26 May 2026

Woolworths Flaxmere will open on Thursday 25 June, showing Woolworths New Zealand’s commitment to Flaxmere at an exciting time in its development.

The new Flaxmere store will deliver a much needed full-service supermarket for the Flaxmere community and will bring around 80 jobs, all of which will be filled from the Flaxmere and Hastings communities.

“This will be our latest store format with plenty of exciting new features. It will give shoppers more choice, with an extended product range and a streamlined click and collect service for online orders. There will of course be plenty of fantastic Hawke’s Bay-grown fresh produce on display too”, said Matthew Grainger, Woolworths Director of Property.

The new store (under construction) was toured on 8 May by MP for Tukituki Catherine Wedd, Hastings Mayor Wendy Schollum, Flaxmere Ward Councillor Henare O’Keefe and senior staff from Hastings District Council.

“We know that our application for a liquor licence has provoked debate and we appreciate the community support we have received. We take our responsibilities as an alcohol retailer seriously and for our Flaxmere store we have added extra layers of care,” said Matthew Grainger.

The 3,460m² full-service supermarket will anchor the redevelopment of the Flaxmere shopping precinct, bordered by Swansea Road, Caernarvon Drive, Pam O’Keefe Avenue and Te Ara Moeke. The site includes 345m² of specialty retail with a local pharmacy as the tenant.

“This is an exciting time for Woolworths in Hawke’s Bay. As well as this new store in Flaxmere, we recently announced another new store in the Greenmeadows area, also to be developed by TW Property”, said Matthew Grainger.

For TW Property, CEO Terry May said “this Woolworths store is part of TW Property’s recently approved master plan for the Flaxmere area. Having a Woolworths store to help anchor that plan is crucial. We’re extremely proud of how the build is progressing and we can’t wait to see the Flaxmere community in the new store.”

The store will feature 171 customer car parks and a convenient covered parking area for online customers to collect their shopping. There will be two 50 kW dual plug charging units installed, servicing four EV car parking spaces.

The design combines high performance with strong local character. Pre-cast concrete panels feature etched patterns inspired by the Flaxmere community, while the modern supermarket will include the latest sustainability initiatives including doors on fridges to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, and bike parking to encourage customers and team to forgo the car when doing a quick shop.

The team will be led by Store Manager Shannon Sibley, formerly manager at Woolworths Taupō South and Woolworths Whitianga.

The Woolworths Flaxmere opening ceremony will begin at 7.30am on Thursday 25 June and the store will open to the public around 8.30am. To celebrate, GoBay bus services 6 and 7 to and from Flaxmere will be free from Thursday 25 June till Sunday 28 June.

Cultural groups from Flaxmere College and Flaxmere Primary School will perform at the opening.