The Government will invest up to $200 million in a large construction project in central Auckland, that will create up to 750 jobs and provide confidence to the sector, Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones announced today.
Financial support for the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work construction project will mean the project can get under way this year instead of being delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding for the project is coming from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund
“It is projects such as this that the Coalition Government has sought to bring forward to provide economic certainty, confidence in the construction sector and employment,” Shane Jones said.
“The design is complete and a tender process to appoint a contractor for early involvement will occur in the next month or so, with enabling works expected to start before Christmas and onsite construction to follow early in the new year.”
“This project will provide significant employment opportunities through to 2025 with up to 750 construction jobs expected at its peak. It will also allow the university to complete the balance of its building programme in this area, bringing the total construction value to $336 million,” Grant Robertson said.
“Several tertiary universities made applications to the Infrastructure Reference Group but this project stood out because it was so close to going ahead, the large job creation and retention of the sector’s skill base.
“We expect this news will be welcomed by the commercial building sector as well as Auckland’s civic leaders. It further demonstrates our commitment to getting our economy back on track in the wake of an unprecedented health crisis that continues to disrupt economies worldwide,” Grant Robertson said.
Today’s announcement brings the total investment in Auckland from the infrastructure fund to $685 million.
