A key milestone in the delivery of a community and wellbeing hub for Whanganui has been reached with the appointment of construction firm Naylor Love to build the new courthouse and police hub on the former UCOL site. The construction partners will be working with Whanganui iwi, New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Justice, and Whanganui District Council to achieve Te Puna Hapori’s vision, ‘Toitū te Whānau’ – uniting to improve the wellbeing of our whānau and community.

Local company W & W Construction, whose projects include the upgrade to the Whanganui Airport Terminal, will partner with Naylor Love to deliver this exciting project.

This week the Te Puna Hapori governance group met the two firms on-site, where building removal is well underway, for an official signing of the construction contracts with Police and the Ministry of Justice.

“Having a local company partner in construction with Te Puna Hapori is great news. It demonstrates what this kaupapa is all about, empowering the wider community, including local businesses and employers, to work with hapū and iwi to create a space for whānau -centric services that will benefit all of us,” said Te Puna Hapori governance group member Tracey Waitokia.

Te Tāhū o te Ture | The Ministry of Justice and Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa | NZ Police have worked closely with Tupoho on this joint procurement. It is anticipated that having one main construction company to provide pre-construction services and consult throughout design will benefit the project.

“We are excited to welcome Naylor Love and W&W on board as the Te Puna Hapori construction partners. Their experience will be of real benefit to the project as design develops,” said NZ Police Deputy Chief Executive Corporate Operations Ruth Currie.

“Awarding these contracts is a significant milestone. The benefit of a contractor who has local knowledge and is committed to building strong working relationships with the Te Puna Hapori partners will ensure that the Te Puna Hapori values are strongly entrenched in the construction of the physical site,” said Ministry of Justice Acting Deputy Secretary Corporate and Digital Services, Eve Padgett.

Because Te Puna Hapori is both an iwi-led and community focused project, as well as the name of the physical site, the procurement panel included representatives from Tupoho.

“Naylor Love and W&W demonstrated strong alignment with the goals and aspirations of Te Puna Hapori. They also outlined opportunities for broader outcomes including employment and training opportunities as well as strong engagement with the community throughout the construction phase of the project“ said Te Puna Hapori governance group member Ken Mair.

Next up, the project partners will continue working through designs with construction expected to begin in mid-2024.

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