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Insley Street seawall strengthening

I caught up with the team involved in strengthening the Insley Street seawall this week. Erosion over time has started to undermine the causeway at this location.Insley Street will be widened and strengthened as part of the district’s roading resilience programme, aimed at protecting our shoreline and roads from future storm damage.Insley Street is one of only three routes connecting Mangawhai with neighbouring districts. It has over 8,000 vehicles traveling over the road daily on average, mak...

Victoria Street road rehabilitation

Great to catch up with the Downer, Harrison Contracting and TMNZ team working on the Victoria Street road rehabilitation earlier this week.  Work started on 17 March and is expected to be completed by 31 May with a budget of approximately $885,000.The works schedule includes -Drainage upgrades that include -Replacing all SW sumps on either side of carriagewayInstall 300 diameter SW line and new manhole200mm of GAP 40 stabilised with 1.5% cement250mm GAP65 stabilised with 5% cementNew v...

What's happening with the Mangawhai Road slip realignment?

I've fielded a few queries about the state of the road at the Mangawhai Rd slip site (where the power pole was in the middle of the road for about two years).It's a bit of a roller coaster ride along there so it's important it gets sorted soon. In short - the contractor, has acknowledged the issue and has agreed to carry out all remediation at no additional cost to Council. Here's the lowdown on the situation -Following completion of the initial construction works in January 2026, pave...

Tinopai wharf - making progress

I attended a great meeting at the Paparoa Hall with Tinopai community wharf committee and community members, key Council staff and members of the elected member working group. We are working together to progress work on replacing the Tinopai wharf which is in a state of disrepair.The wharf is a really important asset to the local community. We are determing what will be the best design, whilst ensuring it is cost effective, and exploring funding options....

Paparoa storage shed opening

It was a pleasure to join the North Kaipara Agricultural Association tonight for the opening of their new storage shed at Paparoa Showgrounds.This fantastic community asset was made possible partly through a $30,000 grant from KDC Reserve Contributions.Following a shared bbq dinner I had the honour of cutting the ribbon with association patron Stella Clyde (who was also one of my teachers at Otamatea High School back in the 1980s).Thanks to Stella, President Janine Hames and the rest of the comm...

New Mangawhai Harbour Working Group approved

At Wednesday's Council meeting the elected members voted in support of my Mangawhai Harbour Working Group proposal.The Council media release is as follows -Council establishes Mangawhai Harbour Working GroupKaipara District Council is establishing a new working group to actively advocate for the health and functionality of Mangawhai Harbour and its tributaries.The Mangawhai Harbour opens to the Pacific Ocean on the eastern side of the district and is sheltered by a large distal sandspit. It is a...

35th anniversary of "The Big Dig

On Saturday I had the privilege of attending the 35th anniversary of the Big Dig.A gathering of about 100 joined together to remember and thank the brave community members who had the courage to band together and reopen the Mangawhai Harbour mouth usning over forty heavy machines.I remember the stagnating northern end of the estuary well. The Big Dig initiative was the turning point that secured Mangawhai's future. The subsequent tireless ongoing work of the Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society...

Great progress around Dargaville

I had a good tour of important infrastructure improvements around Dargaville last week.Beach Road culvert and flood gate upgradeContractor: Barfoote Construction The weather events in early 2023 caused severe flooding in the catchment upstream from the Beach Rd area and resulted in flooding on Beach Road, the farmland to the North of Beach Road and the surrounding properties near the Beach Road floodgate.The culvert and flood gate were undersized and unable to cope with the extreme volume of wat...

Arapaoa papakainga commencement

I had the privilege of attending the Arapaoa papakainga karakia for the commencement of this impressive project last Saturday.Led into the site by two amazing Ratana brass bands, the development organised by Arapaoa 1 Maori Reservation Trust with support from Te Pouahi O Te Taitokerau with up to ten homes to be delivered by Advance Build.A big congratulations to Chair Shannon Wilson and team for making this project a reality....

Mangawhai Volunteer Surf Club progress visit

Had a good catch up yesterday with David Wheatley and some of the surf club team and builders working on bringing the surf club building back to life after the rockslide.Progress is going well and it is hoped that the physical work will be completed by late January.Also in attendance were Deputy Mayor Gordon Lambeth and Councillor Luke Canton...

Citizenship ceremony

Today I had the honour of welcoming 28 new New Zealand citizens to the Kaipara district at the Lighthouse Events Centre in Dargaville.Our new Kaipararians came to New Zealand from Germany, USA, South Africa, UK, France, Morocco, England, Malta, Slovakia, the Phillipines, Australia, and Fiji.I was accompanied into the ceremony by Naval Escort Lieutenant Commander Michael Smith where each new citizen then took turns to recite their affirmation or oath of allegiance to King Charles the Third and re...

Fagan Place pensioner housing completion

I had the pleasure of officially opening the new pensioner housing units in Fagan Place, Mangawhai Heads yesterday.Council was required to upgrade the old units to healthy homes standards and it was decided to replace them with prefabricated units rather than undergo significant renovation of the dated old units. Council's focus throughout the process has been on the wellbeing of our existing tenants.The Council tenants have now all moved into their new units and this was celebrated with an offi...

