Ratepayer Newsletter - January 2021

Over the next month, Elected Members and Council staff are attending community markets around Kaipara District.

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.

A healthy environment, prosperous economy and dependable roading are included in the community outcomes Kaipara District Council has set for the next few years.

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

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.

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

A first-ever Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy will provide a much-needed boost to the arts sector in Kaipara.

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

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!

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

If you’re connected to Council’s treated water supply system, your most recent water invoice may have shown an increase in the cost for your first cubic meter of water.

Considerations from Kaipara District about the Three Waters Reforms.

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.

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.

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

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

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). 

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. 

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.

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. 

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

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.