Mayor Lydia Gliddon and a group of people stand listening at the site blessing for the Lincoln Town Centre

Waikirikiri Selwyn Mayor-elect, elected members, Selwyn District Council staff and the Fulton Hogan construction team gather for the site blessing, celebrating the beginning of the Lincoln Town Centre project.

A karakia whakawātea / site blessing led by Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki has prepared the way for work to begin on the upgrade of the Lincoln town centre.

The blessing Wednesday morning marked the beginning of stage one works on the long-term project to revitalise the town centre and prepare it for the future.

Waikirikiri Selwyn Mayor-elect Lydia Gliddon spoke at the event, which was attended by the three new ward councillors for the Kā Puna Springs Ward: Aaron McGlinchy, Denise Carrick, and Sarah Barnsley at their first official event as Councillors.

Mayor-elect Gliddon says the blessing marked the beginning of a transformational journey for Lincoln.

“This upgrade is not just about infrastructure – it’s about people. Stage one will deliver a safer, greener, and more welcoming town centre putting people at the heart of Lincoln and how the town centre is used.

“I also want to thank our previous councillors for their foresight on this development and acknowledge the Lincoln community who have waited a long time to see this come to fruition.

“This project is not just about today, but the future generations of Lincoln. While there is pain in change we must look to the future.”

We are also looking forward to the future development of “Lincoln Village”, she says.

Last month the Council awarded Fulton Hogan the contract to deliver stage one of the upgrade from Kildare Terrace to West Belt.

Stage one works, with the contract awarded for approximately $10.4 million, includes:

A new public plaza on Gerald Street to create a welcoming space for the community to connect

Lincoln is Selwyn’s second-largest township, with its population increasing by approximately 10% annually since 2020. Gerald Street, the heart of the town centre, currently sees around 11,000 vehicles daily, a figure projected to rise to 16,000 by 2045.

Work will begin as early as this week, including site preparation such as tree clearing, utilities trenching, island removal and potholing.

These early works will help prepare the area for underground service upgrades and future layout changes. All tree removals will be carried out under the supervision of an arborist.

For more information visit and to keep up to date on the project, please visit here.

Last modified: 30 Oct 2025 9:00am