Geography

Kaipara District is located in the low hills around the northern shores of the Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour

Kaipara Harbour is a large enclosed harbour estuary complex on the north western side of the North Island of New Zealand. The northern part of the harbour is administered by the Kaipara District and the southern part is administered by the Rodney District...

, a large natural harbour open to the Tasman Sea

Tasman Sea

The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...

. Kaipara District Council shares management of the harbour with various other organisations, most notably Auckland Council

Auckland Council

The Auckland Council is the council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the existing regional council and the region's seven previous city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city" governed by a mayor, 20...

 to the south of the harbour.

The roughly triangular district stretches from a thinning of the North Auckland Peninsula

North Auckland Peninsula

The North Auckland Peninsula, frequently referred to simply as the Northland Peninsula, is located in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is easily confused with, though not the same as Northland Region, which occupies the top 80% of the peninsula...

 south of Maungaturoto

Maungaturoto

Maungaturoto is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The population was 837 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 87 from 2001. It is the second largest settlement in the Kaipara District....

 in the southeast to the Waipoua Forest

Waipoua Forest

Waipoua Forest preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri trees, Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.The forest was declared a sanctuary in 1952....

 in the northwest, extending from there down the west coast to the Kaipara Harbour. The region is bisected by the Wairoa River

Wairoa River, Northland

New Zealand's longest Wairoa River runs for 150 kilometres through the northern part of the North Auckland Peninsula. In the upper reaches, the river is formed from two separate rivers, the Manganui River and - confusingly - the Wairua River. The two streams meet to the northeast of Dargaville,...

 and its tributaries, which flow into the northern end of the Kaipara Harbour.

Population

The district consists of the towns of Dargaville

Dargaville

Dargaville is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangarei....

, Ruawai

Ruawai

Ruawai is a small township located 30 km south of Dargaville in Northland, New Zealand. The population was 426 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 30 from 2001....

, Paparoa

Paparoa

Paparoa is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Paparoa Stream flows from the east, through the settlement, and into the Paparoa Creek to the south, which joins the Arapaoa River which is part of the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 12 passes through Paparoa...

, Maungaturoto

Maungaturoto

Maungaturoto is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The population was 837 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 87 from 2001. It is the second largest settlement in the Kaipara District....

, Kaiwaka

Kaiwaka

Kaiwaka "the little town of lights" is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The Kaiwaka River runs from the east through the area and joins with the Wairau River to form the Otamatea River, which drains into the Kaipara Harbour. State Highway 1 passes through Kaiwaka...

 and Mangawhai

Mangawhai

Mangawhai is a locality in Northland, New Zealand around the Mangawhai Harbour. The township of Mangawhai is at the south west extent of the harbour, and the township of Mangawhai Heads is 5 km north east...

, as well as the rural area which surrounds them. It has a population of of whom about 4450 live in Dargaville, the seat of the district council.

The population is largely rural, living in small settlements dotted around the undulating countryside. The area around Dargaville is noted for the high proportion of residents of Dalmatia

Dalmatia

Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....

n descent.

The nearest city is Whangarei

Whangarei

Whangarei, pronounced , is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. Although commonly classified as a city, it is officially part of the Whangarei District, administered by the Whangarei District Council a local body created in 1989 to administer both the...

, 45 kilometres northeast of Dargaville.

Dargaville has an annual Arts and Crafts Festival run by the local Rotary club.

Local government

Kaipara District is divided into 4 wards:

• Dargaville
• Otamatea
• Central
• West Coast

The current mayor is Neil Tiller and his deputy is Julie Geange.

External links

• Kaipara District Council website