Council services through Alert Level 2
The Covid-19 Alert level for Northland moved to Alert Level 2 from Wednesday 8 September 2021.
All council facilities will be open to the public with Level 2 safety measures in place from Monday 13 September 2021 unless noted otherwise below.
General safety precautions
In all our public areas please allow 2 metres of physical distancing from people you don't know.
All visitors must sign in at our reception areas or use the NZ Covid Tracer app.
Our front-line staff will be wearing face-coverings and we ask our customers to do the same.
Surfaces at council facilities will be frequently cleaned, and hand sanitiser will be available for visitors to use.
Feeling sick or unwell? Please stay home and talk to a doctor.
Customer Service Centres
Forum North will open at 8:00am on Monday 13 September 2021, and the Ruakaka Service Centre will open at 8:30am on Monday 13 September 2021.
We encourage customers to do Council business online or over the phone where possible. Please call us to book appointments in advance, to avoid unnecessary waiting and crowding.
Bookings for our Duty Planner and Duty Building Officers need to be made in advance. Our preference is for meetings to be held online or over the phone.
Whangarei District Library
Opening 9am Monday 13 September. Libraries will be set up to comply with Ministry of Health guidelines. Restrictions on the number of people permitted to enter will apply. Branch libraries and the mobile library will remain closed over Level 2 and until further notice.
Te Manawa – the Hub and Whangarei iSITE
Te Manawa – the Hub will re-open from 9:00am Monday 13 September 2021. Whangarei iSITE on Tarewa Road is temporarily closed for maintenance. Please note Intercity Bus services are currently on hold.
Whangārei District Cemeteries
The Cemetery office and gates are open.
Up to 100 people can attend outdoor funerals and tangihanga at Alert Level 2, if funeral directors have registered with the Ministry of Health. Physical distancing will need to be maintained and funeral directors will collect details for contact tracing.
Whangārei Laboratory
Whangārei Laboratory will re-open for sample-delivery from 8:00am until 3:00pm starting Wednesday 8 September 2021.
Forum North Entertainment Centre and Semenoff Stadium
Both venues will be available for hire from 8:00am Monday 13 September 2021 in accordance with Government guidelines for venues.
Car parking
All Council carparks are open and operating as normal. Our wardens are working at Alert Level 2.
Rubbish and recycling collection
Our kerbside bag collection, and red and blue-bin recycling services, will continue as usual. Paper and cardboard will also be collected as normal. Transfer stations are open and operating, although visitors must wear a face-covering and record their visit either by signing in or using the NZ COVID Tracer app.
Parks, playgrounds, public toilets
Council facilities will be individually re-opened as they can be cleaned and assessed for safety. Please use the NZ COVID Tracer app to record your visit to these facilities.
Parents and caregivers are asked to be mindful that their children are physical distancing at playgrounds.
Sports parks
Each sporting code will decide matters relating to their own competitions and how they will manage government requirements such as physical distancing and contact tracing. The park facilities will be open at Alert Level 2.
Community halls
Community halls are open - contact your local community hall board for more specific information. Entry will be limited according to each site’s size and ability to practice 2 meter physical distancing.
Council events and event permits
Council managed events will only go ahead where Government guidance for gatherings under Alert Level 2 can be met.
Alcohol licensing
Applications for alcohol licenses or manager’s certificates can be made on our website and interviews or meetings with applicants will be done over the phone. Please contact us for guidance.
Animal Control Office
All dog services, including responding to roaming dog reports, will continue.
Adoption visits must be by appointment only. The office will be open from 8:30am - 5:00pm.
Dogs must be kept on a lead while exercising (except for off-lead dog parks) so physical distancing can be maintained between owners.
CitySafe
CitySafe patrols will continue under Alert Level 2.
Citizenship Ceremonies
Citizenship ceremonies are currently on hold.
Freedom Camping
Freedom camping sites around our District remain open. Campers may move to a new site if they would like to.
Freedom campers must observe 2-metre distancing from people they don’t know, record where they stay and who they interact with for contact tracing purposes, use heightened hygiene practices and comply with all instructions from New Zealand Police or Council officers.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.4% Summer
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36.8% Winter
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1.8% Other - I'll share below
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
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