The newly-elected mayor and councillors of Kaipara District were welcomed with a powhiri at the inaugural Council meeting in Dargaville this morning.  

Mayor- and councillors-elect entered the ceremony in the Dargaville Town Hall to a karanga delivered by Kaipara District Council staff, followed by a karakia. Representatives of iwi and hapu from across Kaipara then jointly welcomed the new mayor and councillors with waiata and mihimihi (speeches).  

After the powhiri, Kaipara District Council Chief Executive Louise Miller officially opened the inaugural Council meeting and invited Mayor-Elect Dr Jason Smith to make his statutory declaration and receive the mayoral chain.  

Mayor Smith then called councillors-elect forward to be sworn in.  

In his inaugural address for the triennium, Mayor Smith reflected on 30 years of Kaipara District.  

The Mayor said Kaipara is “back in business” and the future was looking bright, with Council debt now significantly reduced and Kaipara experiencing the fastest-growing population of any district in the North Island in the last six years, at 20.6% growth.  

He emphasised the importance of collaborations and partnerships, with Council increasing the strength of its relationships with iwi partners and neighbouring councils.  

He also acknowledged Kaipara’s responsibility to play a part in tackling climate change, and looked forward to creating a climate-smart Kaipara. 

The new Council publicly acknowledged the appointment of Councillor Anna Curnow as Deputy Mayor, and confirmed Council meetings to take place in November and December: 

• 9.30am, Wednesday 27 November, Dargaville Town Hall 

• 9.30am, Wednesday 11 December, Dargaville Town Hall  

Read the Mayor’s speech in full.

From left: Cr Mark Vincent (Otamatea Ward), Cr Eryn Wilson-Collins (Dargaville Ward), Cr David Wills (West Coast-Central Ward), Deputy Mayor Anna Curnow, Mayor Dr Jason Smith, Cr Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock (West Coast-Central Ward), Cr Peter Wethey (Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward), Cr Karen Joyce-Paki (Dargaville Ward), Cr Jonathan Larsen (Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward).