Viewpoint – Many irons in the fire

There’s been a fair bit going on at Council over the past few months – it’s keeping all the councillors and staff very busy.

One of the bigger pieces of work is the recruitment of a new chief executive. This is a key role for Council, and we’re taking the time to get this right. With the amount of change coming through local government, having strong, steady leadership in place is going to be important.

A big chunk of our time is also going into the Northland Water Done Well work. This is effectively looking at how water services will be delivered across Northland in the future, likely through a jointly owned organisation with the other councils. There’s a lot of detail in this, but the main focus for me is pretty simple – what does this actually mean for Kaipara ratepayers? Cost, service levels and making sure we’re not signing up to something that doesn’t stack up long term. That work is ongoing.

Closer to home, we’ve been working alongside a range of community groups and organisations, which play a big part in how our area operates and continues to flourish. That includes things like the ongoing discussions around the Tinopai Wharf, where we’ve been engaging with locals on what they want that space to look like going forward, as well as working with the Mangawhai Surf Club around their future needs. These are good examples of where Council’s role is really about listening, supporting where we can and making sure these community-led assets are set up to work well long term.

On roading, there’s been a solid amount of work happening across the district – reseals, drainage and general maintenance. There’s also a push at the moment to get a number of projects completed before our June balance date. Despite some of the commentary out there, there is a lot of work being delivered on the ground.

You may have also seen some discussion in the media around local government “simplification”. Kaipara is part of those conversations, but the reality is we don’t yet have the legislation in front of us. Until we do, it’s difficult to form a clear position. Once that detail is available, we’ll be able to properly assess what it means and make a decision based on facts, not assumptions.

Overall, it’s a busy period, with a mix of day-to-day delivery and some bigger structural decisions coming. The focus for me remains the same – making sure we’re making practical, well-informed decisions that work for Kaipara and its residents.