Raeleen Wilson (front row, holding spade), trustee of Waipāhīhī marae, and Reverend Peace Mitchell break the first ground on the new sewer main in Taupō, alongside officials including Taupō District Council chief executive Julie Gardyne.
Taupō is a rapidly growing district that has seen many changes in recent years.
Some, like the eye-catching pou at the overhauled Te Ātea lakefront development, are easy to see.
Others are somewhat less glamorous, but are more vital in an expanding urban area.
An upgraded wastewater network arguably falls into the second category.
Nevertheless, the beginning of the work was acknowledged in style this week with a blessing by Reverend Peace Mitchell.
The blessing at Kaimanawa Reserve was attended on Wednesday morning by representatives from iwi, Taupō District Council and contractors who will work on the project.
Councillor Anna Park said the project to install a new sewer main and upgrade water pipes may not sound exciting but it was a significant contribution to the area’s successful growth.
“Our district is growing, and we want our infrastructure to grow along with it.”
“In the coming years, we are going to see new subdivisions open up, bringing a much-needed boost to our district’s housing stock, and that is going to put added pressure on our infrastructure.
“We cannot take a wait-and-see approach to this, we have to be proactive to make sure we have a safe, resilient water and wastewater network that can cope with the increased demand.
“You don’t have to look far around the country to see towns and even very large cities that have neglected this work and are now paying the price.”
The works are intended to be as efficient as possible, by installing a new sewer main along Lake Terrace and renewing nearby drinking water pipes at the same time.
This makes for a bigger job, but project manager Chris Haskell said it made sense to do both parts in tandem to minimise disruption.
“The project is being completed in stages, and the water network upgrade is already being done.
“The installation of the new sewer main will be getting under way in the coming weeks and will be finished by the end of the year.
“To make sure the work is carried out safely and quickly, there will be some traffic management in place and while we understand this will cause disruption, it means we can greatly reduce the time to complete the project.
“This is really about reducing the pressure on the existing network, some of which was built in the 1970s.”
Although running the pipes along a main road may seem like unnecessary disruption to drivers, Haskell said it was the most logical option.
“Some people may ask why we are installing the new sewer main in this location, but this is really the best solution as having to pump it around to the east of the residential areas would not be as safe or resilient, as well as prohibitively expensive.
“We really want to future-proof the place we love and this is the best way to do it.”
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Armed police stood guard as the patched members were led out in handcuffs.