Three carved pou, that were part of the original Taupo Woolworths store that was opened in 1961, have been restored and are now part of the new supermarket. Photo / Corbie Films
Three carved pou, that were part of the original Taupo Woolworths store that was opened in 1961, have been restored and are now part of the new supermarket. Photo / Corbie Films
A new Woolworths supermarket, with a history dating back more than 60 years, opened in Taupō today.
Woolworths first opened a supermarket in central Taupō in 1961 and it served the community well.
Because of its age, the store had become “a bit tired” and outdated, a spokesperson said, soabout two years ago, Woolworths closed it to build a new supermarket on the same site.
Woolworths New Zealand director of property, Matt Grainger, said the new supermarket was Woolworths’ second in Taupō.
“We know that the opening of Woolworths Taupō Central has been keenly anticipated,” Grainger said.
“We’re investing in our store network across Aotearoa to better meet the needs of our customers and team, and opening state-of-the-art stores like Woolworths Taupō Central is part of that.”
The original store from 1961, described as a “drive-in supermarket” in an article from the Taupo Times at the time of the opening, had a trading area of 660sq m.
The historic article was captioned “Taupo’s growth has attracted every type of business - now we have: Woolworths” and highlights the “new trend” among supermarkets.
“The new Drive-In-Supermarket is a good example of the ‘one stop shopping’ trend in chain stores, the aim being to stock as many lines of merchandise as possible under one roof.
“The introduction of food to Woolworths was a revolutionary step, but results have certainly justified it,” the article reads.
A Taupo Times newspaper article from 1961 talks about the opening of the first Woolworths store in town.
Woolworths first opened in New Zealand in Wellington in 1929 as a general merchandise store, selling items such as jewellery and household goods.
For the first Woolworths supermarket in Taupō in 1961, Rotorua master carver Hone Taiapa had carved three wooden pou, representing Tūmatauenga, guardian of humanity; Rongo, god of agriculture and compassion; and Tāne Mahuta, god of the forest and all within it.
The three pou have now been restored by Taupō master carver Delani Brown and are part of the new store that opened today.
The three pou have now been restored by Taupō master carver Delani Brown and are part of the new Woolworths store that opened today. Photo / Corbie Films
The pou are important to long-serving Woolworths team members Lee Mohi (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, 40 years’ service with Woolworths) and Ravenna Priest who is the unofficial archivist for Woolworths in Taupō (nearly 45 years’ service).
Mohi was happy to see the restored pou included in the new store.
“Over the years they have become part of our everyday working life here,” she said.
“I know I used to walk past them most days, coming and going from the store and I always felt the need to touch them and respect them, and now they’re the history of the store and they’ll be here a lot longer than all of us.”
The new Taupō Central store is more than 4000sq m and has a team of 110 staff, including 58 newly created jobs.
