Northland news in brief: Mokau Marae reopens after fire; and work starts on Kaitaia roundabout

Mokau Marae was destroyed by fire in November, 2013. The rebuilt marae will be opened on Saturday.

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The long-awaited opening of Mokau Marae, which was destroyed in a fire in 2013, is on Saturday, at 4.30am. The opening was previously postponed due to the positive Covid case in Northland. The fire that destroyed the historic Te Uri o Hikihiki wharenui at Mokau Marae, 46km north of Whangarei, on November 8, 2013 was believed to have been started by children, aged 3 and 6, playing with a lighter.

Kaitaia roundabout work starts

Construction of a new roundabout at a busy Kaitaia intersection began on Sunday after rain prevented work going ahead the weekend before. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is building a roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 1 and Matthews Ave to reduce congestion and improve safety. Fulton Hogan will undertake most of the work at night to minimise traffic disruption. Waka Kotahi expects to complete the $710,000 project by April.

Water restrictions eased

Water restrictions have been lifted for Paihia, Waitangi and Ōpua. Reduced demand has allowed the removal of the level 2 water restrictions at properties connected to its Paihia, Waitangi and Ōpua water supply. Following level 2 water restrictions being applied on February 2 and the end of the Waitangi Day long weekend, consumption had fallen by 26 per cent. Level 3 water restrictions for Kawakawa, Moerewa, Kaitaia and Kaikohe, and level 2 restrictions for Kerikeri will remain in force until there is certainty that waterways have recovered from recent dry weather.

Social group starts up

Multicultural Whangārei's "Live Love Life" social group starts tomorrow from 12pm - 1 pm. It will continue to be run until Wednesday, April 14. The group is designed for people to meet new friends - sharing their ideas, listening to others' stories, participating in outings and in nature walks. For more information, please contact us at Multicultural Whangārei on (09) 430 0571 or email events@multiculturalwhangarei.co.nz. The event will not be held on public holidays and school holidays.

Council seeks water payment feedback

Kaipara communities are to be asked how they should pay for their drinking water and wastewater systems as part of the Council's Long Term Planning for the next 10 years. Current payment calculations are complex, and the system is inconsistent and inequitable. General manager of sustainable growth and investment, Sue Davidson, said the system is historic and needs to change. "Capital costs are currently paid by specific networks while operational costs are shared across all networks, except for the Te Kopuru wastewater scheme, where all costs are paid by those on the scheme," Davidson said. The council is seeking feedback on two options. The first is to share capital, maintenance, and operating costs equally across all networks and is the Council's preferred option. The second is to ringfence each system so those who benefit from it paid for any development, maintenance and operations. The consultation document will be available on kaipara.govt.nz/ltp.