Downtown Auckland’s transformation continues with new mixed-use precinct

The precinct will include premium commercial, retail and hospitality offerings, drawing thousands of workers and visitors to the area every day. It will also include hundreds of new homes, growing the city centre’s stature as an urban neighbourhood that tens of thousands of Aucklanders already call home.

At ground level, the precinct will feature expansive public laneways and spacious internal courtyards, seamlessly connecting to Britomart (through Commercial Bay) and the Viaduct. This will complete the downtown laneway network as envisioned in the City Centre Masterplan, with more opportunities to connect with midtown in the future.

The redevelopment of the site will deliver on a number of key outcomes identified in the City Centre Masterplan by Auckland Council. These include more transit-oriented development and greater unity between the city centre and waterfront (called the “harbour edge stitch”), public realm improvements and the development of new mixed-use destinations.

Classified as earthquake-prone, the existing car park will require between $20m-$30m to remediate in the coming years, on a structure that is now for the most part 55 years old. The car park is also under-used.

By leveraging the already significant investment in the city centre through the Auckland Council group, central government and private sector, the redevelopment of the site will contribute significantly to the creation of a vibrant, exciting, and environmentally sustainable waterfront that is a thriving residential and employment centre and a world-class place to live, work, visit and do business.

With growing demand for high quality office space in Auckland’s city centre, more commercial floorspace will be a welcome addition to New Zealand’s most important economic hub.  It will allow enterprising businesses to locate themselves in close proximity to the best talent and best complementary businesses in the country.

Construction is not expected to start until 2026 at the earliest, with the car park operating as normal until then.

Eke Panuku Chair Paul Majurey is excited by the contribution developments like this will make to the city: “This agreement represents significant value for Auckland Council and Aucklanders. Eke Panuku applauds the vision of Precinct and its partner Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei for this site.  The commitment to the shared vision of a prosperous, sustainable city centre is evident in the design and echoes what Precinct have already delivered at Commercial Bay.

“Eke Panuku has been leading the way in delivering a rejuvenated waterfront in Wynyard Quarter, driven by the recognition and acknowledgement of the waterfront and Waitematā Harbour as ancestral taonga and significant cultural landscapes for mana whenua.

“Now we can put the next piece of the puzzle in place, as we reconnect the city centre to our waterfront in downtown Tāmaki Makaurau. Along with other ambitious city-shaping projects like Te Ara Tukutuku, and reconnecting the public to the port land, our city has an exciting future.”