Kaipara District was formed through the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms and was constituted on 1 November 1989.

[5] The roughly triangular district stretches from a thinning of the Northland Peninsula south of Kaiwaka and Mangawhai in the southeast to the Waipoua Forest in the northwest.

The district's western boundary is defined by Ripirō Beach, which stretches down Northland's west coast from Maunganui Bluff and the Waipoua Forest in the north, to Pouto at the entrance to Kaipara Harbour.

The district has a population of 27,900 (June 2024),[3] most of whom live rurally, with the rest in small settlements scattered amongst the rolling hills or nestled on the shores of the harbour.

Dargaville, located in the west, is the largest town, the primary service centre and seat of the district council, with 5,230 residents.

The district has no major urban centre; the nearest one is the city of Whangārei, 45 kilometres northeast of Dargaville.

Dargaville has an annual Arts and Crafts Festival run by the local Rotary club and also features weekly Riverside Produce Markets on Thursday afternoons.

The review team concluded that the challenges were beyond the ability of the mayor and councillors to manage.

The Kaipara District Council commissioners were John Robertson (chairman), Richard Booth, Colin Dale and Peter Winder.