A boost for Arts, Culture and Heritage in Kaipara

It’s official – starting Tuesday 20 August Mangawhai Library will provide the same professional, modern standard of services as the Dargaville Library.

Council has approved a procurement plan to appoint a contractor for the Dargaville Town Hall Project. Keen contractors will soon be able to register Expressions of Interest.

From 1 July Molesworth Drive southbound traffic will be diverted around Moir Point Road/Seabreeze Road for approximately three weeks.

Kaipara District Council staff are calling on the community to support them to promote respect and inclusion this Pink Shirt Day – and beyond. 

Hundreds of people descended on Taha Awa Riverside Gardens on Tuesday 6 February to mark Waitangi Day with music, cultural performances, activities, kai, and community vibes at Waitangi ki Kaipara.

Bring your friends and whānau to enjoy live entertainment, cultural performances, interactive craft and toi Māori stalls, some delicious kai, a healing space and so much more!

Are you a local food vendor, business owner, artist or creative? Come and be part of a community event to celebrate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – The Treaty of Waitangi!

Replacement of Dargaville’s Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall Annex after its demolished is to get a hurry-along with an Elected Member working group established to give the project more focus.

A motion moved by Kaipara District Council Mayor Jepson has paused the Ruawai Adaptive Pathways programme until the public has had their say through the next Long Term Plan consultation.

We have now finalised the design for Wood Street. A huge thanks to everyone who has been involved over the years and through the design trials to get to this permanent design.

A Notice of Motion put forward by Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen to discontinue Kaipara District Council’s climate policy and cancel its emission accounting contract was approved at the September Council meeting.

Twenty-one Kaipara residents were welcomed as new citizens at a ceremony in Dargaville. 

More than 900 voices from the east and west of Kaipara celebrated te reo Māori with waiata as the clock struck 12pm on Rāpare 14 o Hepetema (Thursday 14 September). 

Sunny weather and an incoming tide provided the perfect backdrop to open the Mangawhai boardwalk to a large gathering last week.

The boardwalk is the second phase of the Mangawhai shared path project, connecting the village to the heads, and making it safer and easier to travel by foot, bike, or scooter along busy Molesworth Drive.

Fourteen Kaipara residents from eleven nationalities were celebrated and recognised as new citizens at a ceremony in Dargaville on Monday.

Construction of the permanent upgrade for Wood Street will take place next year, after Council has signalled prioritising emergency works over planned projects for the upcoming Annual Plan 2023/2024.

Commemorative ceremonies took place around Kaipara District on Tuesday in observance of ANZAC day.

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

Two special artworks that adorn the Dargaville library were blessed at a joint community and Council celebration.

Dargaville Library will undergo a colourful makeover during the school holidays, thanks to local artist Micaela van den Berg. 

A new vision for Pou Tu o Te Rangi and Harding Park was confirmed this week, with the updated Reserve Management Plan adopted by Kaipara District Council.

The Mangawhai Activity Zone (MAZ) Trust will soon start work on a new Flow Bowl and Street Skateboarding Plaza, following a grant from Kaipara District Council.

Two new community hubs move a step closer with Kaipara District Council opting to apply for the Three Waters Better Off Funding Package, provided by Central Government, to help fund them

A blessing event carried out with Te Uri o Hau iwi representatives earlier this week signalled the completion of the first phase of the Mangawhai shared path works.

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.

Last week saw the first of the pre-cast concrete slabs for Mangawhai’s new wastewater balance tank carefully craned into place.

If you are passionate about Ruawai and its future, the newly created Ruawai Adaptive Pathways Community Panel is looking for members just like you!

With the courtesy crossings for phase one now complete, the Mangawhai shared path team and contractors got the spades and mulch out and ticked off the planting, getting the final shrubs and trees in the ground last week.

Council staff brought the final draft of the Annual Plan to a briefing earlier this month, presenting recent financial statements alongside a rates increase averaging 4.86 percent.

A new Reserve Management Plan has been drafted for Pou Tu o Te Rangi, Harding Park and Old Mount Wesley Cemetery, which overlook Dargaville and the Northern Wairoa River.

The Ruawai-Raupō community adaptation planning project is underway and the project team from Kaipara District Council is organising the first community event in Ruawai.

