Kaipara district is undergoing rapid transformation. With big changes looming, the future of this Northland district will be in the hands of one of these mayoral hopefuls – who laid out their plans at a meet-the-candidates event in Mangawhai. 

An earlier version of this story misattributed a quote to Jonathan Larsen instead of Jason Smith. This has been corrected.

On one side of the Kaipara district, there are farmers and rugged west coasters who prefer to be left alone. On the other side, wealthy urbanites worry about rapid growth in their idyllic patch of the east coast disrupting their tranquility. In the middle of it all are four middle-aged men, vying to become the next mayor of a council that has been embroiled in controversy, particularly over the last term.

Departing mayor Craig Jepson, the self-described “Trump of the north”, is a candidate for one of the three vacancies for the Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward. Under his leadership, the Kaipara District Council was the first of only two councils to choose to disestablish its Māori ward without a referendum. It also controversially banned karakia at council meetings and axed iwi relationship agreements.

However, the relationship between tāngata whenua and the council – in a district where Māori make up over a quarter of the population – seems to be the least of the worries for the mayoral candidates at a meet-the-candidates evening at the Mangawhai Golf Club on Wednesday night. On the west coast, Dargavillians are suffering from a housing shortage, water issues, and having to foot the bill for a $68 million debt for a wastewater treatment plant they will never benefit from. Out east, residents of Mangawhai and surrounds are concerned with the rapid development and growth of the area without proper planning and subsequent issues, including the swift rise in the amount of construction waste being dealt with in the area.

The formation of a council-controlled water entity is also weighing heavy on the minds of those across the region, as is the ongoing Dome Valley tip saga, lack of economic growth, pending commercial developments, and inability for parts of the region to attract new residents.

So, who are the candidates for mayor and what are their thoughts on the issues?

Ash Nayyar: ‘Nayyar for mayor’

As the current councillor for Wairoa General Ward, Nayyar is standing for mayor after “being asked to” by a friend and his mother, both of whom have now passed away. He has lived in the Kaipara district for nine years and migrated here in 2001 from Canada, where he mentioned the government had “got rid of its aboriginals”. 

The former banker voted against Māori wards on the Kaipara District Council, claiming he was “dictated to do so” by departing mayor Craig Jepson. When questioned about his position on the future of a Māori ward in Kaipara District Council, Nayyar said he would wait to see what the results of the Northland Regional Council referendum on Māori wards were before deciding on a potential referendum for Kaipara.

When questioned about how he would manage the council’s relationship with tāngata whenua if elected mayor, Nayyar told the predominantly older Pākehā crowd he was “all for working with the Māori community, as long as they gave something in return”, drawing some bewildered responses from the golf club crowd. It appears to be on brand for a council that has been labelled as anti-Māori after recently spending $52,000 on a report on the council’s legal obligations to Māori.

Long term, Nayyar is keen to see a hovercraft ferry service between Auckland and Kaipara, cruise ships visiting, and a heated pool in Dargaville. He had one faux pas near the end of the debate, responding that he was “the only candidate that plays with young people” when questioned about how he would attract the rangatahi vote. Nayyar thankfully clarified that he was talking about playing badminton, but the crowd was already in hysterics by that point.

Jason Smith: ‘Better Kaipara again’

Former two-term mayor Jason Smith is standing again after an unsuccessful attempt to be the National Party’s Northland candidate for the 2023 general election (he lost out to Grant McCallum, who won the electorate off Labour’s Willow-Jean Prime). Campaigning on his ability to “get things done while keeping rates down”, the fifth-generation Kaipara-born Matakohe farmer is keen to see more growth in the eastern part of the district – much to the despair of those in the crowd at the golf club. 

Smith highlighted the seemingly growing divide between the east and west within the Kaipara district – bemusing the audience with his claim that this did not exist under his leadership of the council. He highlighted the Mangawhai managed growth area as being an answer to the community’s concerns about rapid growth.

Looking to the future, Smith said he believed Mangawhai was set to become “the Byron Bay of New Zealand”. He highlighted it as a destination where Aucklanders already retreated to nurture their wellbeing and health, and that it was a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and diving.

A highlight of the evening was Smith holding up a pre-prepared graph illustrating that overall satisfaction of residents within the district had declined since he was last mayor. However, fellow candidate Jonathan Larsen accused Smith of “cherry-picking” the statistics, claiming the figures had been dragged down by one ward and that perception of quality of life had actually increased in the Kaiwaka-Mangawhai ward since Smith’s departure.

Jonathan Larsen: ‘Mayor for all of Kaipara’

Current deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen is proud of his background as a firefighter, despite it being shrouded in controversy. If elected mayor, Larsen said he would limit the “out-of-control” growth in the east coast and look to spur it in the west – particularly through the establishment of a wharf network in Kaipara.

When it came to the issue of Māori wards, Larsen said he believed a “key fundamental of democracy is everyone having the same rights”, drawing some applause from the crowd. He also said he didn’t believe climate change was man-made, having led the charge to halt climate change work by the council a couple of years ago. Larsen also categorically ruled out the fluoridation of the district’s water supply, despite Whangārei District Council recently being forced to fluoridate its water supply after a costly legal battle against the central government directive. 

With the imminent construction of a Northland corridor expressway, Larsen said “Auckland is getting closer” and that would particularly impact the likes of Maungaturoto, Kaiwaka and Mangawhai.

Snow Tane: ‘Snow Tane for Kaipara’

The only candidate without any experience at the council table is local businessman Snow Tane. The Dargaville resident, who is affiliated to the local Te Roroa iwi, has lived in the area for over 40 years, spending almost 30 of those in management roles with the likes of Woolworths Group New Zealand (formerly Progressive Enterprises). He is now general manager for Te Roroa Development Group and was part of the negotiating team that secured $300m in funding for the Kaipara Moana Remediation project.

Tane told the crowd he was focused on business growth across the district. With a water storage project under way in Dargaville, he believed there would soon be great potential for “higher-value land use options” in the western part of the district, which would help create more jobs and attract young people to the area. However, a fundamental part of any growth in the district would be preventing any unnecessary damage to the environment, he said, which much of the crowd appreciated.

When it came to relations with tāngata whenua, Tane was obviously well-placed with his whakapapa and existing relationships. However, he said a key part of it was listening to all groups in the community and fostering healthy relationships across the constituency.