Work on the last section of a key road through Peacocke starts this month.

Hamilton City Council has awarded Schick Civil Construction the contract to build the last section of Whatukooruru Drive, from Hall Road to Ohaupo Road (State Highway 3). When complete, the road will provide a key connection from Ohaupo Road and Glenview to Peacockes Road in the east.

The project will deliver a bridge and about 700m of new road, shared paths and cycle lanes, pipes for water services and essential services to enable new homes in the area.

This is the final stage of the projects built with support from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate said Whatukooruru Drive is a fantastic project.

“We absolutely must build infrastructure in the right place at the right time, otherwise we simply won't be able to have the new homes and communities we desperately need.

“The growth of Hamilton is not slowing and, as a city with a growing population, investing in crucial infrastructure enables our developers and construction industry to build much needed homes and services to support new suburbs, now and in the future,” Mayor Southgate said.

“Whatukooruru Drive will also serve as a vital transport link.”

Whatukooruru Drive takes its name from a significant paa site in Peacocke and was identified by an iwi-council partnership as an opportunity to revive one of the original place names in the area. The paa was recently returned to Waikato-Tainui as part of the project.

Schick built the first stage of Whatukooruru Drive in 2020-21 as part of the new roundabout on Ohaupo Road (Stage Highway 3) to provide access to a new housing development.

Contractor Downer NZ is currently building the second stage of the project, from Hall Road to Peacockes Road, as well as upgrading a section of Peacockes Road. That section of Whatukooruru Drive features two gully bridges and 1.3km of new road. Construction along that section is almost complete, with asphalting and line marking planned for November.

Peacocke’s Whatukooruru Drive is due to be fully completed in 2026 and is part of the Southern Links transport network. Southern Links was recently announced as a Road of National Significance and will link the state highway network south of Hamilton with the city’s arterial network.

August marks a milestone for Southern Links with the most visible part of the project – a new bridge over the Waikato River – hosting a public open day later this month. The four-lane bridge has shared pedestrian and cycle paths on both sides, future-proofing the bridge for the tens of thousands of Hamiltonians that will eventually live in Peacocke. Hidden inside the girders are pipes for strategic water and wastewater, and cables and ducts for electricity and internet.

Peacocke is being built with the support from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, made up of a $180.3 million 10-year interest-free loan and $110.1 million of Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency subsidies.

The Peacocke programme will deliver a new river bridge, a transport network that caters for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, parks, and strategic water, wastewater and stormwater networks. Other work includes protecting and enhancing the environment, including the extensive gully system, opening the area to the Waikato River, and investigating community facilities which are also important parts of creating a new community in Peacocke.

When completed, Peacocke will be home for up to 20,000 Hamiltonians.

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