Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today took part in a tour of the Taupō Town Centre Transformation project, calling it “the most shovel-ready project I’ve seen”.
In July, the project received $20.6 million in government funding as part of the ‘shovel ready’ Crown Infrastructure Partners Fund, and is one of the country’s first funded projects to break ground.
Local jobs, transforming our CBD and enhancing our connection to the lake were all on the agenda, with the project expected to create 92 full time jobs over two years, and transform our public places into spaces that attract people to spend time and invest in the town centre.
As part of the tour, the Prime Minister visited the intersection upgrade work site on Ruapehu and Tuwharetoa St.
Programme Delivery Manager Ian Gray said it was important for the Prime Minister to see the significant progress already underway as a result of government support.
“We are one of the first funded projects, if not the first, to get underway,” he said.
“It was really valuable for our local workers to be able to see the connection between their work and the significant investment that the government has made here,” he said.
Following this, the Prime Minister completed a walkabout through the CBD, discussing the economic benefits of the project with local businesses.
“This is definitely one of the most shovel-ready projects I’ve seen,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Mayor David Trewavas said the tour was a great way to highlight what the government investment means for the district.
“This project has been one that has been on the cards for many years, but without the $20.6 million investment it would have been very hard in this current climate to get this off the ground,” he said.
“It is a huge game-changer for us and will create real value for locals – not only through local jobs, but through the end result which will see our CBD transformed into people-friendly spaces that also enhances our connection to our best natural assets like the lake and the Domain.”
