Give your feedback on Long Term Plan

JULIA WADE

Local communities are invited to offer feedback on how their homeland develops with Kaipara District Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP) proposals now open for public scrutiny and consultation.

Officially beginning on March 1 and closing on April 1, locals can meet and consult with elected members and council staff on the range of issues raised in the document, but would like to hear feedback particularly on the LTP’s key decisions – climate change, water supply and security, waste minimisation, wastewater rates, regional economic development, civic building management including Mangawhai’s library and the rollout of closed-circuit television (CCTV) – as well as to discuss the big question of ‘who should pay’.

With every service costing money and Covid-19 affecting many individuals and businesses throughout Kaipara, KDC ask the question: Should separate communities pay the full cost of the services they alone receive, placing higher burdens on small communities, or should the cost be shared by all across the District who receive a comparable service?

Mangawhai library, what do you think?
Due to ongoing population growth, Mangawhai has outgrown the current community-led library which has serviced the area for decades, and KDC state that the projected escalation will place continuing pressure on the facility.

Council propose to secure an alternative site and design a new library over the next three years, and with the projects anticipated $5m cost of purchasing land and build, ’50 per cent will impact ratepayers and the rest will be from development contributions or other sources of funding’ such as loans.

If supported by the community, council are interested in feedback on the preferred location, with Mangawhai Village or Mangawhai Central being pinpointed already as ideal sites for now and the future.

Long-time Mangawhai Library head librarian, Judy Langmuir, who ‘just fell into’ her volunteer role nearly 17 years ago, says the idea of a new spacious library offering more shelving and reading material, variety of seating areas plus more media facilities, is exciting.

“Libraries aren’t just libraries anymore, they’re a hub, quite social places. We have internet access but with more space we could have computers for locals to use, some children’s programmes, even a magazine area… the Wellsford design appeals,” she says. “For those who read, and we have 921 members, they would like a new library and from what I hear, they would prefer to see it stay in the Village. I know the 30 library volunteers would like to see it happen.”

Kaipara District library manager Lisa Salter says she is pleased to see progress in the LTP on recognising the needs of library users in Mangawhai.

“The Mangawhai Community Library volunteers are providing an excellent service to the community and we’d like to build on their good work and support them with better facilities and more services… we are hopeful to gain community support for the project.”

n Meet with elected members at Mangawhai Tavern Market, Saturday March 20, 9am-1pm, to discuss the proposed plan, or visit kaipara.govt.nz/LTP and give feedback online.

Judy Langmuir, head librarian for over 16 years, says a new, larger library would offer a lot more for the community. Around 19,000 books were checked out last year, ‘and that was low due to Covid’ says Judy. PHOTO/JULIA WADE