Xtreme Zero Waste and Whaingaroa Environment Centre have announced that Māui Dolphin Day & The Recycled Raft Race will be back in 2026.
The event will be held on Saturday 7th March at Papahua Domain so it’s time to return trophies from last time, start gathering materials to build a raft, and if you’re a local community group, think about any stalls you might want to run during the day..
Organisers say to stay tuned as there are more details to come.
More news at Papahua, the Campstore, formerly known as Jos Takeaways, is set to open again for business. As one of Raglan’s favourite places to get fish and chips, it will be open in time for summer with new owners, Tina Ireson, Warrick Harris, and their son Sam, close to announcing the date.
Tina Ireson has been cooking fish and chips on and off since her parents bought the Duck Inn Dairy and Raglan Fresh Fish and Takeaways when she was a child, while partner Warrick has fished commercially out of Raglan for over 25 years. After stepping back from fishing, the couple are looking forward to serving fresh fish and chips to the community they love.
In less heartwarming news the government has unveiled a sweeping proposal to abolish New Zealand’s regional councils, shifting their powers to mayors and creating a new layer of governance in what is being called the biggest restructure of local government in 30 years.
Waikato District Council is looking to combine services with other councils in the region to make things more efficient, however the government has said that they’re breaking up the Regional Councils and sharing responsibilities amongst district councils and that this will also be more efficient.
Under the proposal, the mayors of city and district councils would take over all regional council responsibilities forming Combined Territories Boards (CTBs) which would take over the role of the councillors who were just voted in at October’s election.
Details are yet to be worked out but the government is looking at putting government commissioners on the CTBs who may have veto power over the combined group of mayors.
Public consultation is open now until 20 February, with legislation expected mid-2026 and final changes passed in 2027.