Raglan Politics

In a wide ranging discussion that takes us through the council merger process, moves to further reduce council powers, the IAWAI Waters bill we talk about the change that are happening around local government and try to unpick the driving forces for these changes.

The government's rushed council merger process appears to have pitted council's against each other with Taupo vehemently opposed to a plan developed by Waikato District to combine the five river councils into a single Unitary Authority.How did relationships suddenly get strained near the end of the process and can each council's fears be soothed?We also took about the multi-decade effort to get a town plan for Raglan.

Not much is happening at the District Council so John Lawson has been checking out the Regional Council staff's attempts to educate their Councillors about climate change. We also look at transport issues and whether Raglan is preparing properly for it's expected growth.

John's back on the Morning Show to look at local council issues, plus we accidentally start looking at a bit of national politics and then run out of things to talk about because councils are so busy working on the government's merger program they haven't spent much time on their usual business.

Following the Community Board meeting on Wednesday we talk to Chairperson Ross Wallis about: The new cell phone tower, Te Uku Subdivision, WSL feedback, discretionary fund grants, constant staffing turnover within council, Manu Bay boat ramp and the proposed council mergers.

With just a few days left for councils to decide who they're going to merge with we talk to Waikato Mayor Aksel Bech about who's in who's out of his plan for a Western Waikato Council. We also discuss a solution to the fears around the rural/city divide which is still dominating discussions.We catch Mayor Aksel immediately before of a meeting with the Mayor's of Waipa and South Waikato where they will no doubt be working on a plan to convince Hamilton and Taupo to join them.

There's not much happening at council aside from the focus on the governmandated merges so we get a good look at that before talking about speed limit changes in Whatawhata and well that's about it

Council is still doing it's normal business, including Mayoral Awards, road closures, planning for the long term spending plan and figuring out details like how much we charge Maui Dolphin Day organisers to use Papahua for their event.

Waikato District Council is settling on a merger plan that includes the councils in the west of our region that form the Waikato River Catchment. Lisa Thomson joins us in the studio to talk about this decision and whether the other councils are interested in joining.

With restructures going on both inside council and outside with the council mergers, our Community Board Chairperson is struggling to get work done but there has been movement on the new cell phone tower problem, Manu Bay boatramp and the board has been submitting on the council merger issues.

Councillor Mike Keir joins us to look at how cutting rates could negatively impact our roads. He talks about the new roading contract at council, how often roads should receive maintenance and whether council can get away with cutting rates by being smarter with the spending. We talk about the recent controversy at council where Mike ended up in hot water for repairing a footpath without final approval.We also look at the state of Bow St and get a quick update about the latest thinking at WDC on the council merger process.Mike is the councillor for Tamahere, Chair of the WDC Roading Committee and former manager/owner of a roading company.

John Lawson joins us to talk about problems with the way buses were planned for Raglan plus we look in at the council merger process and cuts that are being planned for council services in the new long term spending plan.

What are we going to tell our council to do with the government's council merger program?Tony Mayow, former Council Manager and Community Development Activist, is back in the studio to help us figure out what a good council might actually look like.

Lisa joins us ahead of the Strengthening Our Voice In Local Government event this Sunday at 2pm in the Town Hall. We talk about the options facing our community and how the governments merger process will work, what the answered questions are and how people can have their say.

Mayor Aksel joins us in the midst of a hurried tour around the district talking to communities about what they want out of the council merger plans. We find out the latest thinking from the region's Mayors as well as the popular sentiment amongst ratepayers - and discuss the options currently on the table.

Penny Hulse is the former Deputy Mayor of Waitakere City and the Auckland Super City. She was also a panel member on the 2023 Review Into The Future Of Local Government report.She will speaking at a public meeting in the Town Hall on Sunday at 2pm so we caught up with her in advance to get her thoughts on the Simplifying Local Government plan and her experience with the Super City Formation.

Noel Smith our local councillor for the Waikato Regional Council joins us to talk about the nationwide council shakeup and what it means for the work they do at the Regional Council.

WEL Energy Trust Election, Stormwater issues, overcrowded buses, a brief history of local body politics in Whaingaroa.

We talk to Ross about the council merger process and what the Community Board perspective is on the big changes coming our way.

Ross talks to us about the local boards plans for the community, what it's like working with the council beauracracy, we also look back at the WSL, discuss the proposed church on Wi Nera St and find out how the process of delegating power to the community boards is going

The Government wants to reduce the number of councils in New Zealand so we've got Tony Mayow in the studio to reflect on his experience with the Auckland Super City merger.Tony spent much of his career trying to make councils more responsive to their community and has experience of ensuring councils their democratic intent through the merger process.

We also discuss the Community Board Meeting and community swimming pool .

John Lawson joins us to have a look at Wednesday's Raglan Community Board meeting and the issues they'll be discussing.

John and Aaron come up with their own council amalgamation plan - starting around the 13 minute mark - but before that they also talk about the mythical Raglan Structure Plan and how close we are to manifesting the plan, plus they look at the WSL and whether it will be coming back

With just 3 months to meet the government's deadline for council amalgamation plans we get current Mayor Aksel Bech on the line to find out what the process will be and if we will get a say in the process.We also talk about whether Raglan Lawns will still have the council contract to mow locally and hear the Mayor's perspective on the WSL.

