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As we part ways with 2024, we have had two rather paradoxical years to consider, with 2023 being one of the wettest and 2024 being one of our driest. As a Kaipara farmer, I enjoyed the dry winter, but with bores and river levels now so low, there is reason for concern – the New Year is barely behind us and water restrictions are already in place in some parts of Kaipara. With the influx of summer holidaymakers, I expect many water tanks in Mangawhai will be further depleted.
When my father started sheep and beef farming in the late 1950s, my mother’s request was never to be short of clean house water. With only three 900-litre corrugated steel water tanks to begin with, they were quickly replaced with a 31,000-litre concrete tank built on site. Back then we did not have automatic dishwashers or washing machines, and a high-pressure tap was just a dream. These modern home appliances have reduced domestic labour, but are consuming more and more water. Water is just as critical today as it was back in the 1950s, but the concern is that it is heading towards being a scarce resource in Northland.
Northland Region Council has been involved with three new water storage dams, two near Kaikohe and one in Kaipara at Red Hill, on the Pouto Peninsula. This was completed last year and is now filling. I remember meeting with Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries back in early 2013, with a group of farmers concerned over drought conditions and how water storage was needed in Northland. Over a decade later we have a new dam. The wheels move slowly in New Zealand on big infrastructure projects with no sign of this changing. If Kaipara District Council were to buy into this limited allocation it would see the likes of Dargaville transformed from a place of harsh water restrictions to become a desired place to live and set up new industry.
The home of Northland Field Days, which is a three-day event starting on February 27, is in Dargaville.
This is the biggest outdoor event north of Auckland and has a small committee that must improvise to get water on site due to the water restrictions. In this day and age, I see this as an unacceptable problem.
Looking forward, the southern Kaipara population is growing very quickly and the need for another water-harnessing reliable water source is overdue. If a sheep and beef farmer in the 1950s could solve the problem of fresh water for his family, then surely we can all work together, both central and local government, alongside our communities, to resolve this crucial problem.
