Tāmaki Makaurau - how far you've come
Auckland Council and Eke Panuku have released a video highlighting how far the city centre has come in its planned 20-year transformation.
They says the video shows how the delivery of the City Centre Masterplan is proving to be much more than the sum of its parts.
It provides perspective on why these 4.3 square kilometres of Auckland play a pivotal role in the economic health of New Zealand.
The name Te Wānanga was provided by mana whenua as part of the design partnership between Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and mana whenua.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says the video shows an efficient, connected, vibrant, liveable city centre, primed for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
“Central Auckland has undergone a massive transformation over the past decade—and there is much more to come,” he says.
“The Wynyard Quarter, once an industrial area mostly closed to the public, is now a stunning public space with parks and attractions, new apartments and spaces for people to walk and enjoy the views over the Waitematā.
Wynyard Quarter was developed in time for the Rugby World Cup hosted in Auckland in 2011.
“Nearby, new spaces such as Te Komititanga, the public square outside Britomart; Te Wānanga, the stunning coastal shelf over the Waitematā; the new ferry terminal; and the upgraded and pedestrianised Quay Street have helped create a downtown waterfront that is vibrant, attractive and accessible,” he says.
“And this is just the start. We are extending our successful waterfront vision through the city centre, transforming areas such as Queen Street and Aotea to match the vibrancy and accessibility of our downtown precinct. The City Rail Link when open will make it much easier to get into and around central Auckland, spurring new development and investment and further increasing the vitality of our city centre.
Mana whenua bless mahi toi in June as the revamped Karangahape Road was opened.
“Auckland has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are continuing our investment to make our city centre a fantastic place for Aucklanders to enjoy and—once our borders reopen—a global and national destination for tourism, business and investment, arts and culture and much more.”
In March 2020, before the shock of COVID-19, an Infometrics chart showed Auckland’s city centre accounted for 7.1 per cent of New Zealand’s GDP.
Annual economic growth in the city centre was 5.3 per cent compared with 2.8 per cent in the national economy, averaged over the previous decade.
That economic growth has been hit hard by multiple lockdowns, with Marketview data indicating the decline in spending could be as high as 90 per cent in Alert Level 4 and 85 per cent in the earlier form of Alert Level 3 in the city centre.
Freyburg Place in Midtown Auckland.
Fiona Knox, Eke Panuku Priority Location Director, Waterfront says: “Over the coming years the development of the Wynyard Quarter will continue to take shape. What has been achieved over the past 10 years is impressive and has been well received by locals and visitors alike, but we’re not finished yet.
“Eke Panuku and our partners will continue to work hard to transform Wynyard Point into one of the most beautiful parks in Tāmaki Makaurau, one which is uniquely perched on the edge of Te Waitematā. Mana whenua culture will be woven into the fabric of our future development, and we will continue to create an accessible, people friendly waterfront for all to enjoy.”
