Councillor Connop

31/05/2026

Please let us know of areas that need cleaning up.

20/05/2026

500km! In under 2 months I've used my Wattwheels Ltd S-Cargo e-bike as my main form of transport. It's been great and only a handful of times have I needed to get fully wet weather geared up. It's been a great change.
Giving my son the option to take the car or ride the bike, it's always the bike! He's loving it too.

On days I don't have to be somewhere, already being on my bike means I can ride around a bit further, checking what's happening around town. With around 35km+ with a charge makes most spaces accessible.
A good variety of bike parking available, which has been increasing, means more places to hitch the bike up.

Cars flick stones and debris into the road bike lanes, which doesn't make for fun riding, and the occasional car veering into the lane has been the worst hazard, including people pulling up to a stop sign with half their car over the line and in the lane.
Just a few things that show how valuable the shared path is around town for safe access.

Sometimes busy, sometimes quiet, it makes for a smooth ride around and I'm glad we have it.School classes use it regularly and you'll often find a variety of users out there and most of the time you'll get a "Hello" or a head nod as you go past. Which makes for a good day.

Wet weather gear in the dry pack, and off I go!

19/05/2026

Opening tomorrow! Great to see something new and a bit different opening in town.

WHANGĀREI, WE ARE READY! 🤍✨

The wait is finally over — Lieto Gelato Cafe opens tomorrow at 8AM! 🍨☕

To celebrate our opening, we’re offering a special promotion for our first 50 customers:

🎉 Any Gelato Flavour for only $5.10 NZD 🎉

Come and enjoy authentic gelato, beautiful coffee, and sweet moments with us. We can’t wait to welcome you all!

📍 4 Water Street, Whangārei
⏰ Doors open at 8AM tomorrow

See you soon! 🤎

19/05/2026

Good to hear

The Otaika community have told us about their concerns with the zebra crossing, so we've been looking into options to upgrade the current zebra crossing to a signalised crossing.

Ground investigation works will be taking place this week on SH1 at night, between 7pm and 5am, for up to four nights. The road is remaining open during the works, and traffic management will be in place with a signalised stop-go. There may be some delays during this time, so plan accordingly.

Ground investigation works mean we're checking under the road surface to understand the layout of utilities and services, like power and gas lines. This information helps us finalise a design for the new crossing.

Follow our page to see how the design works progress.

18/05/2026

Today we had a visit to the Springs Flat roundabout project.

In around three weeks, traffic will be diverted onto the eastern side of the new roundabout while work continues on the western side with road markings to accommodate two way traffic on one side temporarily while it is completed.

There is approximately 4m of ground raised above the stream realignment which is flowing well.
The approximate centre of the roundabout will be where the digger is in the Pic.

The full project is currently scheduled for completion by February 2027. Which will become an easier entrance into Kamo with safe access for pedestrians also.

This project received $10.3 million in Central Government funding through Kainga Ora, with the project expected to unlock land for around 2,000 homes north of Gillingham Road over time.

12/05/2026

Whangārei District Council and Creative Northland are calling for submissions for Art on Boxes 2026 - Transform traffic signal boxes across Whangārei into vibrant artworks.

In 2026, 12 new boxes will feature digitally printed vinyl wraps, opening the opportunity to artists of all ages and experience levels, including schools and community groups. Selected artists will receive a $900 artist fee, with works installed across high-profile public spaces in the city.

Please note: artworks must be original. AI-generated submissions are not eligible.

Help spread the word and encourage creatives across the district to get involved.

Find out more and apply here:
👉 https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Events/Art-on-Boxes

09/05/2026

We happened to be in town when the Circus Kumarani Youth Circus show was on in Forum North. Really great to see so much effort going into the wonderful performances.
Logan had a blast and so did I.
Once the show was over, we got the chance to have a go with a few different things and have a try of the Ariel hoop.

If you're keen to see what they have next time, check out the info below and head along on:

"Sunday 17th of May 10am til 3pm
Come along to Youth Fair at Putahi Park!
A fun day of carnival games, stalls, food and drinks, interactive circus zone and live youth performers!
Entry is free, most stalls don't have eftpos so bring cash!"

07/05/2026

Northland councils have acknowledged the Government’s announcement giving regions a three-month window to put forward proposals to simplify and strengthen local government.

06/05/2026

Big changes are on the way

Huge changes coming to local government! So a bit of a huge read to break it down 👇🏽!

Central Government have released plans to move the current mixed local government model of 78 councils to a smaller number of unitary authorities.

Currently local government is made up of 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities (13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council). 5 of the territorial authorities are also unitary authorities, they hold the functions of both a regional council and city/district. Current unitaries are Auckland, Gisborne, Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.

Northland is made up of 4 councils. Northland Region, the Far North, Kaipara and Whangārei districts. In the Far North we also have 3 community boards, a local layer with delegated powers covering Bay of Islands-Whangaroa, Kaikohe-Hokianga and Te Hiku.

Our last major shake-up was in 1989, when our counties in the Bay of Islands, Hokianga, Mangōnui and Whangaroa, and boroughs in Kaikohe and Kaitāia amalgamated to become the Far North District Council.

Successive governments have planned for local government reform while I've been on council, beginning with the Future for Local Government review in 2021, to Simplifying Local Government last year which has now become a programme called Head Start released this week.

Under Head Start councils have 3 months until the 9 August 2026 to submit proposals for new unitary authorities and focusses on structural reform. Our elected Northland Regional councillors will stay in their roles until the 2028 local elections.

Our councils here in Te Tai Tokerau have already begun our discussions on reform for our rohe, we can choose to submit a proposal under Head Start, or leave central government to decide how our structure will change.

The tight turn around to submit a proposal is a concern on how we include the voices of our communities. Final decisions are planned to be made by Cabinet in May 2027, so there will be time to consult.

The proposal offers bespoke legislation for proposals, so this is an opportunity to strengthen local government for Northland. I'm not set on what our structure should look like, but do have real concerns on how we ensure all Far Northerners are better off under the proposal.

The programme doesn't mention community boards which are advisory with delegated powers or local boards which Auckland has, which are mandated decision-making bodies with authority over local services and assets.

Wherever we end up, this could be an opportunity to strengthen local decision making across our massive region. I like the idea of regional decision making where it makes sense, with strong local decision making for communities of interest.

We currently have a regional chair, 3 mayors, 40 councillors and 19 community board members serving Te Tai Tokerau. We'll all be getting our mahi on to help shape the future of local government for Northland, and do our best to take everyone along with us.

Joint Media Release:

https://www.nrc.govt.nz/news/2026/may/northland-councils-welcome-clear-pathway-to-lead-local-government-reform/

Beehive Release:

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/councils-invited-fast-track-local-reform

06/05/2026

Some good fun coming up from Circus Kumarani

Our talented youth are putting on 2 awesome events for you this month! 🤩

Saturday 9th of May 11am - 2pm
Come along to Te Kotahitanga Exhibition Hall in Forum North for the Youth Circus Show and workshops! 🎪
Be amazed by our talented youth performers, and then learn some of their awesome skills yourself! There will also be balloon animals and facepainting!

Sunday 17th of May 10am til 3pm
Come along to Youth Fair at Putahi Park!
A fun day of carnival games, stalls, food and drinks, interactive circus zone and live youth performers!
Entry is free, most stalls don't have eftpos so bring cash!

We can't wait to see you there!

These events are possible thanks to funding from Whangarei District Council

What's On Whangārei