Council cleaning up sandbags at Baylys Beach

Update Friday 18 April, 8:57am

Northland experienced an exceptionally dry March, which brought grading work across the district to a halt. 

Kaipara District Council has lifted water restrictions for Baylys Beach and Dargaville properties on town water supply.

The announcement of a boost for water projects in Northland will provide a resilient water supply for Dargaville’s future generations. 

Dargaville and Baylys Beach residents have taken the level 4 water restrictions in their stride with daily water usage decreasing further.

A dry February has put the brakes on unsealed road maintenance, shifting our focus to wet roll grades.

Those on town supply in Baylys Beach and Dargaville are now in level 4 water restrictions – essential use only. Water can only be used for drinking, cooking, washing clothes and showering. 

Work across the 1126km unsealed network will pick back up in late March, having slowed down during the dry season. 

Lower than expected rainfall and extremely low river flows are edging Kaipara District closer to drought conditions.

Council is asking residents in Dargaville and Baylys Beach to reduce their water use immediately to protect the water supply.

Pre-seal repairs progressed well in November, with 71% of sites finished.

The boardwalk extension at Baylys Beach is ready for the community and its many visitors, making the iconic west coast beach safer and easier to access.  

Residents in Baylys Beach and Dargaville on town water supply are asked to conserve water use as we enter level 2 water restrictions.

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

A new observation tower for Baylys Beach will improve the response times and working conditions for volunteer lifeguards on the popular west coast beach.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Representatives from local authorities and the community hit the sand recently to get a better understanding of how people access and enjoy Ripiro Beach. 

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

Another round of weather events, including ex-Cyclone Lola, has affected works on Poutō wharf and extended the completion date out to the end of the summer. 

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.

More than 250 Ripiro Beach visitors stopped to chat with representatives from Council, local authorities, and the community over Labour Weekend.

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

Sand, surf and sun are the stuff of classic Kiwi holidays and many memories have been made at beach campgrounds.

That beach lifestyle could be yours.

This weekend, visitors to Ripiro Beach are set to be welcomed with a humble sausage in bread and an important message; follow the rules to protect other beachgoers, the environment and yourself.

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).

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.

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

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.

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.

Kaipara District continues to respond to the impacts of 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.

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

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.

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.

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

Ripiro Beach runs from the bottom of the Maunganui Bluff through to Pouto Peninsula.