Dust Suppression
The Road Ahead
The council is looking at where longer-lasting treatments could deliver better value over time.
This season’s treatment will focus on community facilities to reach as many people as possible.
Short sections of road outside individual homes won’t be part of this year’s programme.
Why this year is different
The 2026/27 dust suppression budget is $500,000, funded entirely through rates, with no contribution from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
With nearly 1600km of unsealed roads across the Far North, that funding can only go so far. The council cannot provide dust suppression everywhere it is needed, so choices have to be made about where the available funding can have the greatest community benefit.
Te Koukou, the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, considered different ways the budget could be used. One approach continued to prioritise selected individual properties. The other concentrated treatment around community facilities where more people regularly come together and spend time.
The committee chose the community facilities approach.
That means treatment will be concentrated around places of learning and early education centres, kōhanga reo, marae, community halls and places of worship rather than individual residential properties.
For residents who have received treatment on the road outside their property in previous years, this change may be disappointing. The decision took into consideration how to make available funding benefit more people across our communities.
Where treatment is going
- Education facilities
- Marae
- Community halls
- Places of worship
Treatment can extend up to 500m beyond a qualifying site
It takes in areas such as playgrounds, sports fields and gathering spaces, not just the immediate road frontage.
Treated road
Untreated unsealed road
Every site is assessed
Each site has been visited and assessed before treatment is planned.
1Site visited
Each qualifying site is visited in person.
2Assessed
Where treatment should be applied is worked out.
3Length set
The appropriate length of road to treat is confirmed.
There is no application process. The council assesses qualifying sites based on the programme criteria and visits sites to confirm where treatment should be applied.
You can check the list of sites included in this year's programme
Dust suppression sites 2026/27
These community facilities will receive dust suppression this season. Search for a site or road, filter by type, or view the full list. More sites will be added during the season.
Last updated: 13 October 2026
| Site | Type | Nearest unsealed road | Status | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akerama | Marae | Haile Road | Confirmed | |
| Araiawa (Raio) Hall | Community hall | Araiawa Road | Confirmed | |
| Broadwood A&P Hall | Community hall | Takahue Saddle Road (Broadwood) | Confirmed | |
| Haiti-tai-marangai | Marae | Whatuwhiwhi Road (North) | Confirmed | |
| Hiruhārama Hou (Te Tii) | Marae | Te Tii Road Extension | Confirmed | |
| Kaimaumau | Marae | Kaimaumau Road | Confirmed | |
| Kaingaroa Hall | Community hall | Mill Road (Kaingaroa) | Confirmed | |
| Mahimaru | Marae | Godinovich Road | Confirmed | |
| Matawaia | Marae | Matawaia-Maromaku Road | Confirmed | |
| Matihetihe | Marae | Hohaia Road | Confirmed | |
| Mohinui | Marae | Waiomio Road (Waiomio) | Confirmed | |
| Motukiore | Marae | Motukiore Road | Confirmed | |
| Motuti | Marae | Motuti Road | Confirmed | |
| Ngāi Tāwake | Marae | Stewards Road | Confirmed | |
| Ngāi Tūpoto | Marae | Motukaraka Point Road | Confirmed | |
| Ngāti Manawa (Te Waiariki) | Marae | Ngatimanawa Road | Confirmed | |
| Ngāti Moetonga (Wainui) | Marae | Wainui Road (Wainui) | Confirmed | |
| Parihaka | Marae | Te Irenga Road | Confirmed | |
| Piki te Aroha (Rāhiri) | Marae | Harris Road | Confirmed | |
| Pikiparia | Marae | Smith Deviation Road | Confirmed | |
| Puketawa | Marae | Horeke Road | Confirmed | |
| Pupuke | Marae | Te Huia Marae Road | Confirmed | |
| Rangatahi | Marae | Horeke Road | Confirmed | |
| Rangikohu | Marae | Settlement Way | Confirmed | |
| St Mary's Church cemetery | Place of worship | Motuti Road | Confirmed | |
| Tahawai | Marae | Weber Road | Confirmed | |
| Tauwhara | Marae | Whakataha Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Arohanui (Mangataipa) | Marae | Mangataipa Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Huehue | Marae | Stewards Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Hūruhi | Marae | Otaenga Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kōhanga Reo o Matawaia | Education facilities | Matawaia-Maromaku Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kōhanga Reo o Moerewa | Education facilities | Taumatamakuku Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kōhanga Reo o Taurangi | Education facilities | Whakataha Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kōhanga Reo o Te Kotahitanga o Whangape | Education facilities | Whangape Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kōhanga Reo o Wharepunga | Education facilities | Wharepunga Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Kotahitanga (Whangapē) | Marae | Whangape Road | Confirmed | |
