Deputy mayor Geoff Taylor, who heads Hamilton City Council's Central City and River Plan Advisory Group, said the new-look jetty shows council's ongoing commitment to the Hamilton City River Plan.
"The Ferrybank area was important to early Māori as a landing place for large waka. Now we have a more functional jetty, we can continue that heritage by encouraging more people to use the river for transport, whether that's through recreational boating, river tourism or using a future ferry service."
Taylor said the projects are an important part of shaping a vibrant central city where people love to be. The long-term vision for the central city includes construction of the Waikato Regional Theatre and a proposed pedestrian bridge, alongside completed projects such as Victoria on the River.
Mayor Paula Southgate agreed and said was it was fabulous to see the jetty open.
"More than seven years ago, I stood on the old wharf with former Hamilton City councillor John Gower, both of us pushing for better use of the river for visitors and commuters. So I'm thrilled to see this new central city jetty.
"I took the river ferry to Fieldays recently and it was a great experience. I look forward to more Hamiltonians enjoying our treasured Waikato River."
Design of the five pou on the jetty was a collaboration between hapū representatives and artist Eugene Kara, Ngāti Korokī Kahukura.
Kara said the design was inspired by the stories told within each hapū about their genealogy and history.
"The sculptures represent stories of the whenua, awa and tāngata – the land, river and people, interwoven over the years into a deep, spiritual connection," he said.
Sacred geometric symbols and colours were chosen for their historical relevance to each hapū and a wider whakāro Māori meaning.
The jetty replacement is one of three Waikato River Works projects, bundled together to save time and money.
The cost of the new jetty came to $1.03 million and final costs for the revetment wall were about $3.03m.
