Raglan Talking to Raglan

At least Whāingaroa got the highest turnout in the recent local elections, but a turnout 1669 (39.8%) is not good. With a new enthusiastic Raglan Community Board chair and possibly evening meetings, hopefully 2028 will be better. Good to see the Waters Governance Board checking they're complying with resource consents - to see some of the illustrations look at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=...

Catching up with another week of local news and events, but probably nothing of significance this week. Today is the 190th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on 28 October 1835. James Busby got it signed by 34 northern chiefs and by 1839 it had 52 signatures. It allowed ships trading from here to Australia to fly a flag and be accepted like ships flying the flags of oth...

In 2012 Māori wards were defeated by 10,111 to 2,517. In 2025 they were defeated by 10,065 to 9,358 and in many other authorities they were approved. However, many councillors were elected to keep rates down, but might the subtle differences between them develop into more distinct divisions? Farmers are still over represented on local councils and boards. What will happen in the next 3 years of lo...

Have they been influenced by a perceived drop in the influence we have over decisions our local Council makes? 62% thought they had a say in 2006, but only 35% in 2024, according to a Waikato progress indicators publication by Regional Council. Also a Morning Show interview giving some idea what our new mayor, Aksel Bech, might change to give us more influence and cut council costs. .

We've only till noon on Saturday to get our votes in the box at the library, so interviews this week about horses on the beach and recycling, plus time for music.

Now to vote - before noon, a week on Saturday. At this stage of the 2022 election 6.2% of votes had been cast locally, but this time it's 17.3% (see https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/docs/default-source/your-council/elections/elections-2025/vote/waidc_rtnsbb1e193f36f361b3b84dff0000681c44.pdf?sfvrsn=72ed78c8_0). In the whole of Waikato District 7% had voted. This time it's 15.8%. Presumably the d...

Also some idea of the newly released report on the bus consultation, which gives Raglan no more buses, despite a 60.4% (102) yes, but Morrinsville will get more with only 23.1% (31) saying yes to more buses! It seems Regional Council can't count whether 3 or 4 people want a bus out west, but it's less than the 7 who wanted buses to Greenslade Rd. The excuse for buses to Whale bay, but not Greensla...

The other main news is the local election and still a few more candidates to fit in. Voting closes at noon on Sat 11 Oct, so still time to find out more about the candidates and Māori wards. Looking forward to checking if electric buses do give an 11% return on their cost - hope to have that answer next week. If we don't get people in buses, on bikes and walking, but have three, or four times as m...

How much is WDC paying consultants to do a 30 year Wainui Reserve plan was a question asked 2hr 17min into the video at https://waikato.civicclerk.com.au/web/Player.aspx?id=566&key What do you think of the answer? It may be discussed again at the last meeting of the current Community Board from 1.30pm tomorrow. More about the agenda is summarised at https://docs.google.com/document/d/10ELZmeuA...

Belchers Quarry (see photo), will it be sold, will they consult us? Papahua camp using some of the $407,117 profit to replace some gas heating with $130,000 of hot water heat pumps. Several submissions for a swimming pool, but still no action. Jo's cafe paid no rent to support the wider community, so why replace it with a 10 yr commercial lease and more penny pinching by removing Puriri Park's pla...

We've got 16 candidates to elect to 10 positions and 'meet the candidates' at 2.30pm on Sunday 14 September. So we need to decide which 10 we want, or which 6 we don't want. Also a bit of an environment centre update and an introduction to the balances shown in https://waikato.civicclerk.com.au/web/UserControls/pdf/web/DocPDFWrapper.aspx?p=1&aoid=585&token=b6ac83ea-1acf-4922-93a6-4a36cefb4...

A look at the local elections starting on 9 September, including Māori wards (do they need a different name, because they sound like something special for Māori, when they're only an attempt to reduce an injustice?), Waikato District Mayor and 4 candidates for 2 regional council seats. Also tonight's Doctor's Wife film and a Morning Show interview about how to safely dispose of lithium batteries -...

