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Kia ora,
Standing at the gate of the year, as I look ahead I see a colourful year for Kaipara District Council. With plenty of new initiatives and directions being announced by Government in the coming weeks, there will be changes for Kaipara people and our Council. Between now and Easter some of the things to watch for include:
- a Speed Limit Review of the Northland State Highway Network, not the local Council-owned local roads but the main arterial highways managed by Waka Kotahi/NZTA. Early indications are that Waka Kotahi proposes all 880km of highways in Northland will be reduced to 80km/h from 100km/h. Have your say in their consultation on this.
- Government’s upcoming Indigenous Biodiversity Strategy national policy statement should make clear the Government’s position on their ideas about SNAs or Significant Natural Areas. This follows public concerns last year. For KDC we’re anticipating this completed policy will be able to be referenced in our Draft District Plan which will be out for preliminary consultation in April/May.
- Three Waters Reform is expected to quicken its pace from March based on the recommendations of the various Working Groups set up to help shape this. For the latest from the Government, including proposed legislation for the Waters Entities, check dia.govt.nz/Three-Waters-Reform-Programme
At its December Meeting Council made decisions for the Annual Plan 2022/2023. Everyone knows the costs of things are rapidly increasing and Council is not immune to this. Seeking a balance between providing services and keeping rates down is always hard and no-one wants to see rates rise unnecessarily. Council decided to cut some projects such as the development of the Kaipara Destination Management Plan, while other projects from the Long Term Plan (LTP) were reprioritised and some pushed out to future years. In this reshuffle we landed on a 0.44% rates increase above what was in the LTP, which means a 7.57% increase to the overall rates requirement is forecast. Council will not be consulting formally on the Annual Plan as there are no options to consider and rates changes for 2022/2023 are similar to what was proposed in the LTP. Council will be engaging with and informing the community clearly about the Annual Plan 2022/2023 and what actions and services to expect. A reminder that Council uses the words “consultation” and “engagement” very specifically, not with the same meaning.
One rate everyone should be happy to see increase is still on the rise. Increasing rates of Covid vaccination in Kaipara and Northland have been steady. At time of writing we’re at 85% double-vaxxed but that’s not enough to shift our ‘traffic light’ to orange. Large events are still forbidden. There are many things in the year ahead, but I don’t see the end of the Covid pandemic just yet. Buckle up.
Ngā mihi
Mayor Jake
Dr Jason Smith, Mayor of Kaipara District
Related stories
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Mayor's Message 9 May 2022
- May 09, 2022
Slashing next year’s rates by 2.27% looks to be on the cards for Kaipara District Council, following a Council Briefing last week where staff updated elected members on progress with the draft Annual Plan.
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- April 26, 2022
Complex problems for councils seldom come as neatly packaged as the “Better Off” funding which is part of the Three Waters Reforms.
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Mayor's Message 11 April 2022
- April 11, 2022
Knocking off the big things as the season turns, daylight savings ends and the autumn equinox has passed, Kaipara District Council has just had confirmation the Mangawhai Central Private Plan Change has been resolved by all the concerned parties without the need for a costly Environment Court hearing.
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Mayor's Message 28 March 2022
- March 28, 2022
Even lower expectations for KDC rates in the 2022-23 Annual Plan year, commencing 1 July, are now firmly on the cards as Council gets closer to its June finalisation of what will be in the Annual Plan.
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Mayor's Message 22 February 2022
- February 22, 2022
Future-focused energies for the finish of February are helping set up Kaipara District Council for a busy time ahead.
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Mayor's Message 15 February 2022
- February 15, 2022
Covid Omicron case numbers are increasing across New Zealand and in other parts of Northland but not in Kaipara District.
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Mayor's Message 01 February 2022
- February 01, 2022
Two years ago last week the Government started its rollout of the first responses to the Covid-19 coronavirus. We’ve been living in a pandemic since then.
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Mayor's Message - 7 December 2021
- December 07, 2021
Resilience and taking some time to breath easily are important for us all in the busiest few weeks of the year, starting now.
