A motion by member Sarah Trotman to open WLB workshops to public viewing was successful. Resolution.
The public will now be able to watch workshops online, to be reviewed in 6 months.
This proposal has always drawn differing opinions, but opening was supported by the Ombudsman, and has already been introduced by some other local boards.
Let's give it a go.
Waitematā Local Board Offices
If you are looking for these then don't bother, yet.
We still await a decision where our Local Board offices will be located.
Every LB in Auckland has a physical location - for obvious and sound democratic reasons - somewhere where the public can go and get information, and arrange to speak to or engage with their elected representatives.
And where board members can gather and engage with each other, and develop relationships via collegial mahi.
Our Local Board holds its public meetings in this Town Hall Council Chamber, under the royal gaze.
CCRG and CAAH will be presenting during public deputations, on our joint work to reasonably manage alcohol harm in the city centre (via the alcohol licensing process under the Sale of Liquor Act).
The misuse of alcohol continues its long history of being by far, the single biggest cause of crime, destruction, violence, and anti social behaviour.
Paearu Tohutohu mō te Pokapū Tāone
The 29 April panel (CCAP) meeting has some important items incorporating CCRG advocacy to ensure we maximise the residential potential of the City Centre Masterplan, and the 2023 Action Plan (especially Focus Area# 3 - Supporting Residents).
This meeting is open to the public.
Meeting Info, Agendas and Minutes found HERE
More City Centre Goodness Incoming? Downtown West, urban realm and transport outcomes
'Downtown West', with the 1990 Lower Hobson Street flyover gone, and up to 7,000 people in the new Precinct towers (where the downtown carpark is now), and in the surrounding streets - Lower Hobson, & Sturdee Streets, we have the opportunity to reshape this area.
A significant new bit of city centre-building has popped up quite suddenly, and moved along very quickly as far as these things usually go.
One thing high on the list is to reduce the amount of impermeable surfaces - more water absorbing trees, rain gardens, cooling, and shading, are needed.
(This area is an overland water route, if not a floodplain).
See this local article on 'Connecting with nature in the city' -
How to increase our urban ngahere, create more green spaces and make our neighbourhoods more resilient.
CCRG have asked for public amenities such as toilets, one of the basic elements of a functioning and civil community, to support all the extra people and current (let alone future) Night Time Activities.
We also hope that this project might encourage the start of some placemaking and amenity for the northern ends of Hobson and Nelson Streets.
While we struggle with even more bus layover activity, this is all in all an excellent city-building project that supports residents/people and the changes coming with the precinct development, implements the CCMP, and provides a much nicer streetscape experience all around (buses notwithstanding)
This article by City Centre Advisory Panel Deputy Chair Patrick Reynolds, dives into a whole range of very positive metrics, from GDP, employment, and productivity growth, to the success of our repurposed streets and other urban renewal projects - in line with city centre masterplanning.
These 'things' have great benefits for residents and really do bring everybody else to our yard.
Despite the challenges of the last few years, the reasons that people want to live here have not changed much at all. Cities are always centres of life, activity, diversity, arts, experience, convenience and much more.
There's still more work to be done on supporting residents, and this has been flagged in the newly minted city centre action plan.
And what's good for residents here, is good for the city centre.
Get on with the CCMP and A4E, and push on with the next round of City Centre Masterplan project planning
As the nights grow longer, we get more chances to see some of the lighting installations both permanent or temporary, in our city centre streets and other public spaces.
Thanks to some great mahi with talented artists and engineers, our city centre comes to life throughout the year with beautiful pieces of art. They not only illuminate our streets, but also tell stories about places, giving us all a boost of fun and pleasure.
Aotea Square/Queen Street from the irrepressible imagination of Chris Dews.
The Vision
'The air is fresh and the sound is clear. This is what our city demands, if we want to belong here.
At the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau is an avian paradise accessible within 20mins of the super city. With fresh water flowing from the Waihorotiu springs down queen street, locals harvest fresh fruit and vege from its surrounding gardens. The landscape creates a synergy between all classes under an umbrella of flora and fauna.'
