Kamokamo, beetroot, celery, or kaanga ma? Which crop will it be?

Close to 100 people came together at the southern tip of the Pouto Peninsula to celebrate the opening of a new wharf in Kaipara.

Another round of weather events, including ex-Cyclone Lola, has affected works on Poutō wharf and extended the completion date out to the end of the summer. 

Contractors working on the finishing touches for Poutō wharf have had to down tools until conditions are more favourable to complete the remaining piling and wharf head.

Late last month a warm Kaipara sun shone on a group of farmers and growers keen to hear about a season of growing squash in Maunganui Bluff, north of Dargaville.  

Salt services, a professional dive team, spent most of a day early last week pulling an old car wreck out of the water. The car had been submerged some years ago and was resting where work was starting on the wharf head.

Improvements to the Poutō Point carpark area can progress in 2023 thanks to further funding from Kaipara District Council.

The growing season for the Kaipara Water demonstration sites has kicked off with the Maunganui Bluff site planted out with squash earlier this week.

The construction of Poutō wharf has really been trucking along recently, with another dozen piles driven in the ground last week.

If you live in Poutō or have gone for a drive down recently, you will have seen some of the wharf construction taking shape.

Physical works for Poutō wharf have begun. Earlier in the month, Waikaretu marae led a blessing ahead of construction starting.

Kaipara District Council has confirmed sunflowers and squash for the second growing season of the Kaipara Water demonstration sites.

Work to construct Poutō wharf is set to begin shortly.

Find out about the new wharf at an information drop-in session 3 July 2022. 

Down the road from the mighty Tāne Mahuta, a road-carpet was rolled out and lights set to green as the newly sealed 1.5km stretch of Waipoua River Road was opened for traffic.

Elected Members have unanimously approved paying the forecasted $265,000 project shortfall for Poutō wharf, funded from the district’s financial contributions reserves.

Harvesting is underway across the Kaipara Water demonstration sites. 

Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and other delays to the programme have inevitably slowed the Poutō wharf project, but the team have made progress and are now working through the tail end of the developed design.

At yesterday's Council meeting, the Kaipara District Council approved paying the forecasted $487,000 sealing project shortfall to complete Pouto Road Phase 1, from its retained earnings.

Growth is the word of the day when it comes to the Kaipara Water demonstration sites. The summer months have seen the former grassed paddocks turn into a jungle of green activity on both sites.

The Northland Transportation Alliance’s (NTA) Unsealed Road Improvement Project remains on track to approved project milestones with 84.4 km’s of the network’s road pavement layering completed to date. 

Pouto Road phase one and Waipoua River Road will be completed in April, despite delays caused by wet weather in the Kaipara District post the Christmas break. 

Upgrades to numerous unsealed Northland roads are well underway, with a substantial amount of work to be completed by the end of June in the Kaipara District. 

Construction for the Pahi wharf upgrade ended as it began months ago, with the sky lighting up slowly on the people gathered together. Voices joined in karakia and waiata, led by kaumatua Hone Martin and representatives of Te Uri o Hau swirled around the Kaipara harbour as a dawn blessing was performed to open the wharf’s gangway and pontoon.

Kaipara District Council’s externally funded Unsealed Road Improvements Project remains on track with a little over half the project completed. Northland Transport Alliance Maintenance Lead Bernard Petersen says this includes just over 70 kilometres of unsealed surfaces upgraded.

Visitors to the Kaipara Water demonstration sites will spot the beginnings of green growth starting to peek through the soil.

As part of ongoing improvement of Kaipara’s unsealed roading network, the Northland Transportation Alliance is using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to confirm pavement thickness safely and rapidly across the district.

It begins! Fulton Hogan started physical works to improve Waipoua River Road this week.

Our Kaipara District Council team is excited to see the sealing start to roll out for Phase one of the Pouto Road project – the upgrade of the northern portion running down to Ari Ari Road junction.

The $8.06M Unsealed Roading Network project that began in May last year, has crossed the halfway mark with completion of the first season’s physical pavement and associated works at a cost of $4.3M to end of October.

A blessing undertaken by Te Roroa last week marked the start of physical works on Waipoua River Road.

Extra low tides earlier this month allowed Huband Contractors to work on some of the timber repairs around the lower parts of the tidal stairs.

Construction work for the new Poutō wharf will begin in 2022.

An onsite blessing will be held by Te Roroa on Friday 12 November to mark the start of construction on the $1.8m Waipoua River Road project.

The Huband crew have been working at the end of the wharf recently, preparing the connection for the new gangway, and replacing pile caps and stringers.

It’s been a hive of activity down at the Pahi wharf recently. The upgrade has started with local contractors Huband carrying out the carpentry and repair work on the wharf.

Ngā mihi mō au korero whakahoki! 

Thank you for your feedback. We had a fantastic response to our recent survey asking for help to select one of the trial crops for Kaipara Water demo site two. The winner by community vote was kaanga ma.

Dawn broke over the land and water this morning, as Te Uri o Hau kaumātua Hone Martin led a blessing ceremony to begin construction down at Pahi wharf.  

Construction to upgrade the Pahi wharf is set to start later this month.

Pouto Road Phase One and Two - what's been happening?

Winter weather has slowed the reconstruction work to upgrade our unsealed roads, but no time is being wasted. Teams are clearing vegetation and drains in preparation for when reconstruction work can start again.

The Kaipara Kai Hub team have been in the news a lot recently with all their peanut trial mahi!

Kaipara District Council has developed a new formula for unsealed roads that results in a more durable, and lower maintenance, surface.

The first part of the Pouto Road sealing project is set to start this week from Wednesday 24 March, kicking off one of Kaipara’s most significant road sealing projects.

Construction work for the Pahi wharf upgrade is set to start April 2021.

Earlier this month Rīpia Marae representatives blessed the site of Motu Wheteke, ahead of physical works starting at the quarry. Kaipara District Council contractors are preparing to reopen the site, primarily for the Provincial Development Unit-supported Pouto Road sealing project. 

Since our last update, the Kaipara Kai Hub team has been busy managing crop trials, engaging with local growers looking at crop diversification, and supporting the kick-off of local projects. The trial site at Te Roroa’s Kai Iwi farm is looking lush. 

The weather turned out and so did the people. The Marine Hall was buzzing recently during a community open day for the proposed Pouto wharf. 

Two proposed demonstration sites for the Kaipara Water project have been given the green light from Council, which will serve as real-life working examples of the best ways to irrigate high value horticultural crops.

Spring has been busy for the Kaipara Kai Hub.

Find out more about the new Pouto wharf at our upcoming community open day.

Dargaville pontoon completion kicks off Kaipara Wharves project

Approval from the Provincial Growth Fund and the release of $2.8 million means Kaipara District Council can progress with sealing the second section of Pouto Road (Phase 2).

Construction work for the new Dargaville pontoon is set to begin next month. The work is part of Kaipara KickStart, an umbrella programme led by Kaipara District Council and funded by the Provincial Growth Fund, to grow the district’s economy and increase community wellbeing.

An online talk with NIWA, Plant & Food Research, and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research will present valuable climate and soil research for the district’s landowners. 

Approval from MBIE on the Kaipara Water Transport Network and Wharves Feasibility Study and Programme Business Case means the Council can embark on the next stage of the project.

An online talk hosted by the Kaipara District Council will present valuable opportunities for the district’s landowners, and other businesses related to the horticulture industry.

Kaipara Kai, a support base for landowners and the kai industry was opened for business in Ruawai by Hon. Shane Jones today.