Free vet checks and a barbecue as Gunnedah opens its new animal impound to the public
Free vaccinations, microchipping, and health checks for your pet, plus a free barbecue. Gunnedah’s new $1.9 million animal impound is opening its doors, and here’s what’s inside.
Late professor’s gift of 100 pin oaks takes root on Armidale cycleway
He never told his family. Years after his death, a former Armidale professor’s secret bequest is turning a much-loved cycleway into the leafy canopy he always pictured.
Tamworth forum to tackle farming for profit and biodiversity
Can you farm for profit and biodiversity at the same time? North West producers will get some frank answers from farmers, ecologists, and scientists at a new Tamworth forum this month.
Waratah sculpture debuts in Dorrigo
Four years in the making, Dorrigo’s newest sculpture seeks to connect community and environment.
Local News
Tamworth writers share their stories in Seniors’ Stories
A TV newsreader turned Tamworth local, a long-lost friend, and a Kenyan ranger with a bayonet. Two Tamworth writers have stories in this year’s Seniors’ Stories.
Tamworth and Armidale in the frame for new regional Growth Zones
Tamworth and Armidale have been named as possible Growth Zones in a new plan for regional NSW. But first, business leaders say, the region has to fix housing, skills, and infrastructure.
Gunnedah’s Lacie Johnstone named 2026 Trainee of the Year
She arrived at Gunnedah Shire Council a year ago looking for a new challenge. Now Lacie Johnstone is the 2026 Trainee of the Year, and her boss says she hasn’t looked back.
Guyra’s Elizabeth Rosser wins 2026 John Winter-Irving Bequest
She’s helped revive Landcare around Guyra and fights for isolated students across rural NSW. Now Elizabeth Rosser has been honoured with the 2026 John Winter-Irving Bequest.
What's On
LONG READ >
The pipeline that wasn’t: inside the fight over Keepit water
WEEKEND LONG READ: The Keepit pipeline is dead. Downstream towns are relieved, Tamworth’s mayor calls it political, and the city’s backup is a pipeline that has sat full of stale water for years. What happens in the next drought?
Events
Sapphire City MarketsEnds: November 15, 2026
Tenterfield Job ExpoEnds: November 20, 2026
Sounds of the SessonEnds: November 28, 2026
Stained Glass WorkshopEnds: November 29, 2026
PUBLIC MEETING ON BENDEMEER SOLAR FARMEnds: December 5, 2026- Sapphire City MarketsEnds: December 6, 2026
Politics
Tamworth council moves to close its last after-school care service, but is the decision final?
In April, Tamworth parents were told the South Tamworth centre was still there for them. Now council has begun moves to close it, and the union says the decision is already made.
Farms flooded without consent: Canavan
Water released onto private farms with no permission and no compensation, and the department admits it never sought legal advice. Senator Matthew Canavan says Estimates has exposed a property rights fight.
NSW grain growers gain a national voice
A harvest-time win on phosphine rules was just the start. NSW Farmers and GrainGrowers have made their alliance official, and their leaders say governments will have to listen.
Laptops off the list for primary kids
No more forking out over a thousand dollars for a school laptop. NSW public primary schools are dropping BYOD from 2027, and screen time in class is about to shrink.
Basin review names urgent reforms
One in 10 Australians live and work in the Murray Darling Basin. A major review has named the reforms it needs, and conservationists say the ball is now in politicians’ court.
Coalition taskforce to hunt for new dams
One in six apples, four in 10 blocks of butter, and nearly half our pork could be imported by 2040, the Coalition warns. Its answer is more dams.
North West cotton growers to get new help fighting soilborne disease
Verticillium wilt is a serious threat in long-term irrigated cotton. A new partnership aims to put better soil science in the hands of local growers.
Farmers call for simpler environment laws
Follow every NSW rule and you could still fall foul of federal law. Farmers say the system is broken, and they have built their own tool to help.
Energy and Environment
Bendemeer to have its say on contested solar farm
More than 100 objections have pushed a 200-megawatt solar farm near Bendemeer to the Independent Planning Commission. Now locals can tell the decision-makers what they think, face to face.
Going electric saves $4,300 a year
The average household going electric is now $4,300 a year better off. But millions of renters are locked out of the savings. Here’s what the new numbers show.
Tamworth hits 50 million containers as New England joins the cycle for National Recycling Week
Tamworth residents have returned 50 million drink containers through the town’s Return and Earn depot, and the milestone will be marked with a community celebration during National Recycling Week.
BUSINESS HIGHLIGHT >
Primary Health Network continues to support and invest in the Glen Innes community
Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN) has reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to Glen Innes through continued investment in local healthcare services, community programs and innovative models of…
Have your say on the future name of Killean
New owners of McLean Care want your help in naming the main home, and have put up $5000 to make it worth your while to have your say. Vote now!
BUSINESS
Microsoft says sorry for 24 hours-long global outage
A global outage of Microsoft Outlook and Teams is easing after about 24 hours of chaos that crippled online communications
INDIGENOUS
Gunnedah’s Rainbow Serpent restoration wins state award
Crafted by Kamilaroi women, eroded by the western sun, and pieced back together tile by tile. Gunnedah’s Rainbow Serpent has just won a state award, and the judges couldn’t stop praising it.
SPORT
Skateboarding rolls into Tamworth’s Regional Academy Games under new three-year deal
Skateboarding is coming to Tamworth’s Regional Academy Games. A new three-year deal could open the door from the local skatepark to the national stage for regional NSW’s most talented young skaters.
On engage now
Engage is our hub for opinion, letters, comments and ideas.
- Begin Rant: the big bill of paying people to behave
RK writes pays you to buy an EV, install a battery, and take out private health cover. What it never tells you is what it costs to run, police, and fix those programs. The post Begin Rant: the big bill of paying people to behave appeared first on New England Times Engage.
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Good News
Mechanical wonders still on show in Armidale Mall windows after Creative Streets
A witch on a flying bicycle, twin bearded makers among the clocks, and a cardboard robot built by goblins are still moving in Armidale Mall shop windows, giving locals a last chance to see displays made possible by some of Armidale’s most creative minds for the Creative Streets Festival.
Tamworth’s First City of Light engines receive world honour at 138th birthday
Tamworth lit up Australia’s streets first, back in 1888. On Sunday morning its rare steam engines received an international honour, and the free birthday celebrations continue Monday.