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Mayor's Message 30 November 2021
- November 30, 2021
As November turns into December the pace of things quickens around the Kaipara.
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Mayor's Message - 2 November 2021
- November 02, 2021
In a flash the Three Waters Reforms have gone from looking reasonable to being radical reform, with Mayors across the country panning the announcement by Minister Mahuta that Government will, after all, be compelling all Councils across New Zealand to surrender their drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets to be reorganised into mega-entities.
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Mayor's Message - 18 October 2021
- October 18, 2021
Congratulations to people in Kaipara District who’ve responded to the Kaipara Call To Arms and have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated in the last two weeks.
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Mayor's Message - 04 October 2021
- October 04, 2021
Local Councils across New Zealand have been heavily focused in recent weeks on the Government’s Three Waters Reform program and what it may mean for us all.
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Mayor's Message - 20 September 2021
- September 20, 2021
Current Covid Rules around Kaipara District Council
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- August 23, 2021
At the time of writing, we have just entered our first Level 4 lockdown since March of last year.
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Mayor's Message - July 2021
- July 14, 2021
Fast-paced times for Kaipara District Council will be the flavour of the period ahead.
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Mayor's Message - June 2021
- June 21, 2021
Keeping connected with friends and family is important for each of us, it’s part of what keeps us healthy, resilient and having an enjoyable life. Connections for small Kaipara District Council are likewise important.
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Mayor's Message - May 2021
- May 25, 2021
Records have been tumbling at Kaipara District Council and I expect a new level has just been set for the longest single-day Council Meeting
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Mayor's Message - April 2021
- April 26, 2021
Roads are the most significant part of the business of Council, and something about which locals are justifiably passionate.
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Mayor's Message - March 2021
- March 22, 2021
A surprise season of tsunami sirens is upon us. A real evacuation-level alert, a false alarm and then a scheduled test all within one month – that’s a bit to get your head around! On 5 March there was a legitimate tsunami evacuation for communities of Mangawhai and Ruawai.
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Mayor's Message - February 2021
- February 22, 2021
In the last month the COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted Kaipara District twice – once with the 'Northland case' who visited tourism hotspots from Mangawhai to Matakohe and then with the 14/15 Feb checkpoint/boundary confusion which affected large numbers of Kaipara people and for a day effectively cut Kaipara District in half.
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Mayor's Message - January 2021
- January 21, 2021
Happy new year greetings to you as we roar on further into the Twenties. Already it’s lining up to be a cracker of a year for Kaipara District Council, and our summer season is well underway.
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Mayor's Message - November 2020
- November 18, 2020
Summer is now upon us, and the days are warmer and longer.
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Mayor's Message - October 2020
- October 15, 2020
Spring is fully here, the kowhai has bloomed, daffodils are done
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Mayor's Message - September 2020
- September 17, 2020
“Kaipara’s getting hotter” is a perfect phrase for the season – winter is now over but, also, the attractiveness of Kaipara for new residents is reaching new levels of popularity.
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Mayor's Message - August 2020
- August 13, 2020
Lockdown #2 is literally at the doorstep of Kaipara District right now
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Mayor's Message - July 2020
- July 15, 2020
The darkest part of winter is here and yet there is so much light in Kaipara District
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Mayor's Message - June 2020
- June 19, 2020
At hand we have a story of a halving, a doubling and a balancing.
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Mayor's Message - May 2020
- May 22, 2020
High and dry times continue across Kaipara District, as the worst-in-70-years drought rolls on.
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Mayor's Message - April 2020
- April 24, 2020
Alert Level 4 has been extraordinary
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Mayor's Message - March 2020
- March 19, 2020
Unprecedented events are unfolding around us.
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Mayor's Message - February 2020
- February 21, 2020
Drought concerns are high on everyone’s minds.
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Mayor's Message - January 2020
- January 24, 2020
Parched soils, hot temperatures and dry days make it clear summer’s here in Kaipara.
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