A vibrant new civic space, Te Rimutahi, has opened on Ponsonby Road – offering locals, workers, and visitors a place to relax, gather, and enjoy the outdoors.
“Te Rimutahi represents not only a significant milestone in urban development but also the culmination of years of community input, collaboration, and vision,” says Waitematā Local Board chair Genevieve Sage.
Gifted its name by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Rimutahi refers to the lone rimu tree which once stood where Ponsonby Road and Karangahape Road meet. A pou inspired by the rimu has been created in the new space as a symbol of its namesake, connecting the present to the past.
Features of the new space include a grassy area for games and picnics, a refurbished toilet block, and an accessible pathway with gardens.
There’s also a covered ‘urban canopy’ area with hardwood floors, offering shelter from the elements and ideal for activities like yoga, dancing and community events.
Find out more about organising activities and events in public spaces.
A vision brought to life
The creation of the space has been decades in the making. In 2000, the Ponsonby Open Space Study, commissioned by Auckland City Council, identified the need for more accessible reserves in the densely populated Ponsonby area.
It recommended creating a civic space to provide a public area for rest, gathering, and community interaction.
Six years later, Western Bays Community Board secured the location at 254 Ponsonby Road, once home to a retail store.
After the birth of the ‘super city’ in 2010, Waitematā Local Board took on the project.
Public consultation showed overwhelming support for redeveloping the entire site to be used as a public space, and a community led design process started in 2015, giving locals the opportunity to have input into the project.
After years of planning and development, the long-awaited civic space Te Rimutahi opened in May 2025, offering a welcoming environment for everyone.
“This project would not have been possible without the collective efforts of so many individuals and groups. I am incredibly grateful to the community members, community-led design group, planners, architects, construction teams, council staff, and mana whenua, who have worked tirelessly to bring this vision to life,” says Genevieve.
| Keen to be in the driver's seat and steer some of this progress for Auckland? Stand for council in Auckland's Local Elections 2025. Nominations open 4 July 2025 and close 1 August 2025, midday. If you'd like to learn more about what's involved in standing, visit voteauckland.co.nz/beacandidate |
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