Local sculptor Simon Te Wheoro has been invited to participate in the 21st International Larvikite Sculpture Symposium in Norway Symposium Norge is a temporary non-profit event where selected artists and sculptors from all over the world are invited to make sculptural art from the Norwegian stone: Larvikite. This year’s group of nine artists are from Germany, Canada, Poland, Serbia, Japan, United Kingdom, Turkey and Aotearoa. Simon is the first Sculptor from this country to be asked to participate and was chosen from a list of 120 applicants.
The symposium will run from 1st July to 11th August and the artists will live onsite by the Stalaker Quarry in Norway Progress has finally been made on the Manu Bay Breakwall with stakeholders currently being presented with five options to improve the problems with the breakwall. Situated in a nationally protected surf break the wall is not allowed to interfere with the surf but it will also have to prevent overtopping which is the something the current wall has been unable to do. Large boulders were regularly being deposited on the boat ramp until the council cleared out potential boulders from the other side of the wall a couple of years ago.
The proposed solutions are not available to the public yet but council staff have suggested that 2 million dollars be put aside to solve the problem.
In local sport, the Whaingaroa Whai rugby league team had a close but successful match against the Ngaruawahia Panthers last weekend, winning 24 -20. The result leaves them 5th out of the 11 teams in their division – in only their second season in the Waikato Rugby League. Their game this Saturday will be against the Hauraki Tigers at 1pm at Resthills Park in Hamilton.
The Raglan Roosters football team will be playing at home this weekend, taking on Gorhkali FC at 1pm at Papahua, Gorkhali are well and truly at the bottom of the division one table so it could be a good chance for the Roosters to improve their goal difference.
In surfing the NZ Grom Series at Gisborne wrapped up last weekend with the Sequence Surf Gisborne Junior Pro being held at Midway Beach, In the U18 Boys Will Lockhart made it to the quarterfinals, while Ayla Gee came 4th in the U18 girls – where Jade Camenzind and Meila Clarke competed in the semis.
In the U16 boys: Indica Knox Corcoran made it to the semis, and Ethan Kirk Orman to the quarters.
Alani Morse wasn’t competing in the event as she has presumably only just returned from the ISA world games where she came 17th in the U16 girls competition. Despite not surfing on the weekend she still made it to second place for the NZ Grom Series U16 Girls Title.
The NZ team at the world games came 11th overall with Alexis Owen from Dunedin the standout New Zealand performer coming 4th in the U16 boys competition. https://raglanradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_5507.jpg