A new balance tank for Mangawhai's wastewater treatment plant is one step closer to completion, with the first pre-cast concrete slabs poured for the tank structure.

Kaipara District Council has voted unanimously to adopt a ten year library strategy, paving the way forward for an equitable, modern library service.

At a recent Council meeting, staff gave an update on Gumdiggers Track and the work happening behind the scenes.

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

Recent Council approval to extend existing waste management contracts ensures service continuity for the district, while staff prepare for the first phase of the overhaul of waste services.

Representatives of the Pahi community met with Council at the wharf last week to work out where a new toilet block could go.

‘A breath of fresh air’ is how one industry professional describes the Kaipara District Resource Consents team since the Council made substantial improvements to their resource consent service.

A new balance tank and inlet works are to be installed at the Mangawhai wastewater treatment plant to expand the existing hydraulic capacity during the peak summer periods.

Work to install the Kaiwaka footbridges will start in early January and continue for around seven weeks. With it comes some great employment opportunities for local contractors.

Creative Northland on behalf of Kaipara District Council will be the lead on public consultation to gather, analyse and prepare documentation of key findings that will inform a 10 year Arts, Culture and Heritage strategy for the Kaipara.

Earlier this month an extreme rain event at Baylys Beach, followed by periods of further wet weather, saw signifcant damage inflicted on the beach access.

It’s ‘steady as she goes’ for Kaipara District Council after Deloitte reported their 2021-2031 Long Term Plan (LTP) provides a ‘reasonable basis for accountability to the community’.

Kaipara District Council has welcomed Philip Jones as the independent chair of their Audit, Risk and Finance Committee.

Council and the Pou Tu o Te Rangi Joint Management Committee are preparing new reserve management plans (RMPs) for the Pou Tu o Te Rangi historic reserve and Harding Park (including the adjoining Old Mount Wesley Cemetery).  

The Council has awarded the contract to design and build the two Kaiwaka footbridges to Bridge It NZ.

While our libraries are closed during Level 4 and Level 3, online services are available and brimming with choice. eBooks, magazines and newspapers, audiobooks and more are on offer, and all free! 

A progress update on the Kaihu Valley Trail.

Kaipara District Council has been awarded a grant from the Creative NZ Local Government Arts Fund to develop an Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy.

Kaipara District Council voted to become a shareholder of Northland Inc. at their meeting on 26 May.

The new-format Dargaville Library had its first evening test-run when author Drew Bryenton (aka Andy Bryenton) presented his book ‘Gads Army’ to an appreciative audience on Thursday 1 July.

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. 

A fresh, new, tikanga-based approach to organisational change, a new strategy designed to overcome the digital divide, and two examples of outstanding personal leadership have helped Northland councils scoop four awards available to local government managers.

The Kaihu Valley Trail is a 40km walking and biking track being constructed from Dargaville to Donnelly’s Crossing and will form part of the Ancient Kauri Trail that extends from Omapere to Maungaturoto. 

Dargaville Library is encouraging customers to stock up with books and DVD during May before the library is closed temporarily for a freshen-up from 5pm Friday 28 May, reopening Tuesday 15 June. 

Some of Kaipara’s arts projects got a boost recently with $14,894.80 awarded in the latest Creative Communities Scheme funding round. 

Author Tere Davies will be talking about her book and answering questions on April 20 in Dargaville. 

The Council will be consulting on a proposal to secure land for a future new library in Mangawhai as part of their long-term planning. Towards a Better Kaipara, the Council’s Long Term Plan 2021-2031 will determine where the Council focuses over the next 10 years. 

If you get a letter asking you to take part in a survey on our behalf, please take some time out to complete it.

Kaipara District Council is consulting on their proposed plan for the next ten years and Elected Members will be on hand to talk about it and answer questions.

Kaipara District Council will soon be seeking feedback on their proposal to develop a revitalised Dargaville civic precinct as part of their Long Term Plan consultation.

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.

Kaipara has a poor track record for recycling. In summer 2020, a snapshot audit of rubbish bags found 860kgs of 3196kg could have been recycled. That’s 27% of the rubbish we send to landfill.

‘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.

We will soon be consulting on our Long Term Plan 2021 – 2031, which will guide where we focus over the next ten years. 

A labour of love now blessed.

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