Far North's 'shovel-ready' projects focus on water supplies, wastewater

The Far North District Council wishlist includes replacing the water treatment plant supplying Paihia, Waitangi and Haruru Falls, which is old and vulnerable to floods. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The Far North District Council has released a list of ''shovel-ready'' projects it hopes will make the cut for a massive government infrastructure spend-up due to be announced later this month.

All councils around the country were invited to submit a wishlist of projects ready to start in the next six months as the government considers how to kickstart the post-lockdown economy and absorb unemployment.

The Infrastructure Industry Reference Group will whittle down the 2000 proposals worth a combined $125 billion, with senior ministers deciding which of the short-listed projects will go ahead.

The Far North District Council's 17 projects focus on water supplies, water storage and waste water but include town redevelopments in Kaitaia, Mangonui and Paihia.

■ Developing the council bore at Sweetwater as a permanent water source for Kaitaia to help alleviate the town's worsening water shortages.
■ Replace ageing asbestos-cement pipes in Kaitaia's water and wastewater networks.
■ Water storage for the Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park near Kaikohe.
■ Extend the boardwalk at Mangonui and redevelop the town's waterfront.
■ Upgrade the East Coast wastewater scheme at Taipa with the design based on a successful project in Paihia to reduce ammonia levels.
■ Extending the runway at Bay of Islands Airport to accommodate larger aircraft.
■ Replace Paihia's water treatment plant which could be destroyed in a major flood.
■ Upgrade pump stations at Waitangi and Haruru in urgent need of replacement.
■ Build paths and walkways to revitalise Te Hiku Ward; construct new walkways and facilities around Kaitaia incorporating iwi heritage.
■ Improve Kaitaia's flood resilience to withstand 1 in 100 year events.
■ Enhanced road maintenance programme.
■ Build community-scale water storage for Kaikohe for irrigation and as a supplementary town supply for Kaikohe.
■ Seal more rural roads around the district.
■ Redevelop Paihia's waterfront and protect it from storms.
■ Address safety hazards on high-risk rural roads.
■ Develop cycle trails and walking tracks to boost tourism and health benefits for locals.
■ Seal 14km of Ruapekapeka Rd, a significant diversion route for State Highway 1.

The council submitted three more projects which did not fully meet funding criteria but could be considered in the future:

■ Flood resilience works on West Coast Rd, Panguru.
■ Refurbish the Southern Animal Shelter at Kaikohe.
■ Build a new Northern Animal Shelter at Kaitaia.

The Advocate asked all four Northland councils for their project wishlists, the estimated costs and number of jobs that would be created. Three councils — Northland regional, Whangārei and Kaipara district councils — provided their lists and estimated costs on April 29.

The results were published on May 1, though only the Northland Regional Council was able to provide an estimate for the number of jobs created. The Far North District Council provided its list on May 5 but without cost estimates.

Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones said priority would be given to "shovel-ready" projects creating the most jobs in the shortest timeframe.