Latest news with #Kaipara
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
'Trump of the North' will not seek re-election as mayor
Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson will not be seeking re-election to the top job. Photo: NZME A controversial Northland mayor will not be standing for a second mayoral term. In a shock move, Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson on Tuesday confirmed he would not be standing for the $138,441-a-year position in the October local election. Mangawhai's Jepson (67) is instead backing Kaipara District Council (KDC) Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen (54). Jepson appointed Larsen to the deputy role in October 2022. And Jepson - who has referred to himself as the "Trump of the North" - will be standing as a councillor in his Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward. The position pays $68,719 annually. Jepson's about-turn comes after consistently indicating he will be standing for a second tilt at the Kaipara mayoralty. He would not be drawn on the reason for the tack change, other than to say he wanted to step down from the top job and spend more time on issues close to his heart as a councillor. Jepson's political move comes as first-term KDC councillor Ash Nayyar said for the first time that he would be taking a tilt at the top job. Dargaville's Nayyar believed too many KDC decisions were being made behind closed doors, and unnecessary pet projects were being adopted by the council. He said he was unhappy KDC, in his opinion, had generally ignored the voice of the people during public consultation. Nayyar claimed Kaipara's west had been neglected and as Mayor he would do all parts of the district justice. He has a Master of Business administration, Bachelors of Commerce and Law and 40 years' banking experience. Kaipara Councillor Dargaville's Ash Nayyar speaks at the controversial KDC meeting in Mangawhai in August where the council voted to can its Māori ward. Photo: NZME Topuni's Larsen was first elected onto KDC in 2010. He resigned in protest in August 2012, just under two years into a three-year term. He said he left over his dissatisfaction with the council making closed-door decisions on the future of the controversial Mangawhai wastewater scheme , including $30 million in extra spending on the project. Larsen said he had brought this matter to the attention of the Auditor-General. government ministers and Ombudsman. The government appointed commissioners to run KDC in September 2012. Larsen was re-elected in 2016 and has been a KDC politician since. If successful in October, it would see him elected for a fifth term. He has a Bachelor Science, and an Executive Master of Business Administration with first class honours. Kaipara Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen at KDC's Māori ward meeting in Mangawhai in August where he voted for removal of the electoral area from the upcoming 2025 local elections. Photo: NZME In his first controversial move, Jepson canned karakia from council meetings in November 2022, just two months into the job. KDC later became the only council to can its Māori ward in August 2024 after government law changes - one of Jepson's proudest achievements, and one which was also backed by Larsen. Jepson said he was proud of his council's "small" 8.2 percent rates rise for 2025/2026. He said another positive move was his council withdrawing from national councils' representative body Local Government New Zealand. The mayor said there were a range of issues he wanted to work on as a councillor. Getting rid of mangroves would be one of the major issues he wanted to invest in. "I want to get rid of mangroves from our harbours, not just Mangawhai Harbour, but Kaipara Harbour and the whole of Northland," Jepson said. KDC councillor Ash Nayyar (second from right) was among volunteers parking 20,000 visitors' Northland Field Days vehicles over the event's three days along with (from left) Dargaville quartet of KDC councillor Ash Nayyar (second from right), with (from left) Anthony Taylor, Darren Jones and John Murray. Photo: Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter Northland Jepson said he also wanted to boost the fight against Auckland's Dome Valley landfill - which is just across the local political border in Auckland Council - and educate people about the merits of waste to energy technology. He has strongly campaigned for such a plant in Kaipara. Larsen and Jepson jointly conducted information visits to constituents around Kaipara on the plants. Meanwhile, Jepson has long-challenged current science backing climate change. KDC axed its Ruawai-based Northland climate change pilot midstream . KDC also got rid of its key climate change policy in 2023 in a move brought to the council table by Larsen. Larsen said that even if climate change was a reality, the actions of Kaipara's 18,000 ratepayers would not make a jot of difference in a world with 8 billion people. Jepson was elected with a big majority in 2022. Jepson said that many had encouraged him to stand again, to do a "lap of victory", but being a local politician was not about ego. It was about what was best for the district. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
30-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Kaipara Council cuts water to some properties as water levels reach critical
