Raglan Fire a three million dollar blow to town

Update 29th April- Raglan Wharf open again for fishers.

Tuesday’s devastating fire at the historic Raglan Wharf has seen 20 jobs disappear instantly.  Clint Baddleley, Raglan Councillor and Deputy Mayor for Waikato District said, “We were just starting to get to the stage where the wharf had become a destination in Raglan.”  Mr Baddeley said the fire was a tragedy for the people directly involved and for the town.   Raglan based business consultant Rodger Gallagher, said he had calculated the economic impact on the town with an analytics model and concluded that the direct and flow-on effects would be a three million dollar blow to the town.

For Stephen and Candide Reid, owners of the Raglan Kayak there was a double blow.  In preparation for an extended overseas trip they had rented out their home and were storing their personal belonging at their business office.  Already the Raglan community is rallying around those affected with offers of support.

It is understood that the Waikato District Council has the wharf and buildings covered under its insurance policy.   At this time the Waikato Council has not announced when it will start rebuilding the wharf buildings.  Councillor Baddeley said he would be checking the Council insurance policy with a view to getting the wharf rebuilt as quickly as possible.