Opinion: Looking around and forward to our place in Auckland

Publish Date : 31 Aug 2022
City Of Colour Cityscape Resize

Frith Walker is the Head of Placemaking at Eke Panuku and a long term inner city resident

I love the city centre. It’s where I live, where I stumbled into a theatre career, where I had my first kiss – I think I’ll stop there before I start oversharing. Like all cities it is a place of contradictions and noise and a whole lot of people trying to get on at close quarters.

All of this is why, despite two and a half of the most turbulent years in our city’s history, hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders (including me) are reconnecting with our city centre as it starts to find its feet “post Covid”. In fact, over 100,000 of us are taking advantage of what our city centre has to offer on average each day in the weekend.

Recovery is a term that gets used a lot, especially in recent times and especially with regard to how our city centres “come back” after Covid. It is easy to talk about, but a lot harder to do as it is often dealing with systemic issues which need a longer-term solution. The city centre in particular has been hit disproportionately hard through Covid, but the commitment to recovery from all sectors shows that there is a real belief in its future.

The Auckland Council group is doing its part to support the city centre’s recovery. We have mobilised a group of dedicated and passionate people who are leading the charge, ensuring that we are responding quickly to the ‘here and now’ issues while also working together to solve the longer-term challenges. There is a big focus on making the city centre a welcoming and safe place for everyone to enjoy – from people who live, study and work here to our visitors.

Look at any country and the link between their biggest city and the impact and reliance it has on the overall perception of its nation is clear. Auckland is no outlier here – around $5.4b in GDP is generated per square km in the city centre, making it the most efficient economic generator in New Zealand – and it continues to see a steady increase in GDP as it navigates life after lockdowns.

Now in 2022, the Auckland Council trajectory has stayed the course, guided by the exciting vision outlined in the City Centre Masterplan (CCMP

The forward-thinking action being taken is a team effort that takes hard work, innovation and will ensure an exciting city for future generations. One that puts people first and is distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau.

Already so much has been done to transform the city centre over the past decade. Revised outlooks for cities post-Covid are positive but anticipate that the role and function of our city centre expands, with a focus on regeneration, rather than a return to business as usual. This is a time to think hard about what we think our city centre should be, ensuring resilience for the very long term. We see our city centre becoming the cultural, social and economic hub and a leading light for sustainability and climate action. We see the city being able to support, respect and look after those whom the system has not served well.

We see things coming alive seven days per week, we see more mixed-use spaces and a focus on spaces for people from all walks of life to enjoy and relax in, and we see strong communities that support it.

And while the council group is under no illusions that sectors like retail and hospitality are still recovering, the people, businesses, activity and efforts happening now are all helping to shift us forward.

World class performances, festivals and international sports matches are all coming back on the agenda. Recent events including the City of Colour, Matariki and Elemental AKL drew tens of thousands of people into the city centre to celebrate Auckland’s vibrancy, a significant national occasion and the unique culture, creativity and cuisine of Tāmaki Makaurau.

Development is hard to bear while it is underway, but it is a proof point that people believe in the place and are prepared to bring investment to back up that belief. The changes to the city centre over the last decade have been phenomenal – by way of some top line examples:

  • The waterfront has been redeveloped with Te Ngau o Horotiu (our newest ferry terminal), the biggest upgrade to Auckland’s ferry infrastructure and passenger services in over a century.
  • Seemingly floating above the ferry basin is Te Wānanga, the new award-winning downtown public space conceived and co-designed with mana whenua to enhance the waterfront environment and biodiversity by supporting coastal and marine habitats to flourish.
  • Just a stone’s throw away Commercial Bay and Britomart offer world-class retail and dining environments, while interconnections and public transport is constantly improving.

And looking to the future, the City Rail Link, once complete, will allow the rail network to at least double capacity and change the downtown Waitematā Station (Britomart) into a two-way through-station that better connects the city.

These are just some of the changes obvious around the city – and while some are welcomed and some simply need to be tolerated with the vision in mind while the works complete, the central takeaway is the future is here and things are happening now.

Walk around the city and this is evident.

It’s not perfect, and there is work still underway to ensure we create a place that puts people at the heart, that is a greener, safer, better connected city centre for everyone. The collective power of Aucklanders is strong and each and every one of us needs to play our part to support this incredible city.

All we need to do is get out and show it some love. After all, it’s in our name.

Written by: Frith Walker is the Head of Placemaking at Eke Panuku and a long term inner city resident

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