Update from the Chief Executive and Project Director, December 2009

It has been a very busy year for us at Sea+City Projects Ltd, and we’re proud of the great progress we’ve made and the people of Auckland’s support of our work towards turning Wynyard Quarter into a truly mixed use area where in the not too distant future, people will be able come down to cafes, restaurants and to shop, or for entertainment and recreation.

In particular, we’ve started the tender invitation process for North Wharf, where buildings are being developed on either side of the existing Red Shed for food and entertainment, alongside the newly-created water’s edge public promenade. Mainzeal is currently working on the site repairing the wharf and building the new seawall. Tender documentation is expected at the end of January, and construction will start as soon as possible after that. People will be able to get their first glimpse of this previously inaccessible part of the waterfront at the Auckland Seafood Festival at Anniversary Weekend. The Red Shed is being used as the entrance to the festival this year, and a display inside will show detailed plans of what it will look like when it is complete, in time for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

The concentration of activity around the Jellicoe Street area is important to establish an early critical mass in Wynyard Quarter and generate significant economic benefits for the region. As well as North Wharf, key aspects to get done early include the interim Te Wero Bridge, the Events Centre, new public spaces centred around Jellicoe Street and Silo Park at the western end of Jellicoe Street. It will be the city’s first true urban park and will provide a unique ‘window’ into the marine industry established on the western edge of the Quarter. Early work on these areas has helped generate interest from businesses looking at locating themselves in Wynyard Quarter, which is very positive.

It is heartening to know that the public are supportive of our design-led approach to the above and Wynyard Quarter’s revitalisation as a whole, which aims to ensure much better integration between public space and amenities and private development sites than has historically been seen in the city. Recent market research by UMR, described in more detail in another story in this newsletter, revealed that more than a third of Aucklanders were aware of plans to revitalise Wynyard Quarter, and once given a basic description of what is planned, 87 per cent were in support. Two thirds of people also thought it was important to get the first phase of the waterfront revitalisation in place before the Rugby World Cup 2011.

The project is gathering momentum, and that will only increase next year. In the meantime, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and will give you another update on the Sea+City Project in March.

John Dalzell
Sea+City Projects Ltd
CE and Project Director