2 Aug 2010

Wairoa council pushes for highway upgrade

6:08 am on 2 August 2010

Wairoa District Council says upgrading State Highway 38 through Te Urewera National Park and Lake Waikaremoana could provide an economic boost of many millions of dollars a year.

The council wants the Government to prioritise sealing parts of the highway, and upgrading the rest of it.

Wairoa mayor Les Probert says an economic analysis commissioned by the council indicates the Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay economies could benefit by between $15 million and $28 million a year.

Maori tourism body Te Urewera Rainforest Group says there will also be social and health benefits for deprived communities in Bay of Plenty.