Decision paves way for better beach safety

In October, Kaipara's roading team powered through 55% of necessary pre-seal works, in preparation for re-seals next year.

Check out the latest work on the boardwalk extension for Baylys Beach. Piling is complete and now the team are installing the bearers and joists.

The relationship agreements Kaipara District Council holds with Te Roroa and Te Uri o Hau were terminated by the Council at its September meeting, with a view to start afresh with new agreements.

A new strategy developed by Northland’s four local authorities looks to improve accessibility across the region, which has the country’s second highest rate of disabilities and impairments.

It’s Welcoming Week, an opportunity to make our communities more welcoming to all those who choose to call Aotearoa New Zealand home.

A suite of recovery and resilience projects underway in Kaipara District is set to benefit from more than half a million dollars in central government funds.

 A set of new toilets for Baylys Beach goers were officially blessed and opened to the public late last week.

Kaipara District Council and Whangarei District Council are developing a joint panel of contractors to complete the remaining emergency recovery repairs, helping to save money and time for both councils.

Downer is working hard to get construction done through the winter period, in time to have the third phase of the shared path open for use when summer rolls round again.

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

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

New toilets are on the way for Baylys Beach, to provide safe and accessible facilities for the community and visitors. 

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

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

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.

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

Work on Pouto wharf has been progressing well during weather and tidal windows, with the crew taking every opportunity to complete piling works, concreting, and install bearers. With most of the piles now in place, the crew are focused on completing the bracing and joists over the next fortnight.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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).

Soon, Dargaville and Te Kopuru locals will see little libraries popping up around the community.

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.

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.

If you’re driving along the beach, keep to the harder sand below the high tide mark.

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.

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

Progress has been tracking well on the second phase of the Mangawhai shared path, with the boardwalk section now stretching right across the water by the causeway.

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.

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

Kaipara District Council Parks and Open Spaces team manage six of the district’s cemeteries and recently funded community-led work to repair the gates to their former glory.

A sunny day set the scene for the official opening of Stage One of the Kaihu Valley Trail (KVT), which was celebrated with a blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Ahikiwi Marae on Saturday 10 June.

Do you live in or love visiting Baylys Beach? Tell us what you think about a new playground for the settlement. 

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.

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.

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. 

UPDATED: Friday 28 April at 1.27pm.

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.  

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

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

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.

Northland motorists are being asked to be patient this summer as the Northland Transportation Alliance battles relentless wet weather while attempting roading repairs.

The four councils in our region are working together on a plan to make our communities more accessible to live, work, play and visit.

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

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.

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.

A chainsaw course for Dargaville High School students saw wattle and other pest plants removed from Old Mt Wesley cemetery.  

The second phase of the Mangawhai shared path cranks up construction next month, and includes a collaboratively designed boardwalk running alongside the causeway.

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

An update on the Kaihu Valley Trail including fencing progress, funding and latest finds along the trail.

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. 

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.

Te Tai Tokerau councils celebrated a unique milestone in April after the adoption of New Zealand’s first region-wide climate adaptation strategy.

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

Check out the latest happenings on the Kaihu Valley Trail progress, including the discovery of some railway artefacts.

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

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

Locals and visitors with their boogie boards, beach bags, skateboards and shopping bags piled on board the Mangawhai Village to Beach bus over summer, turning out in even greater numbers than previous years of the trial service.

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.

Starting today through to Wednesday 23 February a short section of Molesworth Drive from the ITM down to Nautical Heights will go down to one lane, with flow managed using traffic lights.

Last week saw the installation of a temporary sign marking the Dargaville entrance of the Kaihu Valley Trail.

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. 

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

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. 

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.

With the border opening there will be increased traffic travelling through both of the worksites. Please remind your visitors ahead of their arrival that these are still active work sites in the lead up to the break – give your friends and family a heads up so they can be prepared for possible travel delays and can plan their journeys accordingly.

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.

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.

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.

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

Findings of the latest LittaTrap audit found an increase of rubbish captured. LittaTraps (a simple, cost-effective net that sits inside a stormwater grate) have been installed around Northland through a multi-agency initiative.

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.

A progress update on the Kaihu Valley Trail.

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).  

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

A significant change in the programme for the much-needed Village intersection improvements will see the work finished in early December, ahead of schedule.

The United Civil team are starting to work in the road (Stage Two of their work staging plan), focusing on the area at the western entrance to the Moir Street / Insley Street intersection.

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.

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 Kaihu Valley Trail is a 40km walking and biking track being constructed from Dargaville to Donnellys Crossing. It will form part of the Ancient Kauri Trail that extends from Omapere to Maungaturoto and be one of the 23 Great Rides around New Zealand.