This would work once the CRL is in place.
Waihorotiu out in the daylight, and wonderful public spaces for all of us to enjoy and families would just love it.
Just imagine how many people would visit our city centre if it looked like Chris Dews pictures – thousands, and how good would that be for the local hospitality industry.
And on this positive run, some musings from ....
The year is 2074, and I am 74 years old. I must be getting sentimental in my old age since last night I dreamt of my grandfather explaining how much Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland changed over his lifetime.
We are very much looking forward to what the census data has to say about the city centre. Lots of city centre residents helped out this time, getting the best result possible for us.
What has changed since the last census?
From 29 May, the first lot of 2023 Census data is coming our way Including:
age data
ethnicity data
resident population & count of dwellings
data on Mãori descent.
There is still much more to come after that, including more in-depth ethnicity and age data.
In 2023, the Wynyard Quarter Neighbours’ Forum discussed a vision for the Wynyard Point – Te Ara Tukutuku project.
Feedback was received via the forum and a number of other channels.
The key things people are keen to experience there are:
Places to swim, jump into, and engage with the sea.
Spaces for reading a book, quiet reflection, being in nature.
Involvement of community organisations, schools and universities in a diverse range of educational and research programmes about restoration of the land and marine environment.
Caring for the space, including involvement by volunteers to be ambassadors and custodians.
Walking and cycling paths.
Trees to support birdlife.
An enhanced marine environment, through improving water quality, creating a marine reserve around the headland or promoting the growth of seaweed species.
(And no, there is no desire for a stadium in this location, so that can be taken and stuck, hmmm, maybe by using a few holes on a golf course somewhere?)
Volute Repairs Do you know your volute from your echinus, or abacus?
ImageGo to Limeworks Instagram for this and their other projects, many in the city centre as you might expect for this type of work.
The Volutes are being repaired on the Town Hall/Hōro ā-Tāone.
Water and wind can erode even the strongest stone, and a couple of the volutes, at the top of the columns, were heavily damaged.
How to repair something like this?
Limeworks, doing the work, are also working on the Kenneth Myers centre on Shortland Street
K Road
For all things wired and wonderfully K Road, (including Events like 1st Thursdays) head to the KBA Website.
Getting the street and spaces around the CRL stations on K Rd ready for CRL
As the CRL stations and entrances take shape, 'Project K' is getting some of the nearby streets ready for CRL opening, (K Rd, Beresford st, Pitt St, Mercury Lane, Cross and Canada Streets).
Community workshops have taken place.
Read the SUMMARY of those.
There is a Community Group, you can JOIN if you wish to be updated and provide input into this project.
2.5 Years to deliver....
The Nelson, Hobson, & Fanshawe Streets 'Safety' Project
H&S thinking - signs on the road and to the side reminding drivers to slow down.
This (Nelson St in the image) multi-year 'safety' project delivered almost no safety or other improvements for residents on these streets. Or none that have been revealed.
Hobson, & Nelson streets - the densest residential streets in AoNZ. With some of the worst air quality, noise, speeding, red light running, and footpaths in the city centre.
So there was understandably, quite a bit of excitement when AT committed to at least improving the safety for anyone not in a vehicle, on these 7-8 lane on/off ramps to the motorway system.
The project teased - narrowed intersections, raised pedestrian crossings, red light and speed cameras, Mid section pedestrian crossings.
There was much hope and optimism.
What did we get?
Some paint and signs asking drivers to slow down. (Don't forget the 'monitoring & evaluation' -ed)
The classic example of a project - dragged out, worn down, 'value engineered', 'de-scoped', vanish the coms, & voilà - project (almost) disappeared.
And the many 1000's of residents living on Hobson/Nelson & Fanshawe Streets, once again placed at the bottom of the safety, street amenity, and liveability list.
It is almost as if there have been no rates collected in this area, over the last 20-30 years, that could help with some meaningful improvements.
