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FormationRodney District was constituted in 1989 as part of Local Government reform throughout New Zealand at that time. The principal effect of the reform in this case was the amalgamation of the former Helensville Borough with the former Rodney County. Rodney District appears to have taken it's name from Cape Rodney, a headland at the north of the curve of Omaha Bay, 2km north-east of Leigh on the east coast of the District. The cape was named by Captain James Cook, on 24 November 1769, after the British admiral, Sir George Bridges Rodney (1719-92), later the 1st Baron Rodney, who won several important naval battles against French, Spanish, and Dutch forces. This information came from Discover New Zealand : a Wises guide. 9th ed. Auckland, NZ., Wises Publications, 1994. DescriptionOur District covers an area of 2,475 square kilometres and it has a population estimated in June 2003 to be 81,100. The 2001 Census night count was 76,182. This represented 14.6% growth on the 1996 Census. Rodney District neighbours Waitakere City in the west, North Shore City in the south and Kaipara District in the north and can be divided into three sub-areas: Western Ward:The south-western part of our District includes the communities of Helensville and Kumeu/Huapai as well as the smaller settlements of Riverhead and Waimauku. As a result of its proximity to Auckland, lifestyle blocks are very popular here but horticulture, winemaking and forestry are also important to the local economy. The Kaipara Harbour is the largest enclosed harbour in the southern hemisphere. Eastern Ward: Historically, the Hibiscus Coast grew up as a retirement area and as a holiday "playground" for Aucklanders. Many beautiful and safe beaches make the Coast a big attraction. Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, is host to the second largest marina in the Southern Hemisphere with 996 berths as well as a well renowned international golf course. The Hibiscus Coast is now a well established and sought after urban area with a population of 28,390 and growing, but it retains a high proportion of retired folk living within it. With the northern motorway extension to Orewa making commuting
to Auckland more appealing and a burgeoning North Shore, the Hibiscus Coast is continuing to
develop rapidly. Nearly half the workforce travel out of the District to
their places of employment daily. However, we are determined to keep
the Coast separate from the North Shore by maintaining a "green
belt" of rural land within which "lifestyle blocks" continue to
be in popular demand. Northern Ward:The northern part of our District contains the Warkworth, Wellsford and Snells/Algies Bay communities and there are a number of smaller coastal and inland settlements. Lifestyle blocks, retirement housing and holiday baches are features of the north but primary production (including dairying) is still very significant and forestry occupies about 29,579 hectares. Rapid GrowthIn the first 100 odd years of European settlement, development was very moderate and it was based around Warkworth, Wellsford, Helensville, and Orewa. Rapid population growth over the last 20 years has been the main feature of our District - and this is expected to continue. By 2016 Rodney expects to be home to 102,000 people - 30,000 more than are here now. This phenomenon of rapid growth is occurring for two main reasons:
Council OperationsRoading:The Council spends around 48% of the total budget of $100M each year on roading. Over half of the roading network is unsealed and for a number of reasons, construction and maintenance costs are extraordinarily high. A new motorway bypassing Orewa and Waiwera is currently under construction. The $330m project is called the Northern Motorway Extension and has its own dedicated website http://www.northerngateway.co.nz/. The first phase of the northern extension to Orewa has been completed with the second phase from Orewa to Puhoi in the pipeline. This is expected to be the largest roading project ever undertaken in New Zealand. While the new route will solve the very serious traffic congestion problems that presently occur most holiday and mid summer weekends, it is also expected to contribute to further growth throughout our District as accessibility to Metropolitan Auckland is significantly improved. We are seeing this already! Services:The Council's activities include the provision of water, sewerage and stormwater services to all of the new urban areas. Currently there are ten separate sewerage systems and seven water supply systems. Recreation services are generally limited to the provision of parks, reserves, and libraries although the Council does own and operate the Leisure Centre in the Hibiscus Coast. The Council provides the normal range of regulatory services such as forward planning, resource consents, building consents etc. The physical implementation of work is contracted to the private sector. The Council does not own any works depots, workshops or heavy items of plant. SummaryThe steady growth and development which most New Zealand communities have enjoyed over the last 100 years (or more) has been condensed in Rodney's case to about 40 years. The "pressure cooker" atmosphere that exists here means that managing growth is far and away the Council's main focus. To the elected Council, this means providing a clear regulatory and planning framework, ensuring that there is an appropriate financial strategy in place to achieve desired objectives, and regularly monitoring the effects of growth and the effectiveness of the Council's policies.
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