On Thursday 2 May, Kaumatua from Ngaati Tamaoho, Waikato District Mayor Jacqui Church and other dignitaries celebrated the latest milestone at Pookeno Sports Park on Munro Road.
The event started at dawn with the rain clouds breaking for the emotive Karakia from Ngaati Tamaaoho, led by Kaumatua Ted Ngataki.
As well as blessing the facility, the group also returned the earth taken from the sod-turning event and planted a Kauri tree to make the occasion.
Mayor Jacqui Church thanked all the people involved for their hard mahi to bring this project to life, from the local Iwi, community members, Waikato district Council's project team and the contractors, who encountered a number of unprecedented setbacks (Covid 19, extreme weather events) to deliver this stage of the project on time and under budget.
Pokeno Community Committee member Helen Clotworthy spoke about how the event brought tears to her eyes, to be present today seeing the sports grounds they worked hard to get built come to fruition.
The sports fields and a car park mark the completion of the latest stage of the sporting facility, needed to cater for growth in Pookeno.
The new facility will be open to the public after the upgrade works on Munro Road and bridge have been completed in the coming months.
Work to improve the resilience of Munro Road starts this month, which involves closing Munro Road, between the Huia Road and Pookeno Road intersections, to traffic for around three months.
Work on the masterplan for sports and play facilities, like a skate park, playground and fitness trail for example, to be built here is underway with the community, and construction for these should start late 2024/early 2025.
