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Regional | Kaikohe

Fed-up locals gather in protest of dusty roads

There's no better way to raise the issue of Northland's dusty roads than by taking it directly to the local council.

That's the message behind a march in Whangarei today to raise awareness about a problem that's plagued generations of local families. It's estimated the Whangarei district alone has over 800km of metal and dusty roads.

According to Moetu Davis, “It's about our wellbeing because our roads are just dust, dust and more dust. We live with it, and it's even worse when the trucks get going in summer - we're literally eating their dust.”

It's been over 30 years since district councils north of Auckland approved the planting of pine forests across wider Northland, but they have reneged on their obligations under health and dust-related legislation.

Now the problem is massive, with no clear funding available to remedy it. For now, a tar sealed inland road in this district remains but a dream.