Waikato District

Auckland Province passed a Highways Act in 1862 allowing their Superintendent to define given areas of settlement as Highways Districts, each with a board of trustees elected by the landowners. Land within the boundaries of highway districts became subject to a rate of not more than 1/- an acre, or of 3d in the £ of its estimated sale value and that was to be equalled by a grant from the Province.[9]

By a notice in the Provincial Government Gazette on 25 August 1866, the deputy Superintendent, Daniel Pollen, declared Whaingaroa Highway District, the first in the future Raglan County. A public meeting in the Raglan courthouse on 20 October 1866 was followed by a meeting a week later to elect 5 trustees. The largest landowner in the district, Captain Johnstone, was elected chairman, but he and 3 other trustees resigned after they couldn't collect rates from absent owners and the Province didn't pay anything.[9]

Raglan Town Board was formed in 1868, Karioi Board in 1870 by division of Whaingaroa Highway District and by 1871 eleven board chairmen met in Ohaupo to ask for more government help. From 1872 government assistance more than matched rates collected; today government funding through NZTA mainly matches rates funding.[9]

Under the Counties Act, 1876, in a NZ Gazette Supplement of Thursday, December 28, 1876, the Governor General set the first county council meetings at noon, Raglan County's being in The Resident Magistrate's Court, Raglan on Tuesday, 9 January 1877.[9]

Raglan County was divided into five ridings (based on the distance a horse could travel in a day): Karioi, Pirongia, with 2 councillors each, and Te Akau, Onewhero and Whangape, with one. Only 3 of the Ridings were represented at the first meeting; W. H. Wallis (elected chairman) and John Pegler, Karioi Riding; James Sherrett, Pirongia; and Richard Robert Hunt, Onewhero. At the next meeting in Whatawhata there was only one other councillor present, from Pirongia. Many of the areas had not had Highway Boards and were sparsely populated (874 people in 175 houses across the whole county), so voters had problems getting together to nominate councillors. By 1887 there were 8 nominations for the 7 seats.[9]

As population grew the original 5 ridings were split - Karamu from Pirongia (28 November 1889), Whaingaroa from Karioi 1902, Pukekawa from Onewhero and Port Waikato from Te Akau 1911, Pukemiro from Whangape 1913 and Waingaro from Te Akau 1920.[9]

Some areas were transferred to neighbouring councils. The far south of Raglan went to Kawhia County when it was formed, but in 1952, the Local Government Commission put Makomako back in Raglan. On 1 October 1944, a coal-bearing area of Huntly West went to Huntly Borough. Other minor alterations were gazetted at intervals over the years. In 1954 a Raglan Town Committee was formed. Under the Local Government Act 1974, Raglan and Rotowaro became community towns, governed by elected councils.

The county relied on government grants until 1887, when government cuts forced it to set a rate. From 1889 to 1902 the Highways Boards were gradually merged into the County. Until 1943 each riding paid for its own roads and bridges, supplemented from council funds.[9]

The northern portion of Raglan County was added to Franklin District in 1989, when the rest joined WDC.[10]

Raglan Municipal Buildings

Raglan had also had a Town Board from 1883 to 1889[9] and from 1906[11] to 1938.[12] Raglan Town Board had its offices in the Municipal Buildings in Raglan from their rebuilding in 1928, after a 1927 fire,[13] until the Board again merged with the County.[9]

From 1876 to 1888 Raglan County Council meetings were held in Raglan. However, Raglan wasn't central for the county, so meetings then alternated between Raglan and Whatawhata.[9] On 15 May 1901 Raglan County held its first meeting in its new chambers at Ngāruawāhia,[14] though continuing with at least an annual meeting in Raglan. In 1908 the council agreed to sell the old office for £227 10s.[15] and build larger offices on the Raglan side of the Waipā Bridge. W. J. Smith of Raglan built them for £625. On 27 May, 1961, a new £40,000, 16-room, brick building, on the Great South Road, was officially opened by the Minister of Works, Stanley Goosman.[9]