Water Rates changes to make it equal for everyone

Lower than expected rainfall and extremely low river flows are edging Kaipara District closer to drought conditions.

Council is asking residents in Dargaville and Baylys Beach to reduce their water use immediately to protect the water supply.

Residents in Baylys Beach and Dargaville on town water supply are asked to conserve water use as we enter level 2 water restrictions.

A major upgrade to the Raupō drainage system to protect highly productive fertile land has made significant progress.

We’re asking for feedback from residents and ratepayers on a number of changes to our Revenue and Financing Policy.

Kaipara District Council is reviewing its Revenue and Financing Policy and will soon be consulting with residents and ratepayers on the proposed changes.

Rates for 2024/2025 rating year are on track to be confirmed one month later than usual at the end of July.

More than $3.2million of external funding will be redirected into Kaipara District’s waters infrastructure budget after Council deciding to redirect existing uncommitted Better Off and Transition Support funding.

Water restrictions have been lifted for properties on town supply in Dargaville and Baylys Beach.

Dargaville and Baylys Beach residents have responded to the call to preserve water under Level 3 water restrictions.

Residents in Dargaville and Baylys Beach are urged to reduce water use after use has risen slightly since Level 3 water restrictions came into force on 12 February.

Water restrictions have been introduced for Dargaville and surrounds, with residents across the entire Kaipara district being urged to use the precious resource wisely.

Our district is buzzing with summer. Everywhere I go in Kaipara our communities and our many visitors can be seen making the most of these sunshine hours.

Over the next two weekends, Kaipara District Council Elected Members and Council staff will be out and about attending markets around the district.

A number of infrastructure renewals and upgrades completed in recent years have strengthened water security in Kaipara.

Summer is on its way and it’s time to start preparing for a drought. Meteorologists are predicting a dry windy summer.

An update from Kaipara District Council and Northland Regional Council.

Work to improve the resilience of Maungaturoto’s water network is almost complete.  

Kaipara District Council Elected Members have adopted the Annual Plan 2023-2024, with an average rates rise of 4.96 percent (excluding water charges).

What do you want to see on the water tank at Moir Street?

Works to further improve Maungaturoto’s water network kick off next week.

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.  

A number of our staff have been diverted to emergency services relating to Cyclone Gabrielle. Council services will continue but some with limited capacity so please be patient. We will continue to keep you updated.

In the early hours of this morning Awakino River on the northern outskirts of Dargaville breached its banks. 

Summer is here and so are all our visitors. It’s the busiest time of the year for the Taharoa Domain, and we need you to help us look after this beautiful gem.

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

The first part of a multi-phase project to manage Council’s water and wastewater asset network more efficiently and improve its resilience is complete.

Government sources estimate that between $120 and $185 billion dollars of investment in three waters (drinking water, waste water and storm water) infrastructure will be needed over the next 30 years to improve the quality of our drinking water and wastewater and stormwater management, across New Zealand.

Kaipara District Council’s operations and maintenance switches over to a new contractor next month.

Complex problems for councils seldom come as neatly packaged as the “Better Off” funding which is part of the Three Waters Reforms.

We are aware some Maungaturoto residents have recently experienced events of low pressure or in some instances disrupted water supply to their properties.

Harvesting is underway across the Kaipara Water demonstration sites. 

At a recent briefing Council staff presented the preliminary financial statements for the upcoming Annual Plan (2022-2023).

The Waiatua Dam (on Opanake Road) may be the solution to end the Dargaville and Baylys Beach water shortages, according to a preliminary investigation, commissioned by Kaipara District Council. 

The council is upgrading wastewater systems and is asking people to flush responsibly.

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 Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has released the $3.5M needed to protect existing stopbanks against flooding, along the western side of Wairoa River between Dargaville and Te Kopuru.

Work is progressing well on the raw watermain renewals in Maungaturoto.

Although recent rain has been welcomed by landowners, it is causing headaches for Kaipara District Council’s Raupo stopbank improvement project, in Ruawai.

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

Over the next few months, our team and contractors will replace approximately 3,000m of ageing raw watermain pipes.

Considerations from Kaipara District about the Three Waters Reforms.

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.

Kaipara District Council today endorsed a future-focused Long Term Plan (LTP) which aims to respond to a growing population while caring for the environment and keeping rates increases low. 

Nine infrastructure renewal projects are being rolled out across Kaipara District this year. 

Some of the works happening around the District. 

In the first few months of 2021 there’s been a trickle of new information which has led to a substantial update on the long-running story of the debt levels of Kaipara District Council’s Mangawhai Wastewater Scheme. 

Kaipara District Council has published a report about the outstanding historic debt and capacity of the Mangawhai Wastewater Scheme (MWWS). 

Kaipara District Council has laid out its vision for the next decade of development in its Long Term Plan (LTP) and is asking the community if they agree.

If you're out and about around Lorne, Pirika, and Haimona Street, you may spot our team and contractors undertaking work on the Dargaville water mains. 

‘Water’ will be a word to watch in 2021, as far as Kaipara District Council is concerned. To start with,
low river flows mean water restrictions are in place for our largest reticulated town supply to Dargaville
and Baylys Beach.

See the results from surveys and events we've undertaken recently as part of our Long Term Plan. 

Have you ever looked at a verge or berm around your area and wondered why it has a dip in its centre? That subtle depression is doing an incredibly important job – it’s called a swale and they're an essential part of our stormwater services.

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.

Ruawai Water treatment plant played host to a number of local school kids as part of the EnviroSchools Water for Life
programme last week. The programme is a Northland Regional Council initiative. 

The beautiful stretch of weather we’ve been enjoying is great for the beach, but not for water supplies. Being wise with water at the beginning of the season can ease the pressures later on. Let’s streeeeeeech the supply as far as we can.

Kaipara District Council Elected Members opted in to the first part of a reform of the three waters system when they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the end of August.