The Kaipara District Council has cut water to some properties as Dargaville's dwindling water supply reaches critical levels. Multiple water main breaks had brought Dargaville's reservoirs below 10 percent capacity, prompting the council to shut off booster pumps at the treatment plant. That has reduced the water pressure at some properties, and cut the supply at others. A spokesperson for the Kaipara District Council explained the reservoirs could hold around three days worth of treated water, but the damaged lines meant more water was going out than in. They also confirmed the remaining water supply was safe to drink. Kaipara District Mayor Craig Jepson was hopeful the breaks could be repaired by the end of the day, allowing the water supply to start building again. "I think we'll get it solved today, hopefully we'll be able to update people later today on where we're at," he said. "We are also putting water tankers outside the council building in Dargaville so if people need water they can come and get water if we get to the point where we actually run out." Kaipara District Mayor Craig Jepson was hopeful the breaks could be repaired by the end of Friday. Photo: Supplied / Kaipara District Council Meanwhile, businesses on Dargaville's Victoria Street were suffering. "[It's impacting] hugely, we've done about a quarter of what we would normally do already," Sixty8 Cafe owner Alesha Thorn said. "We're a little bit nervous to prep and carry on because what if they do shut it off? There's a bit of uncertainty around and I'm not too sure how the rest of the day will go." She said it was confusing and frustrating for businesses like hers that relied on water. "There's not been much communication in the way of: should we be shut? Should we be going? Because when you're holding a food license you can't really conserve any more [water] than usual," she said. "We're kind of here twiddling our thumbs waiting for the odd coffee [order]." She said the district's infrastructure issues had put businesses in a difficult position. "It's not good enough and we'd like the council to put a little bit more maintenance into the systems because we're just constantly having problems up here... I think we've been let down a bit." A receptionist at Dargaville Intermediate noted each of the town's schools had back-up water supplies and would stay open. Dargaville High School said they were open as normal. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Hidden embers at Baylys Beach burn 6-year-old Northland girl
She and her four children had met up with a friend and their two kids on Sunday morning to enjoy some time at their local Baylys Beach. The group found what they thought was a nice, safe spot to play and was near the entrance of the west coast beach, popular with dog walkers, off-roaders, and Kaipara families. 'We put down our things and five minutes later she's chased a ball through the sand and come up to us with literally skin coming off her arm,' Alesha said. Adele had tripped less than 3m away and had fallen onto embers hidden beneath the beach's black sand. Her fall ruffled the sand, revealing a burned piece of wood from a fire believed to have been lit the night before. 'There was no smell of smoke, there was nothing,' Alesha said. Adele was hyperventilating from the pain. 'But not screaming,' Alesha said. The skin had immediately fallen from the pinky-side of the youngster's wrist on her right arm. Alesha said the large second-degree burn had been like an open sore. First-degree burns had tracked up to her elbow. 'While it was really horrific on her arm, it could have been so much worse,' Alesha said. 'She had char on her knees, she had char [on] other places.' The families quickly got out their drink bottles and Alesha used them to pour water on Adele's arm as they rushed to their vehicles parked near the entrance. Alesha had been astounded by her daughter's tenacity, as Adele turned down the offers to be carried and instead opted to walk most of the way. 'I wouldn't be able to walk through that,' Alesha said. She poured water on Adele's arm the entire trek back. The family raced to a friend's home nearby to grab a bowl of water to submerge Adele's arm during the 15 minute dash to Dargaville Hospital. Alesha considered phoning for an ambulance but said a family member last week had experienced a two-hour wait. She did not want to chance it. The family pulled up in the ambulance loading bay at the hospital, where staff took over. Alesha was incredibly grateful a doctor happened to be on-site visiting another patient. Dargaville Hospital had been running some shifts without a doctor on the premises since last July, meaning nurses worked with a telehealth service instead. Alesha praised hospital staff for quickly helping Adele, who had begun to scream from pain and was 'freaking out'. While Adele's bandaged wounds were healing, Alesha's anger still simmered. 'If you want to go and light fires why aren't you doing that in a more secluded area where it's not going to affect other people?' Alesha said doing so close to the beach's entrance put many people and pets at risk. More so, she said, if you're lighting a fire take a bucket. Use water. 'People think covering it is an innocent, helpful thing when actually it is not. If we can't see, we can get hurt with it.' Alesha warned other local beachgoers on social media, where she learned locals had been putting out fires left to burn and tidying up other hidden dangers such as broken bottles and nails. People are able to light outdoor fires at Baylys Beach without a permit but are required to follow safety requirements. They include having a suitable means to extinguish the fire within easy reach and a maximum of 5m away, and not leaving fires unattended.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Severe thunderstorm warning for Kaipara, Whangārei and Far North
Severe thunderstorms are expected. Photo: MetService MetService is warning of severe thunderstorms for Kaipara, Whangārei and Far North. The thunderstorms are expected at 6.22pm and 6.52pm and are expected to be accompanied by very heavy rain. "Very heavy rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas, and make driving conditions extremely hazardous," MetService warned. A heavy rain watch is in force for Northland until 5am Tuesday, and a severe thunderstorm watch in place for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Waitomo, Taranaki until 6am Tuesday. Meanwhile, in Nelson flash flooding has caused manhole covers to erupt, as locals watched cows being washed down rivers.