178 people put their views on the 2028-37 bus contract, updates on other news and Morning Show interviews about council and seabed mining.

Another edition of Raglan talking to Raglan, covering these issues and with Morning Show interviews about the community board and solar panels, police impounded a burnout car and the official opening of the new sewage works was today. .

Consultation on the Wainui Reserve 30 year plan should be coming soon. Whāingaroa has 26km of stormwater pipes, of which 1.7km has just had 28 tonnes of sediment flushed from it following a CCTV inspection. The upgraded sewage works has its official opening next week, water pipe renewals have been largely done in Point Street & Tutchen Ave and started on Papahua Reserve, CCTV is delayed yet ag...

This week Raglan talking to Raglan heard of proposals for Lorenzen Bay Recreation Reserve (to read them see page 99 of  https://waikato.civicclerk.com.au/web/UserControls/pdf/web/DocPDFWrapper.aspx?p=1&aoid=589&token=58f291b8-abcb-4d62-9e70-5215dcdd8017 ), including native planting, better access, nature play areas, educational signs and a new boardwalk / walkway to Greenslade Rd. Als...

Another week of Raglan talking to Raglan, covering the local elections (Fri 11am online info session is at https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/events/upcoming-events/event/2025/07/17/default-calendar/candidate-information-session-online?date=2025-07-18), the Gaza film on at 7pm in the Old School tomorrow night, the Ukraine events and other updates, including a bit more about diamonds.

A wide variety was covered this week. If you think you could do better than our current local politicians, get nominated to stand in the elections. If you know anything about Frank Rastrick's puriri sawmill on the Wainui Stream, tell us more than Hugh or Papers Past (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIGUS19020318.2.15) could. The photo is of a puriri which survived and wasn't made int...

Why is Raglan the only bus route they plan to “significantly reduce operating costs” by cutting the buses which run through to Hamilton East, though Raglan already has the lowest per passenger subsidy of all the rural bus routes? "Subject to funding," they propose a 2-hourly bus in the long term, whereas for Morrinsville (Eastern Connector) it is proposed to increase buses “to every 30 minute...

A catch up with the week's news in local environment and politics, plus 3 interviews from the Morning Show, including one about the Doctor's Wife film, on at the Old School at 7pm on Saturday. Also a reminder about the transport discussion in the upstairs lounge of Community House from 7pm this Wed (tomorrow), prior to the consultation about buses, which Regional Council is starting on Monday. Why...

Mainly previewing tomorrow's Community Board meeting at 1.30pm at Te Uku. The main content of it is a Transport Study. Structure Plans have not been funded in Council's Long Term Plan, but this study mentions the phrase 59 times and says a Structure Plan will provide community consultation to gather input, build consensus, and foster a sense of ownership and inclusion in the planning process. It s...

Mainly Morning Show interviews - our councillor, Lisa, KASM and the seabed mining protest 11am Manu Bay on Sunday and lots of Environment Centre events.

As Council decides on its Long Term Plan, a few quotes from its responses, such as the sewage plant “will provide treatment for up to 10500 PE (people equivalent) or flows of up to 6000m3/d.” and “Council has undertaken a transportation assessment of Raglan township which identified the current 1-lane bridge will need to be upgraded to a 2-lane bridge post 2035.” Also a couple of Morning Show inte...

After grumbling at the Long Term Plan hearing earlier this afternoon, I finally got a reply to my 11 April email. Council now say an investigation of a new bridge and tourist signage have been dropped from the LTP and also there is now no mention of that single lane bridge. They say the whole of a new roundabout at Te Hutewai/Wainui is funded by the developer and Waka Kotahi. Of the previous $1.3m...

It's the time of year when District and Regional councils are asking for our views on their plans, so an interview with each and some details of what's in them, including the errors. In Raglan, for a bus every 4 hours, the rate will be $76.69 per property, the same as those with an hourly bus, such as Cambridge, or Huntly. Another anomaly is that Te Uku and Whatawhata, on the same Raglan bus route...