Councillor Comment: With Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward Councillor Jonathan LarsenLTP consultation – time to have your say

LTP consultation – time to have your say
Every three years Council is required to review and formally consult on its Long Term Plan (LTP), and this year is one of those years. The LTP is essentially a ten year budget and programme of works for the district. How much you will be paying in rates, and how those rates are spent are the most important topics for most ratepayers.

This time round the key decision topics include waste minimisation, equalising water supply and wastewater rates, securing water supplies, Mangawhai library relocation, and regional economic development.

The consultation document is available on Council’s website or from Council offices. The LTP Roadshow will be at the Mangawhai Tavern Market on March 20, 9am to 1pm. Submissions can be made online or on paper and must be with Council by 5pm on Thursday April 1, 2021.

Great news for Mangawhai Shared Path
The long-awaited Shared Path linking Mangawhai Village to Wood Street, and ultimately the Heads, has finally grown legs. In October 2020 MBIE granted $2.4m for the construction of 3.8km of shared pathway on Molesworth Drive and improvements to the intersections in Mangawhai Village. Waka Kotahi (NZTA) recently confirmed a further $4.9m of external funding now allowing the project to go ahead.

The total project budget of $7.9m ($7.3m externally funded) will be topped up with KDC co-funding of $600k from development contributions. The scheduled programme from here is awarding of the construction contract and commencement of construction in May 2021 with the project expected to be complete by September 2022.

This is great news for pedestrian and cyclist safety, and outdoor recreation for Mangawhai and Mangawhai Heads, and will provide a critical and much needed link between the two.

n For Council maintenance or service issues phone 0800 727 059 or email council@kaipara.govt.nz. Any community projects or issues that you would like assistance with contact me on 021 185 8389 or jlarsen@kaipara.govt.nz.

NOTE: Views expressed in this column are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the consensus position of Council