Dargaville wastewater network improvement work starting soon

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. If you must travel, please allow extra time, drive with care, and be considerate.  

Authorities in Northland are advising travellers to stay up-to-date and amend their plans if necessary as key local roads damaged in Friday’s heavy rain around Mangawhai and surrounding areas will remain closed until midweek and in some cases, longer.

Kaipara District continues to respond to the impacts of 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.

A number of Kaipara homeowners have had their houses stickered in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Yesterday I was able to witness first hand some of the hard work that has been happening across the district to recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Our Rapid Response teams made good ground yesterday, conducting welfare checks on our isolated and hard-to-reach Kaipara communities, many of which are still without power.

It’s a relief to see river levels dropping with the steady fine weather. There is still some flooding in areas around the Northern Wairoa, which we are still monitoring. We expect these to return to normal by Tuesday.

After having no occupants overnight we have closed the Civil Defence Evacuation Centre at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church and relocated the team to other areas of the response.

UPDATED: 2.17PM Thursday 02 March 2023

A number of our staff have been diverted to emergency services relating to Cyclone Gabrielle. Council services will continue but some with limited capacity so please be patient. We will continue to keep you updated.

You now have until Friday 03 March to dispose of flood-damaged green waste and items free of charge at Dargaville and Hakaru transfer stations. Both transfer stations are operating normal hours during this time.  

When you see the sun come out and the wind has dropped, it could be difficult to believe what we have experienced in the last few days.

In the early hours of this morning Awakino River on the northern outskirts of Dargaville breached its banks. 

It’s been a tough day, especially for parts of Dargaville, with Awakino River and some of Ruawai now being evacuated. By 7pm, high tide, we expect to have evacuated everyone from areas we think are vulnerable.

This article will be updated with information on Kaipara District Council services during Cyclone Gabrielle. 

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

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.

Fencing continues to progress in the Parore area and foundations for both Ahikiwi and Parore Bridges have been poured.

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.

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.

The newly elected mayor and councillors of Kaipara District were officially sworn into office in Dargaville at 1pm on Wednesday 26 October.

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

Kaipara’s newly elected Council will be sworn in at 1pm on Wednesday 26 October at the Lighthouse Function Centre, Pou Tu o Te Rangi Harding Park.   

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

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.

Kaipara District Council staff are asking Mangawhai house owners and residents on the wastewater system to flush water through their drains, toilets and showers and prevent gases from backing up into their homes.

Five Kaipara residents officially became New Zealanders at a Citizenship Ceremony held in Dargaville on Friday 16 September.

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

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.

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

A Mangawhai Wastewater Treatment Plant Advisory Group (MAG) is helping to guide a future strategy for the growing town’s wastewater disposal.

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.

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

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

At the July Council Meeting, Kaipara District Council Elected Members unanimously accepted the Private Plan Change 81 (PPC81) request from the Dargaville Racing Club inc.

Around 30 people turned out to a meeting at the Lighthouse Function Centre in Dargaville to discuss the Draft Management Plan for Pou Tu o Te Rangi/Harding Park.

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’s operations and maintenance switches over to a new contractor next month.

In the bowels of Kaipara’s wastewater networks, rag monsters and fatbergs are causing havoc and costing ratepayers' money.

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. 

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.

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

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.

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.

Projects to install new toilets in Mangawhai and Maungaturoto reached milestones recently, as the new facilities were delivered to their sites.

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

The Environment Court has given the green light to Mangawhai Central’s Private Plan Change 78 (PPC 78) to the Kaipara District Plan.

The Waiatua Dam (on Opanake Road) may be the solution to end the Dargaville and Baylys Beach water shortages, according to a preliminary investigation, commissioned by Kaipara District Council. 

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.

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

The council is upgrading wastewater systems and is asking people to flush responsibly.

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.

Although Kaipara’s dry weather has slowed work on the unsealed road network, the roading crews are still hard at work, completing some of the remaining associated improvement work, like drainage and vegetation control.

The Council is about to start constructing a balance tank, to increase the capacity of the Mangawhai Community Wastewater Scheme.

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

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

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.

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.

Kaipara District Council has confirmed that the Ruawai area will be the first location for the community adaptation planning, adaptive pathways process at its meeting on 15 December.

Iwi Liaison Manager Jack Rudolph and Māori Advisor Missy Hokai joined the Council on 1 November, to strengthen a Te Ao Māori capability and viewpoint across the organisation.

A tomo (sinkhole) recently appeared on Gordon Street in Dargaville.

November has been a busy roading month for the Northland Transport Alliance and Kaipara District Council, across the Kaipara District.

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

If you don’t already use Kaipara Libraries, we want to hear from you.  If you are one of our library users, we want to hear from you too.

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.

As part of our Long Term Plan, we undertook to explore options to expand the capacity of the Mangawhai Wastewater Scheme to accommodate growth in the area and summer peak flows.

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.

Considerations from Kaipara District about the Three Waters Reforms.

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

A progress update on the Kaihu Valley Trail.

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

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).  

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.

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.

A new stormwater network has been installed between 18 – 40 Jervois Street, Dargaville.

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. 

Dargaville Intermediate tamariki joined forces with the Kaipara District Council parks team recently, planting approximately 400 native plants in Taharoa Domain.

The Dargaville Library was blessed on Tuesday as it reopened its doors to the community.

A section of Hokianga Road has been a hive of activity recently, with our contractors out busy replacing an ageing stormwater culvert.

Nine infrastructure renewal projects are being rolled out across Kaipara District this year. 

Some of the works happening around the District. 

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. 

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

We’re having some issues at the moment around bad parking behaviour at both Mangawhai Beach School and Dargaville Primary School

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.

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.

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. 

A labour of love now blessed.

North Auckland Dog Rescue and Kaipara District Council’s offer to Community Service Cardholders to subsidise the cost of desexing their dogs have been in such hot demand they are now managing a waiting list.

Dargaville pontoon completion kicks off Kaipara Wharves project

Collaborative stormwater project kicks off with first LittaTrap installed in Mangawhai

Work is underway at Selwyn Park to upgrade lights.

Kaipara District Council has closed off parts of the Northern Wairoa War Memorial Hall (Dargaville Town Hall) at 37 Hokianga Road after an air quality test revealed mould in elevated levels in various parts of the building relating to ongoing water egress.

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.

The newly elected mayor and councillors of Kaipara District were officially sworn into office in Dargaville at 1pm on Wednesday 26 October.