A $6.1m project to turn Durham St and Durham Lane into a pedestrian-friendly student hub has kicked off with a blessing this morning.
The project is the first streetscape upgrade to take place as part of the Heart of the City programme to rejuvenate Tauranga City Centre.
Representatives of Tauranga City Council, the University of Waikato, tangata whenua and Ngāi Tamarāwaho and other groups met next door to the new campus construction site for the blessing at 8am.
University of Waikato kaumātua Tamati Tata, of Ngāi Tamarāwaho, led the group on a walk around the streets that will be transformed, saying a blessing for the safety of all those who will work and travel through there.