Development Contributions Policy review
The submission period has now closed.
Kaipara District Council has reviewed its Development Contributions Policy (the Policy). The initial draft Policy was publicly consulted during June 2025, and based on feedback received, minor wording changes were made as well as changes to the project list – which resulted in significant changes to the proposed Development Contribution fees. A second submission period opened in August, seeking further feedback on the proposed changes.
Hearings (if any) are scheduled for Thursday 4 September followed by deliberations on Tuesday 9 September.
About the Policy
The Development Contributions Policy outlines fees charged to developers to help offset the impact of their development. Development Contribution (DC) fees are spent on infrastructure including roading, wastewater and stormwater services in the district.
The Policy ensures the cost of a new infrastructure is fairly shared between developers and ratepayers based on who causes the need for, and who benefits from the investments.
The proposed Policy will see an increase in development contribution fees for some areas (Dargaville, Kaiwaka and Mangawhai), while fees in other areas decrease. See page 4 of the consultation document for tables showing proposed fees for areas across the district.
Development Contribution fees may be required when: a resource consent is granted under the RMA for subdivision and land use applications, a building consent or certificate of acceptance is granted under the Building Act or an authorisation for a service connection is granted. The new fees are only applicable to developments that lodge their applications after the new Policy is declared operative.
Key changes
The key changes from the original Development Contributions consultation document are:
- Minor wording changes to the Development Contribution Policy have been made for accuracy.
- Changes to the project list have resulted in changes to the Development Contributions charges, these are clearly indicated in the tables section below.
- All projects have been checked for accuracy and some budgets have been revised since the documentation previously provided.
Webinar
Our Planning Team hosted a webinar on Friday 22 August 2025 to advise what has changed and to answer any questions. They also discussed the upcoming RMA reforms and gave a brief update on the Proposed District Plan review. Watch a recording of the webinar here:
Read the Consultation Document
Read the proposed Development Contributions Policy
Development Contributions
The Development Contributions Policy outlines fees charged to developers to help offset the impact of their development. Development Contribution (DC) fees are spent on infrastructure including roading, wastewater and stormwater services in the district.
The Policy ensures the cost of a new infrastructure is fairly shared between developers and ratepayers based on who causes the need for, and who benefits from the investments.
Developers are required to pay a development contribution to the council when developing or requiring new services for a property. The Kaipara district is experiencing rapid growth in some areas and this growth can only be sustained if developers contribute to the cost of new or expanded infrastructure that supports that growth.
- Read the current Development Contributions Policy
- Read the previous Development Contributions Policy (2020)
FAQs
What are development contributions and what is the money used for?
A Development Contribution (DC) is a levy on new developments. They are collected under the Local Government Act 2002 and are there to ensure the costs of extra demand on council infrastructure from the development are not imposed on the community. Contributions are used for providing new or expanded infrastructure. The contributions are not used for maintenance and are only used for the purpose for which they were taken. For example, a roading contribution will only be used for constructing new roads and intersection improvements.
Development Contributions are assessed on:
- roading and transport
- water supply
- wastewater
- stormwater
- community infrastructure
- parks and reserves
Who pays them?
Development Contributions are usually paid for residential development (new houses), non-residential development (commercial, industrial or retail), subdivisions, new connections, and for certain changes of land use.
When do I pay?
Applications for resource consent, building consent or service connection trigger the requirement to pay development contributions. The due date for payment will be:
- For subdivision resource consents: prior to issue of the section 224c certificate.
- For other resource consents: prior to the commencement of consent.
- For building consents: prior to Code Compliance Certificate.
- For service connections: prior to connection.
- For certificates of acceptance: prior to issue.
If you want to avoid annual increases, you can always make payment earlier than the due date.
I don't get water, wastewater or stormwater, so why should I pay any Development Contributions?
Your development will still use council roads and parks and reserves so you need to pay your share to develop these.
I have to put all the services into my development so why do I still have to pay council more money?
Development Contributions are for your share of the cost of the trunk services, treatment plants and roads that your development connects to.
