community

Rather than highlighting isolated concerns, the consultation revealed a remarkably consistent picture of what residents value most.

Across all 41 survey questions, a common theme emerged: people want Tamahere to continue evolving while protecting the qualities that make it a unique rural-residential community.

What Residents Told Us

The strongest themes included:

• Protect Tamahere's rural-residential character.

• Preserve larger lot sizes, open spaces and the village atmosphere.

• Avoid unnecessary urban sprawl.

• Improve walking and cycling connections.

• Support sensible transport improvements while reducing through-traffic.

• Restore and protect gullies, streams and native biodiversity.

• Expand parks, recreation spaces and community facilities.

• Improve public transport connections.

• Plan infrastructure to support future growth.

• Ensure local residents continue to have a meaningful voice in decision-making.

Community Questions Answered

The Open Day also featured a popular question-and-answer session with:

• Mayor Aksel Bech

• Chief Executive Craig Hobbs

• Regional Councillor Noel Smith

Residents asked questions covering transport projects, infrastructure, environmental management and the Government's proposed local government reform programme.

One message was repeated throughout the discussion—the importance of ensuring Tamahere continues to have a strong local voice as the district grows and governance arrangements evolve.

Progress With Purpose

One of the clearest messages from the consultation was that residents support progress—but not at the expense of Tamahere's identity.

People recognised that population growth, major transport projects, environmental expectations and local government reform will all influence the community over coming decades. The challenge is not whether change happens, but how it is managed.

Residents consistently expressed a desire for thoughtful planning that balances growth with the protection of Tamahere's unique character.

Thank You

The Tamahere Community Committee would like to thank everyone who attended the Open Day, completed the survey and shared their ideas.

Your feedback will help guide future planning and strengthen the Committee's ongoing discussions with Waikato District Council and other organisations.

The Vision Tamahere 2075 consultation has shown that our community is engaged, informed and committed to helping shape the future.

A village for future generations.

ENDS: