Raglan Radio has teamed up with Raglan Naturally and organised a meeting in the Town Hall on Sunday 28th at 2pm so locals can make sure that Raglan’s voice is preserved.
The meeting will hear from Penny Hulse and Mayor Aksel Bech on how the community voice can be retained.
Waikato District Council says that the Government is changing how councils are organised across New Zealand. WDC says they want to talk with people early about what this could mean for the Waikato district. No decisions have been made.
Right now, most parts of the country have two councils — a regional council (which looks after things like environmental management, public transport planning and flood protection) and a district or city council (which looks after roads, water, rubbish, libraries, parks and consents). The Government’s Simplifying Local Government programme aims to reduce duplication and cost, for example by combining the two into a single “unitary” council that does both jobs.
The Head Start pathway is a voluntary, faster option that lets councils that are ready put forward a proposal to government. Reform of local government is happening — these conversations are about helping shape what it looks like for our district, and that’s what we’d like your views on.
The options being discussed
These are the options currently being talked about for the Waikato district. They’re shared so you can think them through with us. None is the preferred option, and no decision has been made.
- Waikato region
A Waikato regional approach covering i) all, or ii) the majority, of the current region.
(NB: The Waikato region is bigger than many people expect. It includes Hamilton City and the following districts: Hauraki, Matamata-Piako, Ōtorohanga, Rotorua, South Waikato, Taupō, Thames-Coromandel, Waikato, Waipā, Waitomo.) - Hamilton metro (i) and Waikato towns and rural (ii)
An option that: i) recognises Hamilton as New Zealand’s fastest-growing city and includes the surrounding areas of Waikato district to support future urban growth; and ii) creates a broader towns, villages and rural unitary council from the remaining areas. This council could encompass the rest of Waikato, Waipā and potentially additional areas to the east and south. Unitary functions would be shared across both (i) and (ii). - Hamilton-Waikato-Waipā
A smaller, coherent metro-focused option that recognises the city while balancing its influence by adding Waipā District Council’s towns and rural areas to ours. - Do nothing
Council does not put forward a proposal and continues in its current form for now. Change would still follow through the government’s compulsory backstop process after the 2028 elections, shaped nationally rather than by a local proposal.
A reminder: these options are for discussion only.