Pre-Election Report outlines Kaipara’s challenges and opportunities

29 July, 2022

Kaipara District Council (KDC) has released its Pre-Election Report for 2022.

The pre-election report is a legislative requirement of the Local Government Act 2002, which the chief executive of each council prepares independently of their mayor and councillors.

Louise Miller, KDC chief executive, is encouraging both potential candidates and voters to read the report, “supporting you to have informed discussions about what’s going on within Council and the area.”

The report focuses on the challenges and opportunities that will need to be considered in the next Council term and provides information on major projects planned for the next three years.

Government reforms affecting local councils are a key focus of the report, as well as infrastructure, climate change and the effects of a growing district. Financial information is also outlined in the report.

Nominations for KDC will close on Monday August 12. Following a Representation Review in 2021, representation for elections 2022 and 2025 will see nine councillors, plus a mayor elected-at-large. The new councillors will represent Wairoa (merging previous Dargaville and West Coast/Central wards) with three councillors, Otamatea ward with two councillors, Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward with three councillors, and one councillor elected to represent Te Moananui o Kaipara ward (Maori ward).

There are currently no community boards in the Kaipara District.

Louise Miller is urging people to get involved in local elections, and think about who they want to see representing Kaipara’s diverse community around the Council table.

“The election process gives you the chance to think about how you want our district to be governed and the changes you may want to see,” she says. “It gives you a say in the future of our place.”

Read the Kaipara District Pre-Election Report online, or request a printed copy from the Dargaville or Mangawhai office. You can also find out further information on Kaipara’s local elections on the KDC website.