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Kaipara residents will have to mow their own roadside berms in future.
In a cost-cutting measure, Kaipara District Council has decided to discontinue the mowing service.
“We were one of the last councils in New Zealand collecting rates to mow residential berms,” Mayor Craig Jepson says. “We’ve cut it from our service contract to save ratepayers money. Council contractors will continue to mow our public reserves.”
Although the service change came into effect when the mowing contract was renewed in November last year, some berms have not been mown and the grass has grown too long to be safely mown using a domestic lawnmower. For those properties, Council contractors have scheduled a one-off tidy up.
“After we’ve tidied up these berms we’re asking residents to maintain them.
“We’re also hoping people will look out for family or neighbours and give them a helping hand if they are struggling to manage their berms.”
If berms are un-kept, Council will mow them up to four times a year to prevent them from becoming a fire hazard.
Council may continue to mow residential berms that are larger than 400 square metres, or on a steep slope. Where this applies, residents can apply to Council to have their berms assessed for Council mowing.
