Building to begin on retirement village development
An early morning blessing has launched the first stage of a building project at Trinity rest home in Hāwera.
The Trinity Charitable Trust announced in September it intended to build a new not-for-profit retirement village, followed eventually by a new and larger hospital and rest home.
Yesterday, the land was blessed by Ngati Ruanui kaumatua Sandy Parata and Aroha Wharemate, and followed by a ceremonial turning of the first sod by South Taranaki mayor Phil Nixon.
“It’s wonderful to be here,” Nixon said. The new facility meant people wanting to move into retirement living could remain in Hāwera, rather than moving out of town, he said.
“It’s been a long time coming, it’s very exciting for Hāwera,” Trinity clinical director Jess Reid said.
Ground works for the first five of 12 villas would start within six weeks, project lead and Trinity Charitable Trust board director Doug Hutchinson said.
The trust’s current facilities on Puriri St include a rest home and hospital with a dementia wing, with beds for 78 people.
The first five villas will be built on land the trust already owns, at a likely cost of $3 million, he said.
Seven more will be built beside them. Eventually, 25 more villas would be built on the site.
He was very happy to have reached the start of construction after all the planning work. “We’re going to have some very nice upmarket villas for people wanting to retire,” he said.
The board already had “a good number” of people who had expressed interest in buying a villa.
It intends funding the rebuild and expansion of its rest home and hospital with the income from selling the villas, which will be on right to occupy agreements.
“This is the start of a 10-year project,” Hutchinson said.