It’s been several years in the making, but the installation of the new toilet block in Mōkau has been completed and is ready for use.

A blessing was held on site last Friday, with a small group of elected members, mana whenua, Mōkau Primary School staff and Council staff in attendance.

The new facility is situated on the main road and is just north of the existing toilet block.

General Manager Infrastructure Services, Shyamal Ram says the project is great news for the Mōkau community as additional toilets have been needed to meet demand for some time.

He says it is important to note that when planning the project, every consideration was taken into account when it came to catering for everyone’s needs.

“The new toilet block features five individual, lockable stalls and a separate urinal. They cater for everyone - male, female and gender diverse, with one also being fully accessible.

“We have really gone out of our way to ensure we have met everyone’s needs, with signage also including braille.”

Mayor John Robertson acknowledged mana whenua, Mōkau Primary School, Council staff and contractors for working together to deliver an important community facility.

“It’s been several years in the making and it’s great to see we finally have a facility that caters for all.”

The old toilet block will continue to remain open, so those wishing to be more selective in their decision to use a gender-designated toilet cubicle can choose to use this facility.