You'd have to question the value of time, money (approx $1 million) & effort spent for everyone.
But especially for those local residents who thought they were helping to make a difference in their neighbourhood.
As we head towards a population of 2 million, what's the long term big city vision for getting around?
Here is one person's musings, using existing infrastructure with only minor alterations (except for a few pie-in-the-sky dreams).
A better place for (expanded) Regional Bus services? And inter city trains? Perhaps underneath a new stadium even...
A physical link between Aotea Square and Myers Park was proposed in the early 1970. And was one of the main reasons the Council purchased the Salvation Army Congress Hall (demolished in 1990 to create the current surface car park).
Despite the construction of the underground Civic carpark this space has continued to be used for open air parking.
The recently completed renewal of the northern end of Myers Park – including boardwalk, wetland gardens, a new stairway and Art installation Waimhara, make that space much more attractive.
Now we need to do something about the off-putting desert of the carpark between Myers Park and Aotea Square.
It certainly is not the best use of such a pivotal location.
With Watercare works due to take up to half of the carpark for 2.5 years, now is the time to develop plans for this area post-works. Plans that support the life of the nearby theatres, and the revitalisation of the Aotea Arts quarter as a whole.
While we work on getting better waste minimisation and management outcomes for the city centre (including a recycling, reuse, refurbish centre or two), this (monthly) initiative is underway. Next is 12 May.
Could it be because it costs $1,640 per annum to rent per10 sqm of outdoor space here? (plus a ‘base annual fee’ of $426), compared to $980 per annum, per sqm in other areas.
We agree with HotCity's comments in their LTP feedback:
Outdoor dining contributes to overall vibrancy in town centres and should be encouraged and enabled. With the understanding that these costs are largely based on ‘cost recovery’ for
council, and when taking into consideration rates for other equivalent areas, HOTC does not consider the current charging regime for city centre businesses to be fair or equitable.
This isn’t the only reason Queen Street doesn’t have any outdoor dining but it is a factor.
How different might it be if we encouraged street dining in the city centre? (perhaps with some provisos around outdoor speakers!)
Meanwhile, NYC is building permanent outdoor dining structures.
One of the most cost effective ways cafés and restuarants can increase their covers is to occupy public space such as parking spaces.
Introducing...
....the NZ modular parklet, with the ability to be used on slopes in a terraced form - ingenious!
Great for the City Centre - how about for the Emily Place and Nelson St sliplane projects so residents can give them a bit of a try out.
The City Rail Link emerges from below
Albert & Kingston Streets street reinstatement progress.
We know that a few Albert and adjacent streets apartment buildings will be very much looking forward to seeing the end of the works in their street. 📸 Shaun Baker
For CRL happenings there is of course the CRL WEBSITE with all the official info, and some fun drone footage.
Another very good look at the progress of these stations, the streetscape improvements supporting these stations, and the opportunities developing around these projects (with completion dates), is via Shaun Baker's blog The City Rail Link emerges from below.
Night time repair work near The Civic
Wellesley Street Bus Improvement project begins
Making our city centre safer
What to expect in your midtown streets
Events in May:
Africa Month in midtown
Freyberg Square Markets & Africa drumbeats on Friday 3 May at Ellen Melville Centre hosts
Music Month in midtown Midtown Street Party. Thursday 16 May, 6-9pm - Acoustic performances in Elliot Stables, DJs & local hip hop stars will perform on Elliot Street.
Supported by Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate.
Did you snap up any of these beauties at the Aotearoa Art Fair?
📸 CCRG
Maybe now gracing your balcony?
CHRIS BAILEY 2023 Ka Mua, Ka Muri
More news for Residents from our co-conspirators in verticality.
Check out the VV's refresh.
In this issue:
Introducing: Antony Phillips - new VV Editor
City Mission Foodtogether weekly Fruit and Vege Pop-Up
Wynyard Crossing Bridge: Update 😱
Waitematā Local Board, Quick Response Grant
If You Know - Installation by Margaret Lewis
Recipe of the month (from the family recipe books)
