Upper Hutt Mayor Welcomes Positive News For Wallaceville Agresearch Campus

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said today that he was urgently seeking a meeting with Government Ministers Paul Swain and Pete Hodgson to push for the retention of AgResearch facilities at Upper Hutt.

“All the signs for Wallaceville look positive at the present time” said Mr. Guppy. “It is apparent that the Government and AgResearch Board have now started to realize what we have been telling them all along, that the business case for the closure of Wallaceville was flawed both in financial terms and in terms of the disastrous effect that the closure would have on New Zealand’s burgeoning bio-tech industry”.

“But the time for saying ‘I told you so’ are over”, said Mr. Guppy. “What is important now is for all parties to work together to not only retain AgResearch, but to grow the scientific research community on the Wallaceville campus”.

Mr Guppy said that he was aware of several research related organization that were considering Wallaceville as the base for their operations. The appeal of the location for these organizations is the mutual benefits that can be obtained from locating in a multi-user scientific community.

“I will be seeking some definite answers on these issues from Paul; Swain and Pete Hodgson when I meet with them”, said Mr Guppy.

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