Instead of going into Council Head Office at 20 Thames Street for enquiries and Council services, you can pop into Ōamaru Library at 62 Thames Street during the week or on a Saturday morning.
Over the last two weeks we have noticed and been made aware of some issues with the maps and ePlan tool that resulted in property reports and various layers not displaying. This has now been rectified and we encourage you to recheck the maps and lodge a submission.Council recently agreed to extend the submission period by a week, from 9 May to 16 May 2025.
Published on 05 September 2023
Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher met with writer and peace activist Farid Ahmed yesterday, and was thanked for the Waitaki districts response to the 2019 Christchurch terror attack.
Mr Ahmed, whose wife was killed during the attacks, has since then written and spoken extensively about how he forgave the terrorist. He gifted the Mayor a copy of his book “Husna's Story: My wife, the Christchurch massacre & my journey to forgiveness” as a token of appreciation.
Following the attack, Oamaru held a candlelight vigil at Takaro Park on Friday 5 April 2019, with speakers including the Mayor and Upoko David Higgins.
Amid an upswell of support for New Zealand’s Muslim community the bench outside the Oamaru Court House became a temporary memorial for flowers and messages of support. Some Council staff also wore headscarves in a gesture of solidarity, one Friday after the tragedy.
“I believe the tragedy was one thing, but the reaction to the tragedy from Kiwis was super, it was world class. We need to keep that unity going, and it is best for our country to keep that unity going.” says Mr Ahmed.
“The leadership Mr Ahmed has shown in the community, it’s been something people have been able to hold onto and see that the relationships built in the aftermath of the attacks are something to be built on, something that can bring people together” says Mayor Gary Kircher.