The total ban on sprinkler use in Hamilton will continue indefinitely due to the persistent drought conditions in the city and surrounding region. The ban has been subject to a formal assessment each fortnight for the last six weeks. Drought conditions have not eased in this time and subsequently the ban will continue beyond the earlier anticipated end date of March 31. Works and Services gener... more...

Hamilton Zoo is offering Hamiltonians the opportunity to have their trees pruned free of charge while providing tasty fare for its resident giraffes. Giraffes feast on a range of branches from trees common to local gardens and upon invitation, Hamilton Zoo staff will visit individual residences to prune suitable tree branches at no cost to the resident in exchange for taking these as food for the... more...

Waikato tourism operators are being invited to participate in reinforcing the region as a destination through the Visit Hamilton Tourism Conference 2008 on 31 March 2008 from 1pm-10pm. Council is collaborating with Tourism New Zealand and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to host the Visit Hamilton Tourism Conference: On Track to Success. The impetus behind the conference is to offer local and reg... more...

Waikato Museum has just completed its most successful February in terms of visitor numbers since 2000. The total number of visits made to Waikato Museum in the month of February has significantly exceeded previous February totals, reaching 8800. This marks a substantial increase from last year's February visitor numbers of 7159. Visitor numbers have been consistently increasing on a month-by-mon... more...

Hamilton Zoo has become the first zoo in New Zealand to attain accreditation from the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (ARAZPA). Hamilton Zoo was a founding member of ARAZPA and became the first New Zealand zoo to undergo an accreditation review when the organisation launched its accreditation programme last year. The International Antarctic Centre in Christchurch... more...

The first tangible works in the development of a new landmark facility at Claudelands Events Centre will begin this month as the historic Claudelands Grandstand is set to be relocated east. Council went through the Contract Sub-committee process to obtain approval for the $1.5m relocation project and gained resource consent in September 2007. Council has contracted specialist heritage architects... more...

Graffiti, litter and community spirit will be the target for over 500 volunteers hitting the streets of Enderley for a clean up this weekend. As part of Hamilton City Council's graffiti co-ordination work Council is joining forces with the New Zealand Police, Enderley residents and hundreds of Mormon Helping Hands volunteers to stage the Enderley Working Bee. On Saturday 8 March volunteers will ... more...

A complete ban on sprinkler use in Hamilton will continue until the end of March following a review of local and regional conditions. The ban will be subject to a formal assessment of the situation every fortnight and if conditions improve significantly consideration will be given to lifting the ban earlier. Water & Waste Services manager Shaun Hodson says that the domestic sprinkler ban put ... more...