28 August 

A record level of capital investment across Hamilton Kirikiriroa has made city roads safer, enabled growth, and delivered and maintained crucial infrastructure.

Despite challenging economic headwinds, Hamilton City Council and its partners completed $909 million worth of capital projects across the city during the past three years.

The scale and breadth of projects delivered for the community is revealed in A Look Back - a monitoring report detailing Council’s 2021-24 capital programme.

Councillor Maxine van Oosten, who chairs the Finance and Monitoring Committee, said Council had balanced investing in the city’s growth areas with looking after existing assets. During the past three years, about $230 million was spent maintaining city assets such as parks, playgrounds, footpaths and community facilities.

Recently named the country’s fastest growing city, Hamilton’s annual capital investment has gone from an average of $197 million a year in 2018-21, to $303 millon a year in 2021-24.

“The past three years has presented its share of challenges – from severe weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle, to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain constraints, high inflation and an economic downturn,” Councillor van Oosten said.

“Against this backdrop, we’ve delivered crucial projects for our community. We carried out major upgrades to the Pukete Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Waiora Water Treatment Plant as well as ticked off big milestone projects in our growth areas.”

Council invested almost $89 million on transport projects across Hamilton, such as the Cobham Drive overbridge and the upgraded Claudelands Road – Grey Street intersection. It also completed the popular Te Awa River Ride. The programme of city-wide transport projects attracted $53.8 million of external funding.

To make sure we look after our existing residents while preparing to meet the needs of a growing population, Council invested $124.7 million in essential water services. That figure included $32.2 million of external funding.

Improving the vibrancy of Hamilton’s social and creative spaces saw $40 million invested in a host of city facilities, including the award-winning entrance to Hamilton Zoo and Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park. And at the Hamilton Gardens, the Egyptian Garden and Palm Court was opened – adding to the offering of enclosed gardens for the public to explore. Hamilton Gardens’ Gallagher Visitor Centre is on track to open in September.

Councillor van Oosten said partnering with other funding agencies to deliver new assets helped achieve great outcomes for Hamilton. An example of this is Peacocke, where major infrastructure projects have been built with support from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund. A new river bridge linking Peacocke to the city will host a public open day on Saturday.

A total of $426.3 million worth of capital projects was completed across Hamilton’s growth areas during 2021-24.

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