Sea+City Projects, Auckland, New Zealand

Sea+City Projects Ltd board » Introducing Dame Jenny Gibbs

Jenny Gibbs wants to be able to bring her four grandchildren down to play at Wynyard Quarter in future, while she sits in a café nearby enjoying a coffee and watching the world go by. That is why the significant donor to many educational and arts organisations was prepared to be a Sea+City board member.

Immediately before the Sea+City board position came up she had just finished serving on the University of Auckland Council for 24 years and thought she might have a break. But then, she says, she realised that she cares too much about what happens in Wynyard Quarter and across Auckland in terms of urban design, to not be involved.

"I'm probably a frustrated architect," she laughs. "But we've done so many poor developments in Auckland and this is a chance to get it right and do a really quality development, and that's exactly what I think we're achieving. In fact, I think it should be a model for the rest of the waterfront."

"I think we've employed some really quality people, and it's been important to start with the public spaces and get those right so that the buildings and everything else fits around that. It was a courageous move to widen the promenade on the water side of North Wharf. It's a very people-friendly design with the ability to open up either side of the building depending on which way the wind is coming from, and the overhangs protect people from getting wet."

Dame Jenny, who was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the arts in March, is not surprisingly keen to see the most made of cultural activities in Wynyard Quarter. "Of course I would love to see a contemporary art space or theatre, but we need to make sure we are catering for everyone, so it might be that we have a Rialto-style cinema down here first. And I hope we will have some wonderful outdoor sculptures."

She is also looking forward to changes in Auckland's governance, which she hopes will bring about better co-ordination on the waterfront and open up even more of it for everyone to enjoy. Together with changes to the Resource Management Act it means it will be easier to get North Wharf, Silo Park and the other public areas of Jellicoe Street finished in time for the RWC 2011.

Dame Jenny is a firm believer that the key to Wynyard Quarter's success is giving people a reason to come down here, a vision that is shared by the rest of the board. Creating a safe space for everyone to come and enjoy in future is one of the things she tries to impress on people she meets who do not know much about that area, apart from the fact that it is currently covered in storage tanks. They generally have no idea that the Sea+City project area is as large as 18ha.

While Dame Jenny is most well known these days for her work with and support of the arts, in previous times she has had many roles that were particularly family focused. For example she has been president of Playcentre, and worked with the Family Planning Association running pre-release programmes in prisons and sex education in schools. Her work on the Sea+City board and emphasis on creating a place for everyone to enjoy reflects her own values.

"Community and family are very important, they're the focus of life really."