| Te Rito Mokopuna | Education facilities | Tangonge Service Lane | Confirmed | |
| Totara North Bible Chapel | Place of worship | Campbell Road (Totara North) | Confirmed | |
| Ururangi | Marae | Tokawhero Road | Confirmed | |
| Waihapa | Marae | Waihapa Road | Confirmed | |
| Wainui (Ngātiruamahue) | Marae | Wainui Valley Road | Confirmed | |
| Waiparera | Marae | Rangi Point Road | Confirmed | |
| Waitetoki | Marae | Waiaua Road | Confirmed |
No sites match your search. Check the spelling, or clear the search and filters. If your facility is not listed, there is no need to apply. Council assesses sites and more will be added during the season.
Confirmed sites have been checked and are on the treatment programme.
Treatment can extend up to 500 metres around each qualifying site. Timing depends on contractor availability and weather.
Is there a site we have not covered?
Complete this quick check to see if your site suggestion qualifies for this year's programme. It takes less than a minute.
Dust will always be a challenge in the Far North. We have a large unsealed road network, and even with funding support from NZTA Waka Kotahi, there will never be enough funding to seal every road.
That means the long-term challenge is how we use the funding available to achieve the greatest and most lasting benefit for communities.
Dust suppression provides genuine, immediate relief, but it is temporary. A treatment typically lasts around three months, which means the council will likely find itself paying to treat the same sections of road again in future years.
That raises an important question: could that investment be used differently in some locations to deliver a longer-lasting result and better value over time?
The council is looking at options including Otta seal, traction seal and extending the sealed network where it makes sense. These treatments can provide a more durable road surface, helping to reduce dust and the need for repeated dust suppression.
There is no single approach that will suit every road. What makes sense will depend on the road, how it is used, what the community needs, available funding and the cost of the treatment over its whole life. The goal is to make the funding we have go further, while progressively improving the network where we can.
The council is building evidence needed to understand where longer-lasting investment could make the greatest difference to support future funding applications.
No NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi funding has been approved for this year's dust suppression programme. However, future eligible projects may attract NZTA co-funding.
As an example, if a future project qualified for an NZTA Funding Assistance Rate of around 70 per cent, a $500,000 local contribution could potentially attract around $1.17 million from NZTA. That could create around $1.67 million of total investment for more permanent solutions.
That funding is not guaranteed. The example shows why building the evidence and a strong case for future investment matters.
This work will help inform the council's developing Unsealed Roads Strategy, the 2027 Transport Asset Management Plan and the Long Term Plan.
Frequently asked questions
No. Every qualifying site is assessed based on certain criteria. There is no application process for residents or facility managers.
All facility types are assessed the same way across the district, and no site is chosen in advance. The site list has been confirmed by Elected Members, and this is the complete programme for 2026/27.
No. Dust suppressant treatment lasts around three months. The council is working toward longer-term options such as sealing, so fewer roads need this treatment every year over time.
Concentrating it at community facilities means the same budget protects more people, more often.
If your community facility is on the 2026/27 programme, please refer to our qualifying sites list. Scheduling depends on contractor availability and weather conditions. Treatments are applied in the warmer, drier months. More sites will be added to the qualifying list throughout the programme.
We may not hold every affected address, and rural letterbox access is not always reliable. Copies of the letter are available at FNDC Service Centres, Libraries or isites, and this page has the same information.