Dargaville capital works underway

Photo:  Beach Road culvert upgradeL to R Ross Olsen Hoskin Civil project manager, Johan Guy Manager Operations water and land drainage, Sophia Wetzel Infrastrucure project coordinator, Wayne Crump Infrastructure officer land drainage, Deputy Mayor Gordon Lambeth, Bryan Hagan Manager project delivery, Dennis Fife Barfoote Manager, Mayor Jonathan Larsen...

Mangawhai St John staffing celebration

I attended a breakfast celebration at Mangawhai St John Ambulance Station this morning held to mark the starting day for new permanent staffing.The station now has four full-time experienced career staff allowing the station to be covered twelve hours a day, seven days a week alongside a dedicated team of volunteers.A big thank you to St John and all of our local staff and volunteers who help out local community when they need it the most. With Kaipara Councillor Craig Jepson and Councillor Luke...

Wood Street Revitalisation official opening

It was a great pleasure to officiate the opening of the Wood Street revitalisation project at Mangawhai Heads this afternoon.The project had its genesis back in 2017 followed by a push from the Mangawhai Business Association in 2019 and a one-way trial from December 2020.The comprehensive project includes an integrated solution to parking, stormwater, pedestrian access and safety, toilets, playground and beautification for the increasingly popular commercial and hospitality precinct.The project ...

New Kaipara Council is Official

I had the great pleasure of attending the new Council's inaugural meeting and swearing in ceremony today at Matakohe War Memorial Hall.The ceremony was opened by Pastor Tawhiri Littlejohn accompanied by his mother Mina Paikea. The Dargaville High School kapa haka group performed before the official swearing in and first items of Council business were transacted followed by the singing of the national anthem and afternoon tea.Thank you to everyone who came and joined us to make it such a special ...

Aranga Beach Toilet Opening

It was a beautiful sunny morning on Monday for the official opening of the new Aranga toilets.The project was built by Huband Contractors with project management by Hoskin Civil, with a final cost of $230,000 funded by depreciation reserves.The old toilets had failed and it was important to get new toilets in place.The opening was supported with a blessing from Te Roroa members, and attended by Aranga School staff and students. The students were involved in the painting of the mural which was le...

Creating Strategic Networks for Kaipara

Had a great couple of days at "Mayors School" in the capital.This was a great opportunity to connect with most of the 66 Mayors from across New Zealand - 33 of whom were returning re-elected, and 33 new in the job.Lots of great information about how to run successful councils and time to catch up with key government ministers. I took the opportunity to talk Kaipara economic development with PM Rt. Hon. Christopher Luxon and thank him again for investment in Kaipara via the Te Tai Tokerau Water T...

Northern Corridor Route Approved

MAJOR NEWS FOR KAIPARA AND NORTHLANDAs announced today by the Transport Minister, Hon Chris Bishop, the NZTA Board has endorsed the Northland Corridor investment case for the 2 RoNS between Te Hana and Whangārei, Te Hana and Port Marsden Highway (including the Alternative to the Brynderwyn Hills) and Port Marsden Highway and Whangārei.The investment case recommends moving to route protection in a staged approach for the full corridor between Te Hana and Whangārei and endorses the preferred ro...

Jonathan Larsen - Mayor of Kaipara District Council

I received a phone call last night to inform me that I have been elected as the Mayor of Kaipara District.Thank you to everyone who has helped me throughout the campaign. The faith and support that voters across the district have provided has been very humbling.Most importantly thank you for electing an outstanding team of councillors - all courageous Kaipara people who are passionate about serving their district. A Mayor can only excel when surrounded by a talented team and that is what you hav...

Kaiwaka Volunteer Fire Brigade Honours Night

Had the pleasure of spending the first evening of my mayoralty at the Kaiwaka Volunteer Fire Brigade honours night. Kaipara District contains eight fire brigades - Mangawhai, Kaiwaka, Maungaturoto, Paparoa, Tinopai, Ruawai, Dargaville and Te Kopuru. The dedicated volunteers at all the brigades give their time to help the community when most in need.Thank you for your service....

Managing growth at Mangawhai

Photo: Mangawhai Heads in 1962...

Te Waihekeora Reservoir Official Opening

Had the privilege of attending the opening of the Te Waihekeora water reservoir today by Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon. A major initiative of Hon Shane Jones the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust reservoir provides opportunities for significant economic growth in Kaipara by allowing the development of high value horticulture....

Fixing our roads

Roading is Council’s biggest asset and biggest spend of ratepayers money. Understandably the condition of our roads is one of the biggest concerns raised by ratepayers. With 1200km of our 1600km road network being unsealed it is a big area to maintain. At the start of this term our roading maintenance was not working. Maintenance had been run down during the commissioner era and the leadership of the previous council neglected maintenance in order to keep rates artificially low....

Jonathan Larsen - Mayor for all of Kaipara

I’m Jonathan Larsen and I am standing to be your new Mayor in the upcoming elections in October. I'm your current Deputy Mayor, and four term Councillor, I bring experience, stability, and strong leadership with a track record of delivering results for Kaipara’s ratepayers. Let's keep Kaipara moving forward together!...