The Local Government Commission has completed its determination of the representation arrangements for Waikato District Council, to apply for the local body election to be held on 8 October 2022. While the Commission has gone along with the Council proposal on the Whaaingaroa General Ward and the Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward boundaries it has overruled the Council on the Raglan Ward boundary. All six additional rural mesh blocks (Te Uku, Te Mata, Ruapuke areas) proposed by submitters will now be included in the Raglan Community Board area.
Having heard the views of the Council and appellants and objectors, including the Raglan Community Board, we consider that there is little reason to exclude the additional three requested meshblocks from the Raglan Community area given that they all have strong connections with Raglan while sharing in common access to a different level of services in Hamilton. In this respect they are appropriately grouped as a community of interest.
We also observe that the Community area has a relatively small footprint. Given this and the crossover of interests between rural and urban residents, we do not consider there are sufficiently distinct sub-communities within Raglan, nor a sufficiently large geographic area, to justify the Council’s proposal to subdivide the Community at this time.
Local Government Commission
The Raglan Community Board will cover the area delineated on Plan LG-013-2022-Com-5. Enquiries made by John Lawson indicate that this plan is yet to be published.
Raglan Community Board will comprise 6 elected members and 2 members appointed to the Community Board by the Council being one representing Whaaingaroa General Ward and one representing Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward.
The Raglan ward will disappear and be replaced by Whaaingaroa General Ward and the Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward. Each of these wards will have one councillor.