Raglan Talking to Raglan

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.

Half an hour with Mayor Aksel Bech covering issues, including a structure plan, rates (Aksel didn't recognise the 11.66% figure - it comes from an 8 April report saying "The average targeted rates increase is 11.66%"), roading, the World Surf League Championship and the beaches bylaw.

A discussion around the items on the agenda, including the World Surf League, Surfside's request for reduced rent for Wi Neera St properties, horses and vehicles on beaches and a survey saying we need to better manage traffic and improve the overall visitor and local experience, particularly during peak times.

A couple of apologies this week - I got the date of my interview with the mayor wrong - it's 9.30am this Thursday (30th) and also, there was a short silence part way through, before I picked a fascinating recording from 2010, of the late Malcolm Cox, telling a story as only he could, about his hobby of geckos and how they were surviving on Karioi. Also looking at the agenda for tomorrow's Communit...

A few news items, including that Mayor Aksel Bech should be on the radio about 9.30 on Thursday morning, talking about issues such as the surfing championships, followed by an interview about Xtreme Zero Waste from the Morning Show.

An interview about the Palestinian Prisoner day event at 11am in Bow St on Saturday and a decade old reminiscence about Xtreme Waste, together with the usual items, including conformation of an alcohol ban for a week of the 10-day surfing event at Manu Bay in May.

Another week of failing to talk to our councillor, so instead we heard about the alcohol ban proposed for Manu Bay during the surf championships, the Annual Plan (consultation is not required) with rates increase of 2.8%, but the flat rate Uniform Annual General Charge is going up 3% and 'targetted' rates 11.66%, despite postponing , or cancelling projects such as reserves and walkways. There was...

Noel Smith talked about the new council, government plans to abolish them, the wastewater consent and other issues.

Also covering https://www.gets.govt.nz/WARC/ExternalTenderDetails.htm?id=33796986 , which invites Bus Contract Renewals to run for 9 years from 1 Nov 2027. The government requires all new buses to be electric, but Regional Council say we could still have old diesel buses until 2035. It's also not clear that they'll remember to tell the bus companies they've promised further consultation about the...

An hour's chat with the Chair of Raglan Community Board, Ross Wallis, covering plans for the surfing competition in May, for Wainui Reserve and devolving decisions to RCB. We also talked about the possibility of an outdoor movement hub, getting trees planted at Manu Bay, stormwater, water and sewage upgrades, roading, buses and several other issues.

This week with news about the solar panels at the Raglan Wastewater works, where there's an open day on Sunday, about roads, too holy, too dangerous and ending with part of an archive interview with Nev Meekings, about the Majestic cinema, of which the box office remains at the entrance to the Town Hall.

This week the main items were an interview with Waikato Regional Councillor, Noel Smith, and a look at tomorrow's Raglan Community Board agenda.

Lisa Thomson joins us to talk about consultation, how the new council differs from the previous 3 years, Wainui 30yr plan, the wastewater consent, climate issues, resilience, the problem of representing an area that votes about 2/3 for Labour (or more progressive parties) in a council of National constituencies and which don't have tourism as a major issue, Māori representation, whether we'll get...

Aaron came back for a morning to talk about dolphins and seabed mining and our councillor, Lisa, says she's going to be on the radio at 9am on Thursday.

We listened to an Instagram promotion for the bus (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSGJK2rEqLC/?igsh=azI1Zm5sbDMxazJt) and to our Regional Councillor, Noel, asking a question about the bus; it seems there will be further consultation before they make any changes to the bus and that we might have electric buses from November next year. Also next Monday, 9th, councillors are having a round-table disc...

A look at the weather, local politics and what's on, together with an interview with Green MP, Kahurangi Carter, about her 6pm meeting tomorrow evening in the Supper Room. Also a hope that our district and regional council politicians might want to talk to their voters, but at present they don't.

Still some technical problems, but at least RTR was recorded this week and the interview about Friday's 6pm Pizza & Politics with Kahu in the appropriately named Supper Room can be heard.

In a draft decision the fast-track approvals panel hasn't approved seabed mining. Vera and I reminisced about Kiwis Against Seabed Mining's campaign and hope the final decision won't require even more work by KASM. This was a photo of Vera giving evidence to one of the many hearings - this one in 2014.