Raglan Community Board Chairperson Gabrielle Parson has spent six years as a member of the board and with elections looming she says she will not be standing again.
“I’ve decided to take a break to focus on my family and my other role as a Raglan Naturally coordinator. It’s been a great experience and there are absolutely no bad feelings leaving.” (listen to the full interview below:) Looking back on her two terms she says that it’s important to have people on the board that want to build relationships in order to have an effective board that represents the community.
“You really have to listen properly and consider all views because it’s not about you. You don’t necessarily have to agree with the views but you have to understand them.
Some candidates might bring their own interests, whether that’s the environment or young people but you can’t really bring your own agenda.
You also have to consider how active will these candidates be once elected? It’s not just about showing up to the meetings.
It’s important to have diversity and you also want people that can work together because you don’t want in-fighting on the board,” she said.
Raglan Bus Survey As the current board wraps up for the term, they have released a survey to canvas the community around an internal bus service for Whāingaroa residents.
The survey will help the council design a service that meets the needs of the community. The hope is that uptake for the service will be good enough that it can be extended beyond the two years for which it will be trialed.
The board hopes to see the bus service launch before the busy summer period. Surveys can be found online on the Raglan Community Board Facebook page, in the Local Rag this week and the Chronicle next week and hard copies can be picked up from the library to be completed and returned.
Meet the Candidates The community will have an opportunity to meet the candidates standing for the various positions in local government on September 18 at the Raglan Town Hall from 2pm.
The candidates invited include: Waikato District Council Mayor, Tai Runga Takiwaa Māori Ward Councillor, Whāingaroa Ward Councillor, Raglan Community Board candidates, Waikato Regional Council Councillors and the Ngā Hau e Whā Councillor candidates.
This event is an opportunity to get to know the candidates and ask them some questions. There is also another event featuring just the Mayoral and Whāingaroa Ward Councillor candidates on Tuesday 6th September from 7.30pm in the Raglan Town Hall Supper Room.
Coastal Reserves Committee The Coastal Reserves Stakeholders Meeting will be convened on Tuesday 13 September and is an opportunity for the stakeholders to meet each other and connect as well as here some updates from council staff.
The Coastal Reserves include Manu Bay, Wainui and Papahua Reserves. The Raglan Coastal Reserves Management Plan was adopted in 9 August 2021 and sets out a framework which includes a closer working relationship with mana whenua and things like event management and improved interpretive signage and multi-use path development among others things.
Soundsplash and World Rally Championships After a year away, Soundsplash is set to return to Wainui Reserve in January 2023. The organisers are currently working with the council around parking, which is usually held at the airfield.
The World Rally Championships have also got the go-ahead and we will see the arrival of rally cars in town at the end of September. Rally organisers are also working with the council around roading issues that might arise from the event.
Raglan Airfield Returned to Rightful Owners Following a process that has spanned multiple years, if not decades, council recently voted unanimously to return the airfield to the rightful owners. Mana Whenua representatives from Ngati Maahanga, Newton Whaanau Trust and Papahua 1 and descendants of Te Kopua Block / Tainui O Tainui welcomed the decision.
“It’s amazing, wonderful. Work has been ongoing for a number of years and this decision feels so right,” said Gabrielle.
This decision marks the beginning of a legal process to have the land returned through the treaty settlement process. A full statement from the chairperson of Rākaunui 1B Ahu Whenua Trust (Ngā uri o Amiria Mahikai – Papahua 1 owners) Monika Newton-Karekare can be read here . The last Raglan Community Board meeting of the term will be held on Wednesday 7 September at the Town Hall Supper Room with the public forum kicking off from 1.30pm.
On the agenda is a proposal from Vodafone to erect a 5G mobile tower by the water tank on Upper Bow St. The public toilet blocks at both Joyce Petchell memorial Park and Cliff St have recently received a fresh new look with the exterior wrapped with images reflecting natural scenes from around Raglan. https://raglanradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/RCR_gabrielle.png