Rangiora Road park upgrade

It’s kick off time for the new loos at Pahi!

We made the most of June’s relatively dry weather, carrying out culvert placements and water tabling across the district.

Teams are in full swing across both unsealed and sealed networks, preparing for the upcoming winter season.

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.

We are making changes to the system that Kaipara District Libraries uses for our library catalogue, customer records and other library services.

Roading teams made the most of April’s dry weather, resurfacing 129,042m2 across the network and carrying out culvert replacements and water tabling.

Relatively dry weather in March enabled our roading team to push through our drainage maintenance and renewals.

A new online mapping tool developed by Northland’s three district councils shows the latest repair plans for the remaining slips still affecting district roads following severe weather events that hit the region during 2022-23.

Our team made the most of February’s mixed bag of weather.

Up to $10,000 is up for grabs in round one of Kaipara’s Rural Travel Fund for 2024. 

January saw our teams commence routine spraying rounds, pavement repairs are full steam ahead and preseals and reseals are underway across the district.

State Highway 1 over the Brynderwyn Hills is now closed for crucial recovery works. Detour routes through the Kaipara district are open and operating.

A nationwide campaign to promote Northland during the Brynderwyn Hills closure is just kicking off and will run throughout the period of the closure.

Our roading teams worked hard throughout December to prepare our roads for a surge in traffic over the summer.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has confirmed detour routes and dates ahead of the upcoming closure of State Highway 1 (SH1) Brynderwyn Hills for critical restoration work.

Roading crews have made strong progress improving and stabilising the local alternative routes around the Brynderwyn Hills in anticipation of additional traffic due to the upcoming closure of SH1 Brynderwyn Hills. 

We are now into the final stretch of 2023 and are pushing hard to complete outstanding work before the end of the year.

An update on the Kaipara Cycle Network Connections project from Kaipara District Council Chief Executive, Jason Marris.

Despite the unexpected interruption from Cyclone Lola,October was a very productive month on roads across Kaipara.

More than half of the 71 slips still impacting Kaipara roads in the wake of multiple severe weather events that hit Northland earlier this year should be repaired by the middle of next year.

Designs for two community hubs will proceed as originally planned after a motion agreed by Council to reallocate the funding did not receive iwi support.

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

We are only just on the other side of Winter and are already feeling the benefits of warmer and drier weather.

Kaipara is set to benefit from $2.6 million recently announced by the Government to boost resilience and reduce the risk of major flood damage.

Dargaville residents and visitors are one step closer to easier and safer active transport options after Kaipara District Council’s decision to progress the Kaipara Cycle Network Connections project.

The end of another winter gave us some much-needed sunshine and blue skies. Now with Spring upon us and the days getting longer, our focus moves to pavement works.

Upgrading the Taharoa Domain day visitor toilet facilities, improving drainage in Mangawhai Community Park, and completing the award-winning Baylys Beach boardwalk are all on the cards for Kaipara District Council’s (KDC) work programme thanks to a cash injection from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF).

We received 320 submissions from the community on proposed connectivity improvements between residential Dargaville and the town centre.

A new collaborative project has arisen from the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, which aims to build Northland’s resilience to future adverse weather events by tackling the problem of fallen and at-risk trees.

The rainy weather persisted through July, resulting in 949 new pothole reports. To tackle the pothole issue, we introduced an additional pothole truck to speed up repairs.

Tell us what you think about proposed connectivity improvements for Dargaville.

The unsealed network has remained a significant point of focus throughout this traditionally rainy month.

Please do your part to help make our communities safe and accessible by parking in the right spot when you’re out and about

The Kaipara District Mayoral Relief Fund gave out a total of $532,443.94 to residents and ratepayers in the Kaipara district.

It’s been nearly six months since Cyclone Gabrielle, however we are still actively repairing damages and working through a substantial backlog.

This month, we have been primarily focused on clearing slips, performing tree and drainage works, and continuing with the unsealed rehabs program.

There are a number of roads impacted after heavy rainfall throughout the district on Tuesday 9 May 2023.

February’s extreme weather events have impacted roads across Kaipara. Our roading network has suffered significant long-lasting damage, and many issues will not be a simple fix. 

Our roading team were kept busy all summer, responding to urgent roading issues following the extreme weather events we’ve had.

Council has pressed pause on any changes to Kaipara’s waste and recycling services while a new waste strategy from central Government is assessed.

If you’re looking for some activities for your kiddies in the holidays there are exciting things happening at Kaipara Libraries for the April school holidays.

In the leadup to the reopening of the eastern Brynderwyns detour route (Kaiwaka/Mangawhai/Waipu), authorities have confirmed that restrictions will again apply to truck and trailer units.

Contractors working on the Lang’s Beach bridge on Cove Road have encountered further challenges, delaying the reopening of the bridge until Wednesday morning.

I am not sure anyone would have believed me had I said we would have to contend with another extreme weather event during the on-going aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Everyone has now left the overnight accommodation centres at Campbell Park Christian Camp, Moir Point Christian Camp and the community-led centre at St John's Hall in Kaiwaka.

UPDATED: 2.18PM Thursday 02 March 2023

Kaipara District continues to respond to the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Kaipara District Mayor Craig Jepson has established a Mayoral Relief Fund to help support those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

After February's extreme weather events, you or someone you know, may be feeling upset, exhausted, overwhelmed or uncertain. You don’t have to manage this on your own, there are free resources available to support you during this time.

This article with be updated as information on Kaipara's roading network is available. 

Kaipara communities will soon see officers regularly patrolling freedom camping hot spots, offering education and increasing awareness of proposed new national freedom camping rules.