We catch up with Lisa about what's been happening with Council over the last few months, including setting rates, the rates cap, Wainui Reserve and the recent Community Board Meeting. We also review the recent WSL surf event and look at the changes that council has to make under the governments new local body merger orders.

WDC Mayor Aksel Bech joins us to talk about the Government's local government reforms and how the will impact the reforms he's trying to make within Waikato District Council. We also talk about the rates cap and the work he'll be doing once he's back from the Christmas break as well as the many other changes that the government is bringing through.

John and Aaron attempt to discuss all the big events and headlines that happened in 2025. It was a year that produced a new mayor and a new sewerage treatment plant but also continued the problems with people getting in trouble at sea.

Ross joins us in the studio to look over the issues discussed at the Raglan Community Board's first full meeting since the election.Meeting times, trial Raglan bus, summer prep with Xtreme Waste and Police, Descretionary Fund, sealing Rural roads, Greenslade Playground, Wainui Reserve 30 year plan, town planning, council reporting issues, Harbour water quality.

Lisa Thomson joins us to talk about; freedom camping, this week's community board meeting, a new water tower, cell phone tower government changes to the local body scene, stormwater, traffic issues around Raglan Area School and summer preparations

John and Aaron try to figure out what the government is trying to achieve by breaking up regional councils and look at the Community Board agenda for tomorrow's meeting.

Our new Community Board Chair Ross Wallis is in studio to talk about the new powers that the Mayor has delegated to Community Boards and about the Board's plans for the next three years.

Our Councillor Lisa Thomson has been appointed Chair of the new Community Voice and Choice Committee - one of the three main committees of council - so we talk with her about her hopes for this new role and what it means for the new Mayor to prioritise community engagement in such a significant way, We also check in on local issues and how the new community board is coming together.

Mayor Aksel joins us to talk about changes he's making to the way council operates and to the new powers he's delegating to the Raglan Community Board. We also talk about his desire for transparency and for communities to have more of a say in how the council operates.

We talk about the efforts at the Regional Council to try to stop Plan Change 1 plus look at various projects and opportunities to give feed back to the District Council. We also look at how many times sewer lines have been incorrectly connected to the stormwater system - something that has caused very high E Coli. readings in our harbour.

Ross Wallis joins us in the studio fresh from being elected as Chair of the Raglan Community Board earlier in the week. We talk about the plans for the next three years and what it might mean if the new Mayor goes through with his plan of giving more power to the Community boards

John Lawson is in studio to look at the final election results and maybe predict what's going to happen over the next three years. We also look at couple of consultations happening at the moment about activities on our beaches and also freedom camping on James St.

We talk to Lisa Thomson in her first interview since winning a fourth term as our local Councillor and catch up about the local issues that council is working on including bad behavior from campers on James St, the Beaches by-law, Wainui Reserve 30 year plan, CCTV cameras - and we also look back at the election results including the Maori Ward referendum.

Waikato District Council's new Mayor Aksel Bech joins us following his big win at the weekend's local body election. We talk about his plans for the next three years and how he'll keep those election promises.

With just days left till the local body election closes we look at the stats to see if there will be a bigger turn out this year and talk about some issues that have come up during the campaign.

One of our candidates for Plan Change 1 at the Waikato Regional Council has described this plan as being something that will cost the Regional economy billions of dollars. We've got Craig Mitchell in the studio to see if we can get behind the hyperbole and slogans and find our what the Plan means and whether the council can stop it - if they decide the want to.

Did the Regional Council staff make decisions on the public transport without all the information from a survey? It would appear that the full results of a region-wide survey were not put in front of the council when they had to make key decisions about the upcoming bus contract which is due to be negotiated with a private contractor. John Lawson has been asking questions and has a few answers, but wants more.

John and Aaron check out the voter returns to date and review the Meet the Candidates event that was run by Raglan Community Radio and discuss the state of play at the moment.

There was a lot of news from the recent Community Board meeting so we've bought Chairperson Dennis Amoore into the studio to find out what happened.

We meet Eloise Deller and learn a little bit about her background and why she chose to run for the Raglan Community Board.

With the Maori ward Referendum coming up we talk to our local Maori Ward Councillor about her experience over the last three years and find out in, practical terms, what a Maori Ward Councillor does. Tilly Turner is the first, and returning Councillor for the Tai Runga Takiwaa Maori Ward within Waikato District Council.

Chris joins us in the studio to tell us why he's running for a third term on the Raglan Community Board and we talk about what he feels he's achieved and what else he wants to do.

He's not running for council but he has a lot to say about the process. We cover a couple of things that have come up on the election trail plus we take a look at the upcoming community board meeting this week - which will be the last before the election.

Satnam joins us in the studio to talk about his last three years on the community board and what he feels he has to offer for the next three.

Jacqui joins us on the line to talk about her bid for a second term as Waikato District Mayor