Kaipara District

Kaipara District
Territorial authority district
Kaipara District Council building in Dargaville
Kaipara District Council building in Dargaville
Kaipara district within the North Island
Kaipara district within the North Island
Coordinates: 36°04′S 174°05′E / 36.06°S 174.09°E / -36.06; 174.09
CountryNew Zealand
RegionNorthland
WardsWairoa
Otamatea
Kaiwaka-Mangawhai
Te Moananui o Kaipara (Māori)
SeatDargaville
Government
 • MayorCraig Jepson[1]
 • Deputy MayorAnna Curnow
 • Territorial authorityKaipara District Council
Area
[2]
 • Land3,109.09 km2 (1,200.43 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2024)[3]
 • Total27,900
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode(s)
Map of postcodes
WebsiteKaipara District Council

Kaipara District is a territorial authority district in the Northland Region of New Zealand.

History

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Kaipara District was formed through the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms and was constituted on 1 November 1989. It was made up of five former boroughs and counties: all of Hobson County, Dargaville Borough, Otamatea County, and parts of Rodney County and Whangarei County. In addition, it took over the functions of the Raupo Drainage Board, Kaiwaka Reserve Board, and the Pahi Reserve Boards.[4]

Geography

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Kaipara District is located in the rolling hills around the northern shores of the Kaipara Harbour, a large natural harbour open to the Tasman Sea. Kaipara District Council shares management of the harbour with various other organisations, most notably Northland Regional Council (in the north) and Auckland Council to the south.[5]

The roughly triangular district stretches from a thinning of the Northland Peninsula south of Kaiwaka and Mangawhai in the southeast to the Waipoua Forest in the northwest. The District's western boundary is defined by Ripiro Beach which stretches down Northland’s west coast from Maunganui Bluff and the Waipoua Forest in the North, to Pouto at the entrance to the Kaipara Harbour. The region is bisected by the Northern Wairoa River and its tributaries, which flow into the northern end of the Kaipara Harbour.

Population centres

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The District has no major urban centre but does have numerous towns and villages including Dargaville (the primary service centre in the west), Ruawai, Matakohe, Paparoa, Maungaturoto, Kaiwaka, Mangawhai, Tinopai, Te Kōpuru, Kaihu, and Pahi as well as the rural area which surrounds them. It has a population of 27,900 (June 2024),[3] of whom about 5,230 live in Dargaville, the seat of the district council.

The population is largely rural, living in small settlements scattered amongst the rolling hills or nestled on the shores of the harbour, including the harbour villages of Tinopai, Pahi and Whakapirau. The area around Dargaville is noted for the high proportion of residents of Dalmatian descent and has an active Dalmatian Club.

The nearest city is Whangārei, 45 kilometres northeast of Dargaville.

Community spirit is strong amongst the various rural communities, as is evident by the numerous local clubs, volunteer organisations and other initiatives. Dargaville has an annual Arts and Crafts Festival run by the local Rotary club and also features weekly Riverside Produce Markets on Thursday afternoons.

Maungaturoto has a monthly market on a Friday from 4pm to 7pm at the Maungaturoto Hall and also has a volunteer group (Maungaturoto Residents Association)[6] dedicated to beautifying the town. A similar volunteer group also exists in Ruawai and Paparoa (Progressive Paparoa).

Demographics

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Kaipara District covers 3,109.09 km2 (1,200.43 sq mi)[2] and had an estimated population of 27,900 as of June 2024,[3] with a population density of 9.0 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18,1352,013—    
201318,963+0.01%
201822,869+3.82%
202325,899+2.52%
Source: [7][8]
Maungaturoto Markets are held on the 1st Friday of the month.
Photo taken from View Road, Maungaturoto

Kaipara District had a population of 25,899 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 3,030 people (13.2%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 6,936 people (36.6%) since the 2013 census. There were 12,960 males, 12,849 females and 84 people of other genders in 10,191 dwellings.[9] 2.2% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 46.8 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 4,734 people (18.3%) aged under 15 years, 3,480 (13.4%) aged 15 to 29, 11,376 (43.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 6,309 (24.4%) aged 65 or older.[7]

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 83.7% European (Pākehā); 25.4% Māori; 4.8% Pasifika; 3.6% Asian; 0.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.7%, Māori language by 4.7%, Samoan by 0.3% and other languages by 6.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.7% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 15.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 30.5% Christian, 0.5% Hindu, 0.2% Islam, 2.3% Māori religious beliefs, 0.4% Buddhist, 0.6% New Age, 0.1% Jewish, and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 56.0%, and 8.5% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 2,391 (11.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 12,051 (56.9%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 6,009 (28.4%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $31,600, compared with $41,500 nationally. 1,557 people (7.4%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 8,946 (42.3%) people were employed full-time, 3,240 (15.3%) were part-time, and 546 (2.6%) were unemployed.[7]

Population density in the 2023 census
Individual wards
Name Area
(km2)		 Population Density
(per km2)		 Dwellings Median age Median
income
Wairoa General Ward 1,952.70 10,695 5.5 4,176 44.8 years $30,200[10]
Otamatea General Ward 796.92 5,835 7.3 2,274 47.0 years $31,000[11]
Kaiwaka-Mangawhai General Ward 359.47 9,369 26.1 3,741 48.5 years $34,000[12]
New Zealand 38.1 years $41,500

Local government

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Prior to 2022, Kaipara District was divided into four wards:

  • West Coast-Central
  • Dargaville
  • Otamatea
  • Kaiwaka-Mangawhai

Since 2022, it is now reverted back into three wards (which is the last amount since the 2016 elections). This time both West Coast-Central and Dargaville Wards were merged to form into Wairoa Ward.

On 6 September 2012, commissioners were appointed by the Minister of Local Government to take over the governance of the Kaipara District Council. The appointment followed the completion of the work of the review team, which had been put in place by the Minister of Local Government in June 2012 to assess the financial management and governance challenges facing the council. The review team concluded that the challenges were beyond the ability of the mayor and councillors to manage. The elected council agreed and asked the Minister to appoint commissioners. The Kaipara District Council commissioners were John Robertson (chairman), Richard Booth, Colin Dale and Peter Winder.[13]

In 2016, a new Kaipara District Council was elected, with Peter Winder guiding the council as Crown manager. In 2019, the council returned to full self-management.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mayor and Councillors contact details, Kaipara District Council". www.kaipara.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Aotearoa Data Explorer". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Management Implementation of Memorandum Understanding Between Kaipara District Council and Te Uri O Hau, Ngati Whatua". Kaipara District Council. Kaipara District Council. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008.
  5. ^ "Kaipara facing 'ecological crisis'". The New Zealand Herald. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  6. ^ Northland Inc. "Useful Links Maungaturoto Residents Association". Northland Inc. Northland Inc. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b c "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Kaipara District (003). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Kaipara District (003). 2018 Census place summary: Kaipara District
  9. ^ "Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Wairoa General Ward. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Otamatea General Ward. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses". Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa - Aotearoa Data Explorer. Kaiwaka-Mangawhai General Ward. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Open Letter to all Kaipara District Council residents and ratepayers" (PDF). Kaipara District Council. September 2012.
  14. ^ Laird, Lindy (4 October 2019). "Kaipara District Council gets vote of confidence from Crown manager". The Northern Advocate.
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Media related to Kaipara District at Wikimedia Commons

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