Mayors Memo

MAYOR’S MEMO

19 Dec, 2022

Greetings.

It’s been a busy month as the new Council gets its feet under the table. In November we agreed on the committee structures for the next three years, many of which remain the same from the previous triennium. To enhance economic growth throughout our district we have introduced an Economic Development Committee.

Now that we have higher temperatures it is a busy time for roading construction. Check the roading team progress via the monthly report, available on the KDC website. Roading is one of the key issues that comes up time and time again as part of my conversations with communities. I am committed to progressively reviewing and improving the quality and value we receive from our roading contractors.

Kaipara District has a huge rural roading network and a comparatively small ratings base. We maintain around 1,570km of formed roads (456km sealed and 1,114km unsealed), as well 353 bridges and 88km of footpaths and walkways. Council relies heavily on Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to subsidise maintenance, renewal and capital projects for our roading assets. With increasing labour and supply costs, sealing a road these days can sit anywhere in the region of $800,000 to $1 million plus GST per kilometre. That’s the equivalent of a 2 percent rates rise for every household per km.

Council does not receive a subsidy to seal new roads and as a consequence we do not undertake new seals, unless they are either sealed by developers as part of their development or privately funded by local ratepayers and/or residents, or if external funding is sourced. This was the case of Pouto Road for example, where the project to seal around 10km of the road was largely paid for by PGF funding from Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit.

We are also battling cost increases of around 13.5 percent. Staff are working hard to complete our agreed work programme while keeping a lid on the rising costs. It is a difficult situation. We want the best for our district. KDC is always looking for innovative ways to fund roading, as seen when Council sourced PGF funding from Kanoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit to improve our unsealed roads, and invest in research and technology for future work. I, along with the rest of the Council, continue to fiercely advocate for external funders like central government to improve our roads at every given opportunity.

Council meetings reconvene in February. Until then, to all of Kaipara’s residents and visitors, have a very safe and joyful holiday period.

Mayor Craig Jepson

Kaipara District