Raglan Talking to Raglan

Waikato District's Strategy, Growth and Finance Committee includes on its agenda that Council emissions are down from 1,277 tons CO2e in 2020 to 714 in 2026, cattle on Wainui reserve are down from 98 to 70 (no date for when they will go), electric vehicles up from 11 to 16, 21 diesel, 32 hybrid, LPG water heaters have been replaced by heat pumps, 45% of WDC's electricity is used in street lights a...

Last week of voting and these are the times. For other places to vote see https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/voting-in-the-election/find-a-voting-place?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=yr+display&utm_content=PMAX&utm_campaign=Generic&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24226880054&gbraid=0AAAAACMDdukt_FbIM_nVZmDGU-C0CCSjn&gclid=CjwKCAiAhqHXBhAXEiwATbksU4LBrSpOvb...

Voting has opened (see https://vote.nz/2026-general-election/voting-in-the-election/find-a-voting-place? Type=ge&Electorate=Taranaki-King+Country&Suburb=Raglan&isAccessible=false for voting times). The Community Board meets at 1.30 tomorrow (Wed) at Te Uku with an agenda (at https://waikato.civicclerk.com.au/web/UserControls/DocPreview.aspx?p=1&aoid=718&token=ea7b13aa-a654-4ba7...

A very successful meet the candidates was recorded on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/live/Mt4wZwnlqyA. Still images of the yes/no votes are at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=29169550989337328&set=g.325348818026505 and press the left button for them all. I was surprised our MP, Barbara Kuriger, voted against National Party policy so often, or maybe policy is changing; NZ First and ACT...

Still little to report from the councils, except vandalism and the loss of WDC's CEO already. Also a Morning Show interview about the birds on Karioi's coast.

District Council is approving its annual report tomorrow. Top of its spending is still roading, yet, when it comes to spending for lower carbon forms of transport, the response is so often that ratepayers can't afford it. Crashes were up from 43 to 48 last year. Also they plan to ask if there should be more fenced dog exercise areas. Plus the interview with the mayor covering the controversial top...

To have your say on the Long Term Plan 2027-2036 go to https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/plans/long-term-plan/have-your-say. If you think their priority should be something not in their list, add it at 'Other'. Food sovereignty is a theme of the group https://growingradicles.org/, which have courses, etc on their website.

The Surf Championships are coming back. The Community Board meets at 1.30 in the next Town Hall Supper Room on Wednesday (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-E8hzRlxC8_PUiRWwSVKaTmPVNHYIzSf3HOgbM8fKxs/edit?usp=sharing), Regional Council heard the case for more Raglan buses yesterday (see video at https://youtu.be/gJdzgkjhKFk from 31min 30sec). There's a bus going to the March for Nature on Saturd...

At 1.15pm on Mon 14th Waikato Regional Council at 160 Ward St, Hamilton will hear the case for Raglan's buses to have equal treatment with other towns - come and listen and sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/improve-protect-raglan-public-transport. RTR this week also covered the 47% fare rise - have your say at https://yourvoicematters.waikatoregion.govt.nz/rptp-2022-2032-proposed-fare-...

Still no council meetings, but GoRaglan have published World Surf League Impact Report 2026 (https://goraglan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Whaingaroa-Raglan-World-Surf-League-Impact-Report-30-AUG-2026-3.pdf), which shows most of the 10% responding to them want WSL back again and that only apparel and personal businesses lost income during WSL. Also Morning Show interviews with the mayor and abou...

Regional Council's Future Proof committee has a Where we will grow map showing where extra housing is planned and has planned for how most areas will cope with the extra people, but for Raglan only the location and water services have been planned. That seems to account for places such as Te Kauwhata, with less traffic, fewer tourists and a smaller population, getting an hourly bus, when Raglan is...

