Source: Radio New Zealand
The World Surf League Championship Tour has added Raglan to the 2026 tour. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
When Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced the World Surf League Championship Tour was coming to Raglan it caught many locals by surprise and the reaction has not been completely positive.
On a hot sunny day when the tide was out, RNZ went to the beach and village in Raglan to get the local perspective.
Surfer Edward Wheeler was leaving the water and heading up the beach to wash off his board.
First thing’s first – how was the surf?
“Out there was quite nice, the water temperature’s beautiful at the moment,” he said.
Surfer Edward Wheeler thinks Raglan deserves to be on the tour but worries about the effect on the town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Wheeler could see why the World Surf League had added Raglan to its tour.
“The break is definitely worth the World Surf League, definitely, but it’s more the hidden town we just don’t want to lose,” he said.
RNZ heard this tension between the pros and cons of the 10-day event in May 2026 from most people it spoke to.
It would bring the biggest elite surfing event ever staged in New Zealand to a keen surfing community.
But it could also bring up to 20,000 people and expose the village to millions more watching on television.
“It will be good for Raglan in some ways of course for businesses and this sort of thing, but Raglan, as everyone knows, is a protected little place and when the world is watching it … there will be people that will have money and will think ‘that’s a lovely little place’,” said Wheeler.
Chris Perry was not so worried that the event might introduce the world to Raglan. He swam or blokarted at the beach nearly every day.
“Raglan’s world renowned now, it has a reputation, and I think all this will do is enhance the town,” he said.
Chris Perry swam or blow-carted at the beach in Raglan nearly every day. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Whether the announcement was a shock seemed to depend on how connected residents were to the surfing community.
RNZ spoke to two locals, Linda and Barrie, up in the village.
Linda had been surprised when she heard Raglan was joining the tour.
She had concerns, especially about the management of wastewater with so many visitors in town.
“I [want] it shipped out of town – completely … it has to be shipped out, it cannot be kept here because it will be a nightmare,” she said.
But Barrie Rogerson owned B.rex Photo Design in the village, specialising in surf photography, and was in the ‘surf loop’.
“I kind of heard early on there was something happening in that regard,” he said.
Around the corner, Sam McGlennon was ordering a coffee at a humming local cafe.
He could understand why people were nervous about bringing such a big competition to a town which he said could already struggle to cope with its visitor numbers.
“Even a major long weekend in summer here already has an impact on town, on being able to move around and get from place to place and finding a table in the sun to enjoy a coffee for example. I think it’s just going to be an extension of that.”
Sam McGlennon could understand why people were nervous about such a big competition coming to town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod
McGlennon said some locals were already making plans to leave Raglan for the 10 days.
“A lot of people I know are renting their houses out for Air BnB’s, so in a way there’s ways to benefit from it as well. But it’s a pretty small town, some of our infrastructure is already pretty stretched, and like a lot of places around the country this just places some extra pressure on that.”
Concern over the strain the event would put on housing, roading, and wastewater infrastructure was raised several times.
Eloise Doller was operations manager at Raglan Refuel and a community board member.
She said there was plenty of time and resources to answer everyone’s questions.
“We’ve had a meeting up at the hall last Thursday with the [World Surf League] team, everyone’s getting well prepared for it and they’re giving us great information and support as well,” she said.
Waikato District Council had also set up a dedicated webpage with event information and answers to some of these pressing local concerns.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
