South Waikato District Council is thrilled that the Leith Place toilets in the Tokoroa CBD were awarded the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Best Loo Award at the Beautiful Ball awards ceremony last night.

The Twilight Block Christmas Party in 2021 showed how the entire space came alive for our Christmas celebrations. Especially stupendous was the nearby Colson’s Hill fireworks exploding over the dramatic night lit toilet towers.

“As part of the Leith Place Upgrade, Council wanted to create a plaza area for visitors and locals to use, provide parking for shoppers, incorporate the existing Talking Poles into a forest, build new toilets and create a WOW factor to attract passing traffic off the highway,” said Mayor Jenny Shattock.

“We’re very pleased that the KNZB judges saw this WOW factor in the toilets and the wider space.”

Five individual toilets mark out the Southern Cross constellation. The Southern Cross is representative across a number of cultures and ethnicities as it has long been a navigation tool used by Māori, Pasifika and Europeans, indeed people from many backgrounds. Tokoroa prides itself on celebrating a wide range of cultures and the Southern Cross aligns with them all.

The toilets were designed by DCA Architects from Rotorua. The toilet cylinders vary in heights from seven to nine metres and consist of a stand-alone and enclosed toilet at the base, metal framework with wooden fins up its height and a shiny disc on the very top. This projects light back down and through the open fins, creating a dramatic effect at night.

The Leith Place toilets have already won two awards – the Waikato/BoP New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) award and a regional award from Architectural Design New Zealand (ADNZ). Both wins saw the Leith Place toilets shortlisted in the national awards.

RDT Pacific provided project management services to Council for the re-development of Leith Place; which provided a significant opportunity to showcase Tokoroa's qualities to the world, benefit the community and improve trade and visitor experience.

Mayor Shattock invites travellers to stop next time they are passing through Tokoroa to see what all the fuss is about.

“Spend a penny,” she said, “And of course spend a little more with our local retailers – it’s a great spot for a bite to eat, a coffee and to stretch your legs.”

The Best Loo Award recognises the best public toilet in the country. Judges take into consideration the location, facilities, cleanliness, interior, exterior and the surrounding environment.

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