Not much news or many events this week. However, regional council's transport committee decided to support an end to gold card free weekday peak travel on buses, when National Ticketing starts. Consultation will be 3 Sep-5 Oct. But does the cost of ticketing swallow up most of the cost of collecting fares? Waka Kotahi say fares collect $331m nationwide, towards a $1,710m cost of public transport....

This week I noted that District Council has a Raglan Structure Plan fund of $967,062, though it's not clear whether it can be used to resurrect the much needed Structure Plan last heard of in 2009. Also Regional Council clearly noted the publicity about better buses, yet has no plans to give Raglan a bus to equal that planned for Te Kauwhata from next year, despite Te Kauwhata's census population...

Regional Council had a transport committee meeting this morning, but the bus contracts part was just a verbal update and they've not yet put the recording on their website. The final deadline for Council approval is 29 October. The Community Board has a meeting tomorrow, but there seem to be no major issues on the agenda. A possible reason is that District Council has staff shortages. A benefit of...

Buses remain in the news, with the rather smaller Te Kauwhata, also having fewer tourists, getting an hourly bus from November 2027 for a rate of $27.26 a year, but Raglan keeping its bus timetable with gaps of many hours, passengers standing and paying $77.88 a year. Other news is of 18 second slower journeys through Whatawhata speed cuts , which are open for consultation until 27 August. Plus Mo...

Apologies for the technical problems which didn't record the start of RTR this week. So the podcast starts part way through a Morning Show interview with Community Board chair, Ross Wallis. Not much news this week, but 36 people came to the Better Buses Meeting last Sunday. A follow up hui is on Sun 23 Aug 4pm in the Supper Room. Feedback included when buses should run, the need to provide for wee...

There's a bus meeting at 4pm on Sunday in the Town Hall Supper Room. Why does Raglan pay $77.88 a year as a bus rate for buses at 4 hour intervals, when Pōkeno pays $27.26 pa. for an hourly bus? The event is at https://www.facebook.com/events/1594370832398160 Also news of over 70 offshore volcanoes and interviews about Karioi and fishery protection.

There's a bus meeting coming up a week on Sunday - Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/1594370832398160 and this Friday is the deadline to have more than the current 17 in Raglan having a say about local government - go to https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/your-council/simplifying-local-government. It's also Matariki, with several events happening - see our list of events for detai...

News this week includes the Waingaro Hot Springs Hotel in liquidation, reorganising local government (to respond see https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/your-council/simplifying-local-government) and teacher, Hāhona Ormsby, talking from 7pm tomorrow (Wed) night at the Old School, Stewart St, about his experience with a Palestine flotilla and Winston Peters. There's also a map of where horses might...

This week's news includes slow progress with water, sewage and stormwater, the most crowded buses in Waikato, a tyre slasher from Auckland not being prosecuted by police and an article promoting real estate. This week's Morning Show interviews were about the Community Board and planning for a swimming pool.

This film at 7.30pm on Saturday was among events mentioned this evening. The WEL Energy Trust election and local government reform were other topics.

In 2016 $289,000 was spent installing these 100,000L sewage tanks under Nihinihi Ave. The agenda for tomorrow's Community Board meeting (1.30pm Town Hall Supper Room) says "Marine Parade Pump Station – Replacement is proposed due to the identified wet well failure. Survey works have been completed. An engagement is underway to investigate options to replace the pump station in its current location...

A bit of news from the agendas of Waikato District Council, a sample of the coverage of the surf competition and a couple of interviews about geology.

"Despite suggestions of eternal damnation, and votes for a 'woke, leftist agenda', Waikato Regional Council decided to continue with its Local Government NZ membership by 10-3". It also decided to put a Biodiversity Strategy out for consultation and looked at its residents’ environmental perceptions survey 2025 , which showed a "noticeable increase in the numbers of residents who raise the issue o...

A bit more about the plans for the surfing championships, plus an interview with the chair of the community board, Ross, and the start of one with the mayor, Aksel - listen to the podcast to hear the rest, or wait to see if there's time to fit it in next week.