Mayors Memo

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Kia ora, out Spring is fully here, the kowhai has bloomed, daffodils are done. The colour yellow that’s been seen recently across the Kaipara now fades and is replaced by the colour orange – orange road cones with fluorescent strips, orange hi-vis jackets of shovel-ready workers, orange flashing lights of tractors towing implements between farms or excavators and trucks fixing roads. It seems that in high-growth Kaipara right now there’s a sea of orange-coloured activities going on. A new season is on us – the season of works.

Between now and Christmas is one of the busiest periods for maintenance of our 1200km unsealed road network in Kaipara. Call it the “Goldilocks zone” for roadworks action, when the road surface is not too wet and not too dry but is just right. Starting now our early summer ‘orange’ works period will be particularly busy on Kaipara roads as many of the projects which were postponed during the lockdown (which was in the autumn “Goldilocks zone”) are up first, in addition to the scheduled-for-now spring/summer projects. Please be patient on the roads as you go.

Also on the subject of roads, the first of Kaipara’s Speed Limit Reviews is starting soon with consultation between now and Christmas. The first area under review is for Oruawharo, Oneriri, Kaiwaka and Mangawhai – the eastern, fast-growing part of Kaipara District. The subject of Kaipara roads always attracts lots of comment, and here will be an opportunity for local knowledge to be constructively added to the process of making our roads safer. Reduced speed limits on rural roads may be under consideration here, other changes are in the wind that may affect journeys. Speed Limit Reviews for other parts of the district will take place in 2021. The direction of travel of the new 2021/31 Kaipara District Long Term Plan has been taking shape. It’s a season for sharpening pencils over budgets, assessing projects and working out what infrastructure needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. We’ll soon be at events in the community listening and talking to you, sharing ideas with informal processes before we incorporate those ideas into the Draft Long Term Plan which will go for consultation in February/March 2021.

With a weather eye on Central Government’s stated intention to remove from Councils across New Zealand their core water infrastructure, (that’s all the pipes and systems for drinking water, waste water and stormwater, called “The 3 Waters”), we are working with what we know towards the Long Term Plan. At present for Councils it’s a bit like flying a plane while it’s being dismantled. Rest assured we’re doing our best for Kaipara District and will keep the community fully informed of what’s proposed by Central Government for these community-owned assets, whatever colour or colours make our next Government. I can’t see an orange one, though.

Nga mihi Mayor Jake Dr Jason Smith,
Mayor of Kaipara District

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