Connecting The Plains

11/04/2026

Can you believe it's already been two weeks since our Giant Pumpkin Festival? As we head into the holidays we would just like to say thank you to everyone that took part and came along on the day. Thanks to you we were able to raise around $5000 for our Garden to Table program. Congratulations to our winners on the day, this year our big raffles were won by Jess Hamblyn (Table) and Tanika Way (Garden). And of course a massive congratulations to the Manning family for their awesome pumpkin which weighed in a whopping 108kg!!!

Are you looking to do a bit of gardening in the holidays? These sponsors might give you a bit of an imagination boot: Bulbs Direct, Yates NZ, Wallys Gardening Enterprises, Tui Garden Products, Macdirect Ltd, Birdies Garden Products NZ, Wonder Weeder, Mrs Greenjeans Seedlings, Oasis Garden - Thames NZ, The Garden Tool Store, Thames Mitre 10, or Aeroview Garden Centre.

Perhaps you are more inclined to be indoors (especially in this weather 🌧), these sponsors might give you a bit of inspiration: Barker's of Geraldine, VJ cooks, Mad Millie, Re-store, NZ Bakels, Farrah's, Pepper & Me, The Good Oil, The Warehouse, Harraways, or Ngatea Hammer Hardware, Garden Centre & Little RED Hen Giftshop, Whittaker's Chocolate Lovers, Top Notch Macadamias, Ngatea Prime Meats Ltd, PAK’nSAVE Thames

Maybe you're just going to stay local and chill, these sponsors might have services or goods that are of interest: Aegis Oil Company, 3el's supermarket, Cole Engineering Ltd, Marine Power Systems, Baker Farms Ltd, The Glory Company , Hill Excavation, Farm Source Ngates, Richard Fisher Transport, even enjoy a day out at The Waterworks Coromandel.

31/03/2026

🌾🏁 Breaking News, Hosting the Battle Of The Paddocks! 🏁🌾

Get ready, Hauraki Plains! This weekend, we’re bringing the first-ever Battle Of The Paddocks - Tractor Edition, racing right through the town streets! 🚜💨

Expect high speed turns at The Public Office, mud run across the Ngatea Rugby Field and a compulsory pit stop mid race at the local café for the ultimate coffee refuel.

Spectators welcome, bring your lawn chairs and cheering voices!

Warning: Helmets optional, laughter mandatory.

27/02/2026

🚤 Twin Rivers Water Ski Race — Back This Weekend!

The Annual Twin Rivers Water Ski Race returns on Saturday 7 March 2026 — come down and check out the action!

📍 Where: Piako River (Ngatea to the Firth) and Waihou River (Firth to Puke Bridge)
⏰ Time: 8:30am – 3:00pm

⚠️ Waterway notice: For safety, water users (other than competitors) are asked to avoid these areas between 8:30am and 3:00pm on event day.

Bring the whānau, enjoy the atmosphere, and support an awesome local event!

12/02/2026

Connecting The Plains

Connecting The Plains is all about bringing the Hauraki Plains community closer together. We are a community-driven group dedicated to supporting, celebrating, and strengthening the connections that make our rural area thrive. Our goal is to create opportunities for people, businesses, and organisations to come together, share ideas, and take part in activities that enrich our community.

We focus on promoting and supporting local community events, from parades and fundraisers to cultural and seasonal celebrations. These events are the heartbeat of our community and they bring people together, showcase local talent and businesses, and create shared experiences that foster pride and belonging.

Beyond events, we aim to highlight the achievements and contributions of the people and groups that make the Hauraki Plains unique. By sharing stories, connecting networks, and encouraging participation, we help build a stronger, more resilient community where everyone feels included and valued.

At Connecting The Plains, we believe that a connected community is a thriving community. By supporting local events and initiatives, celebrating local people, and promoting collaboration across the Plains, we are here to help our community grow stronger, together.

03/02/2026

🎉 Kaihēre School Turf Opening Celebration 🎉

You’re invited to celebrate the opening of Kaihēre School’s new turf, a fantastic achievement for the school and wider community.

📅 Thursday 12 February
⏰ From 5:30pm
🍔 $5 burgers
⚽ Games on the turf

03/02/2026

Kerepehi Community & Domain Trust – Car Boot Sale Fundraiser 🚗🛍️

We’re excited to announce our very first planned fundraiser for the Kerepehi Community Hall!

Join them for a Car Boot Sale where every stall helps raise funds towards a new roof for the Kerepehi hall.
💰 $10 per stall
📅 Saturday 14 February
⏰ From 9am (stall holders from 8am to set up)

We need the support of our community to make this a successful day, so please come along and join in.

Please feel free to share this post and help spread the word 🙌

24/12/2025

🎄 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 🎄

This Christmas Day, we want to take a moment to say thank you to our incredible community. Your support, trust, and connection mean more to us than words can say.

From 𝗟𝘂𝗸𝗲, 𝗔𝗻𝗻, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀, 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗬𝘃𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲, 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗮, 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲, 𝗥𝗮𝘆 & 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲, we wish you and your loved ones a day filled with joy, peace, laughter, and togetherness.

We hope the season brings you hope and happiness as we look ahead to a bright 2026 year together.

❤️🎁✨
𝑴𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 & 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔

22/12/2025

We would like your feedback 🎄

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Hauraki Plains Community Christmas Parade hosted by . We would love to hear what you thought so we can keep improving and growing this event for our community.

Fill out our short survey and you will go in the draw to win a prize. We are locking something in soon so stay tuned to find out what you could win.

Your feedback helps shape future events across the Plains and we really appreciate you taking the time.

Survey link below👇

Thank you for joining us at the Ngatea Christmas Parade. We would love your feedback to help us improve and grow this event for future years. Your answers will help shape future community events across the Plains.

22/12/2025

🎄⭐Our Richardsons Hauraki Plains Christmas Light Competition is here. 🎄⭐

Make your way around the Hauraki Plains and view all of the fantastic Christmas lights.

We have categories for:
• Best Decorated Home
• Best Decorated Business
• Best Decorated Letterbox
• People's Choice.

🏆Winners announced: Monday 22nd December

👉 To enter or nominate, simply follow the link below.
https://vist.ly/4iygr

👉 To VOTE in the peoples choice category, follow the link below.
https://vist.ly/4iygt

12/12/2025

Around the World and Sleighing – 2025 Float Winners

A massive congratulations to all our float entrants this year. You truly sleighed it.

Top Voted Club: Lions Club of Ngatea
Top Voted Business: Stop & Eat - Ngatea
Top Voted Children: Barnardos Early Learning
Top Voted Overall: Ngatea Playcentre

A huge thank you to everyone who brought the Around The World theme to life for our Parade. The creativity and colour made for one incredible night and gave the community a display to remember.

And a massive thank you to the whole team who helped bring this event together behind the scenes. You made Christmas magic happen for the Plains.

Thanks Chilled Edge Photography for the winners photos.

12/12/2025