Our team worked hard throughout December, preparing our roads for the expected influx of summer traffic. 

On the final stretch of 2022, the team have been pushing hard to complete outstanding work before the end of the year. Work continues on both the unsealed and sealed networks in anticipation of the summer rush and the expected increase in traffic. 

Look after your loo and Kaipara's wastewater network this summer by reminding your household members and visitors what not to flush.

Kaipara’s population is expected to explode during the summer break, with people enjoying the district’s beaches, lakes, and vibrant communities. 

Summer holidays are fast approaching! During this time critical Council services continue, with some changes due to staff availability.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is encouraging people in Dargaville to get on their bikes with a Transport Choice programme grant of approximately $8,000,000 to be provided to Kaipara District Council, announced on 4 December 2022.

Sea, sand, and Aotearoa New Zealand’s rarest bird were all on hand for the opening of Kaipara’s newest loos.

With the continued improvements in weather, we are now full swing into unsealed and sealed pavement works. We have approximately 50kms of road to reseal in the 2022/23 season.

Our roading team made the most of the warmer, drier weather that came our way in September.

August brought a welcome reprieve from the wild weather and storm events of July. A total of 3,100 individual work items were completed throughout August.

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

Wild, wet and windy weather kept crews busy in July. A total of 3,358 individual work items were completed throughout the month. 

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.

Maintenance activities have been widespread in June. During this typically wet period, there has been a focus on potholing, running metal and completing grading work.

Kaipara District Council has been successful in its applications for the Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

Twenty-two community organisations have been awarded a share of $100,000.00 in the latest Kaipara District Council Community Grant.

In May, we saw some great progress happening across the district. Sealed pavement rehabs are now complete, and the unsealed network has received the last of the PGF/IRG funding. 

Amendments to Kaipara District’s Speed Limits Bylaw were unanimously passed at the May Council Meeting, resulting in new speed limits in the Mangawhai – Kaiwaka (including Hakaru) and Kaiwaka West (including Oneriri Road and Oruawharo Road) areas. 

Work to improve the wastewater network in Kaiwaka is scheduled to begin on 23 May 2022. 

April’s relatively calm weather meant that Kaipara’s roading team could focus on jobs carrying over from previous months, and complete work on this year’s sealed pavement rehabs, unsealed heavy metal sites, and footpath kerb and channel renewals before the wet winter weather sets in.

Work is underway to implement new speed limits in the Mangawhai – Kaiwaka (including Hakaru) and Kaiwaka West (including Oneriri Road and Oruawharu Road) areas.

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

Two new footbridges were opened at a double ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Kaipara township of Kaiwaka on Saturday 26 March.

Work to build two new footbridges in Kaiwaka is entering its final stages. The footbridges provide a safer link for pedestrians to cross the river, improving connectivity for the Kaiwaka community.

Kaipara roading teams have been putting their time to good use during the dry season, preparing for autumn when the damper conditions enable new road pavement to be properly compacted.

The truss is now up on the abutments at the north bridge, with physical construction of the boardwalk starting last week. 

The second season of road surfacing works commenced in the Kaipara District this month, after 14.4kms was completed in December 2021.

A small gathering, a prayer and a blessing to keep workers safe marked the start of the work on-site for the Kaiwaka footbridges.

The Kaipara District's roads continue to hold the right balance of moisture and dryness, which has allowed the NTA and Kaipara District Council to complete a lot of roading work this month, including grading on Avoca Rd, Avoca East Rd and Avoca North Rd.

Kaipara District Council has adopted a report recommending new speed limits in the Mangawhai and Kaiwaka area. The adoption of this report paves the way for the introduction of lower speed limits this financial year.

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.

With the Christmas holidays soon approaching, there will be some changes to a few Council services.

Kaipara District Council (KDC) has worked with other Northland Councils on a Drought Management Plan (DMP) to create a consistent drought classification system and approach.

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

A total of $45,155.00 has been awarded in the latest funding round for the Mangawhai Endowment Lands Account (MELA).

An update on wher ethe roading team will be working across Kaipara in October. 

A progress update on the Kaihu Valley Trail.

Work is about to start on two of four new toilet blocks. 

Kaipara District Council (KDC) began consultation today on a proposed model of representation.

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

Kaiwaka township has seen a number of safety improvements recently, with our team and contractors Ventia busy working along Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road.

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.

A survey of Ripiro Beach users to understand their concerns relating to beach use received over 1,700 responses.

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 total of $13,049.00 has been granted from the first round of the Rural Travel Fund to eight schools and sporting organisations across the district.

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

A number of improvements have been made at the Kaiwaka end of Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Road. 

Our Parks team and local contractors Turf Tamer recently completed work by the Kaiwaka River (north eastern side of the bridge).

Two footbridges are to be erected in Kaiwaka, parallel to State Highway 1 and crossing streams at the northern end of the township.

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.

Creative Communities Scheme is now open for funding applications. The funding is available to support a wide range of arts projects – previous recipients include Te Kopuru School for their Matariki celebrations and the Mangawhai Museum for their Winter Series.

Kaiwaka footbridges will form part of the Kaiwaka walking and cycling network and will reduce severance caused by the state highway and rivers. 

Kaipara District Council has been consulting the community about lowering speed limits in the Mangawhai and Kaiwaka area. 

Kaipara District Council is seeking feedback on proposals to set new speed limits in the Mangawhai and Kaiwaka areas, including the Mangawhai urban area. 

A total of $132,320.00 has been awarded in the latest funding round for the Mangawhai Endowment Lands Account (MELA).

More than $122,000 has been awarded in the latest Kaipara District Council funding rounds for Community Grants, Rural Travel Fund, and Creative Communities Scheme.