By community for community
Growing community participation.
Community members proactively reach out to Toitū Whāingaroa asking for support to become better informed as critical issues arise, both locally and nationally. Growing the capacity of our community to participate is an important element of the Raglan Naturally Community Plan.
With the support of other community organisations, such as the Whāingaroa Environment Centre (WEC), we have run submission writing workshops and drop-in sessions on a range of issues, including sessions specifically targeted to rangatahi in our community.
With the help of the Toitū Whāingaroa network, community members are also leading out their own activations.
"I'm really grateful for the knowledge sharing and demystifying."
Piece by piece, person by person
Keeping the message simple
The ‘Save our Māori Wards’ campaign was one example of how the community has activated. Armed with badges and signs provided by Taurikura and the Len Reynolds Trust, long-time local Tony Mayow started a campaign advocating for the retention of our local government Māori Wards.
Before long a group of 25+ dedicated volunteers (and their dogs!) had signed up to help get the message out.
For two months, in all weather, volunteers were out in the township holding signs, answering questions sharing information. The message was kept simple -Vote Yes to Keep Our Māori Wards.
Everything is connected. Tony reflects how “the interviews on Raglan Radio with myself and Phil and Jilliene Beale arose because of last Waitangi Day. I knew a number of Pākehā had been through the Tangata Tiriti workshops. So I contacted Gabrielle Parson who had hosted the workshops as part of her mahi with Raglan Naturally and she helped spread the word. Everything is connected, Building momentum, piece by piece, person by person.”
“It gave Pākehā a chance to actually do something. There's a huge well of goodwill out there, but people often don't know what they can do.”
The Raglan Chronicle
Whāingaroa rallies to keep Māori Wards.
It was all toots and waves in Whāingaroa as locals showed their support for the ‘Vote Māori Wards’ campaign.
Led by the Toitū te Tiriti Whāingaroa Raglan team, the campaign is encouraging voters to back Māori wards in the upcoming local body elections. Alongside voting for council representatives, residents will face a binding poll asking whether to retain or abolish Māori wards in the Waikato District.
The poll follows the coalition government’s Local Government (Māori Wards) Amendment Bill, pushed through by ACT and NZ First. The law requires councils that established Māori wards without first polling residents to now hold one – or scrap them.
Watch now
Tangata Tiriti | Treaty People workshops.
Listen to what members of our community have to say about the Tangata Tiriti | Treaty People workshops.
Playlist
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The Raglan Chronicle
Treaty Principles Bill voted down.
On April 10th 2025 the Coalition government’s ‘Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill’ was finally voted out by a margin of 112 votes to 11. The introduction of the Bill on November 7, 2024 saw the youngest Member of Parliament, MP for Hauraki-Waikato, Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke rip up a copy of the Bill. Viewed by millions around the world, Hana-Rāwhiti is seen as an inspiration to indigenous peoples globally, particularly young indigenous women.
Submissions on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill opened on November 19th. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok feeds were filled with submission writing workshops and drop-in sessions, resources, and information. The message was clear – everyone, no matter how old or young, needed to submit on this Bill.
The Raglan Chronicle
Māori Wards: Toitū Whāingaroa!
In October 2025, local body elections across Aotearoa included a poll on whether Māori Wards in Councils should be retained. Māori Wards sit alongside General Wards and allow voters on the Māori roll to elect a representative to their local council.
It is well established that Māori Wards lead to better decision making which benefits all in our communities. Waikato District Council (WDC) has two Māori Wards.
Across Aotearoa, poll results saw 17 councils keep their Māori wards, and 25 councils lose them. Unfortunately, WDC did not retain their Māori Wards. This means that from 2028, the two WDC Māori Wards will no longer exist.