An update on the Kaihu Valley Trail progress

Construction work on the Mangawhai Village intersection improvements started this week. 

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.

A friendly reminder to take only photos and leave only footprints at the Taharoa Domain when exploring the wonderful jewel of Kaipara.

An update on what's happening with the Kaihu Valley Trail.  

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

Kaipara District Elected Members have voted in favour of a proposal to temporarily store the 157-year-old ship the Daring next to the Mangawhai Museum. 

Work will begin again at the Mangawhai Community Park after the Easter break.

Recently we received the good news that Waka Kotahi NZTA have granted funding to complete phase 1 of our new shared path.

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.

We recently started the evaluation for the Wood Street revitalisation project.

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

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

Mangawhai’s bus service proved hugely popular with both locals and visitors this summer. The bus ran daily 27 December – 17 January and then every weekend and public holiday to 08 February, picking up passengers from Mangawhai Village to the surf beach. 

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. 

The Kaihu Valley Trail is one section of the Ancient Kauri Trail that will be developed in stages and eventually link Ōmāpere, on the Hokianga Harbour, to the Mangawhai Coast.

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. 

Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to fill out our recent Wood Street survey. We had a good response with a total of 205 people selecting one of four options to reconfigure the parking near the entrance to Wood Street (from Molesworth Drive). 

The interim design for the Wood Street revitalisation project has been in place since early December 2020.

Changes at Wood Street are part of the Wood Street revitalisation project, a community co-design that came about after the Mangawhai Business Association approached Council in 2019.  

The FREE Village to Beach Loop bus service is running again this summer. Please let your family, friends, and all your visitors know. The bus service is free for everyone. 

The first concrete pour was completed for the new pathway at Matakohe earlier this month.

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

After months of planning, the Wood Street revitalisation project really got rolling this month, with key changes implemented following the latest community co-design workshops.

We are go! Traffic is now one way on Wood Street. Entry is via Molesworth Drive (similar to last summer’s trial). Please take care and look out for the new road markings and signs.

From tomorrow (Thursday 03 December) Wood Street will change to a one way traffic system. Entry will be via Molesworth Drive (similar to last summer’s trial). Please take care and look out for the new road markings and signage, which will be in place from this Thursday. Wheel stops are also being installed to complete the improvements to the back carpark. 

Our contractors and their team are starting work on some of the improvements to the Mangawhai Community Park facilities later this week.

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.

How can we make Northland more accessible for people with disabilities, older adults, migrants, or families with young children?

Works on the Wood Street interim design will be starting later this week!

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. 

Spring has been busy for the Kaipara Kai Hub.

Hats off to the Ngā Uri o Hau Native Nursery team! They have been busy replanting some of the areas down at Mangawhai Community Park recently. 

Construction has started on the new Baylys Beach walkway. The work is led by Kaipara District Council, with a $300,000 grant received through the Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

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

There’s been a lot of exciting mahi happening in Taharoa Domain recently. This year our Parks team and their contractors have planted more than 12,500 native trees as part of a regenerative planting plan and a successful pest cull has been undertaken around the Kai Iwi lakes area.

Kaipara District Council has used funding under the Te Tai Tokerau Redeployment Package to complete some exciting roadside projects. The funding package, through the Provincial Growth Fund, is providing urgent economic relief for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, by creating immediate work opportunities for local people.

Fire Station cleared in Wood Street.

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

More than $180,000.00 has been awarded in the latest Kaipara District Council funding rounds for Reserve Contributions Contestable Fund, Rural Travel Fund, and the Creative Communities Scheme.  

Collaborative stormwater project kicks off with first LittaTrap installed in Mangawhai

Work is underway at Selwyn Park to upgrade lights.

Work is progressing at pace, as a result of $2.87m recently allocated to Kaipara District from the Te Tai Tokerau Redeployment Package. A total of $9.32 million is allocated across Northland. The funding package through the Provincial Growth Fund is providing urgent economic relief for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, by creating immediate work opportunities for local people and businesses.

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).

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

Mangawhai Community Park work update. 

Minister Shane Jones has announced $15 million for Kaipara District Council for shovel ready infrastructure projects

Councillors this morning voted in favour of the former fire station building at 09 Wood Street to be demolished.

The Council owned building is unoccupied. The Mangawhai Fire Station has been in its new modern premises at 191 Molesworth Drive since late 2019.

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.

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.

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. 

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has awarded funds to Kaipara District Council for the next stage in the Wood Street revitalisation project. The funds are part of the Innovating Streets programme and pilot fund, which supports councils to deliver more vibrant and people-friendly public spaces by employing ‘tactical urbanism’. The grant will fund 90 percent of an interim treatment that will inform a permanent future upgrade in Wood Street.

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.