Waikato District’s new mayor, Aksel Bech, says a major shift is underway in how Council makes decisions, with new structures designed to bring more authority back to communities – starting with Raglan.
Speaking on Raglan Community Radio, Aksel said the changes are intended to move the organisation away from “the machine that trundles on” and toward a model where decisions are made transparently and in partnership with residents.
Community Voice Given New Priority
At the centre of the reforms is a new full Council committee – Community Voice & Choice – which sits alongside the Assets & Infrastructure Committee and Strategy, Growth & Finance Committee. Whāingaroa councillor Lisa Thomson has been appointed chair.
For Aksel, the purpose is to place community participation at the heart of governance, not treat it as an afterthought. “This is the bit that’s transformational,” he said. “Who better to lead that work than Lisa? She is so in community, so passionate, so caring.”
Lisa says the committee represents the most genuine attempt in years to shift decision-making outward. “It actually feels like a re-look at what local government and local democracy should be.”
Council staff have already developed a district-wide decision-making framework to support this shift, designed to balance central oversight with genuine local participation.
The Committee carries one of the widest mandates in the new Council structure, overseeing community engagement, participatory democracy, civil defence readiness and community funding.
Its role includes strengthening partnerships with iwi, hapū, marae and community groups, improving transparency, monitoring how community input shapes decisions, and ensuring that local voices are embedded early and meaningfully in council processes.
Hearings Return to Raglan
One of the first changes is the return of public hearings to the communities that are directly affected. For the James Street freedom camping issue, the hearing was moved from Ngāruawāhia back to Raglan.
“We made all of those people drive to Ngaruawāhia to talk about a Raglan issue,” he said. “Now the hearing is in Raglan, as it should have been.”
Lisa says this simple shift signals a meaningful cultural change. “It’s a real win… hearings haven’t been held here for years,” she said. “Council is coming to the community, not expecting the community to come to council.”
Real Delegations for Community Boards
For the first time in years, community boards will have some real authority rather than advisory status. The first round of delegations includes decisions on:
- road naming
- renewal of community leases
- allocating funding from Council’s investment endowment
Lisa says the change is long overdue. She points to years of frustration where small community projects were delayed or over-engineered because they were caught in Council’s internal systems.
“Local people can do this mahi better, faster and for half the price,” she said. “We just need to enable it.”
Local Contractors Should Be Enabled, Not Locked Out
Aksel says local providers often deliver better, more efficient solutions, and Council systems need to make more room for them. He highlighted Raglan Lawns and Xtreme Zero Waste as examples of uniquely capable local operators who offer exceptional value to the community.
He described Xtreme Zero Waste as “quite unique,” noting that people travel from around the country to see their work. Their model, he said, is fundamentally different from other providers –“not apples with apples at all” – which makes competitive tendering difficult because standard processes don’t reflect their true value.
While maintaining standards is important, Aksel said local contractors frequently outperform larger companies on both cost and quality, and he wants Council processes to better support trusted local operators.
A great example of community action and good governance emerged this month when fencing around the flax at Tamahere Park was vandalised.
Initial WDC advice suggested a full rebuild at a cost of $39,000.
However, the issue was first raised at Tamahere Community Committee level, and within hours of being sworn in, Councillor Mike Keir visited the site and confirmed a rebuild was unnecessary. Instead, the fence was repaired and reinforced for $1670.
Aksel says these examples illustrate systemic problems rather than staff failings – adding that there’s a lot of good people at council who are driven by service. “Working for Council is not easy. The system’s a bit broken… I’d rather take things out of the system and find a different way.”
Up to $50,000 in Community-Led Project Delivery
A fourth delegation is being developed that will allow community boards to lead Council-funded capital projects up to $50,000 – including walkway repairs, reserve improvements and small-scale public amenities.
Lisa says the impact for Raglan will be significant. “Instead of a big contractor doing parks and reserves work… the community will be able to say, we can do that, and we can do it for half the price.”
Cultural Change Inside Council
Both Aksel and Lisa say these changes require a shift in mindset across the organisation.
Lisa says councillors now feel more connected to staff and more involved in shaping direction than in previous terms. “This requires a cultural change in the staffing side. Absolutely.”
Aksel notes that Chief Executive Craig Hobbs is already leading an organisational transformation to modernise Council’s internal systems. Ensuring the organisation follows the new governance direction, he says, is the CEO’s job, not the role of elected members.
Reconsidering Raglan’s Coastal Reserves Committee
Raglan’s former Coastal Reserves Committee was dissolved in 2019, but Aksel says the door is open for reinstating local committees where communities want them.
“Giving agency back to community is the journey… if there’s a need for it, bring it on.”
Lisa says that while the old Coastal Reserves Committee was well-intentioned, it also faced behavioural issues and operational challenges. She notes that some of the work the committee attempted to take on, particularly reserve planning and management, is already handled internally by Council staff.
Even so, she believes the core concept of deep community involvement remains valuable. She points to the Wainui Reserve 30-Year Plan as an example of how community input can still be embedded meaningfully within a Council-led process.
Focus on Roading: New Subcommittee + Raglan Advisory Group
With roading being one of the largest parts of Council’s spend, Aksel has created a new Roading Subcommittee under the Infrastructure and Assets Committee.
Lisa has used the shift to establish a Raglan roading advisory group to provide local insight into decisions affecting the district’s extensive gravel network.
She says Waitetuna Valley Road, Old Mountain Road, Ruapuke and others have seen persistent issues and the new structure gives Raglan stronger influence over priorities.
Greater Transparency: Fewer Closed-Door Sessions
Aksel adds the Council will significantly reduce its use of confidential agenda items, keeping public-excluded sessions for genuinely sensitive commercial matters – not simply uncomfortable discussions.
“Where something is just uncomfortable – that’s not a good reason for it to be out of public view.”
Lisa says this aligns with a broader push for openness and rebuilding trust with communities.
Structure Will Be Reviewed After 18 Months
Aksel says the new committee structure is intentionally temporary. “This whole structure is not for the triennium – it’s for half the triennium,” he said.
“Maybe driving these changes has unintended consequences or outcomes that we didn’t anticipate. So we’ve formally built in a review after 18 months, including a fresh look at the appointments of chairs and deputy chairs. Let’s see if it’s fit for purpose.”
Lisa says the shift toward participation and community voice already feels refreshing. “It feels like we’re genuinely giving effect to participatory democracy.”
Upcoming:
- Freedom Camping Bylaw Amendment – Hearing & Deliberations – 9.30am, Supper Room, Raglan Town Hall, 41 Bow Street
- Raglan Community Board Meeting, public forum from 1.30pm, Supper Room, Raglan Town Hall, 41 Bow Street