Waiapu Precinct

2022-2027

Onehunga
In Progress

Creating better connections in Onehunga.

The Waiapu Precinct project aims to support local businesses and ensure a thriving town centre.

Integrated with the Te Pumanawa o Onehunga precinct immediately to the south and the Dress Smart precinct to the east, Waiapu is a key precinct area in the middle of Onehunga’s town centre.

The Precinct will be transformed to provide a more inviting and pedestrian-friendly town centre area for Onehunga. The transformation for this area will see new green spaces, a public plaza, a family play space, and safer walking connections. The precinct will see residential housing developments blocks for providing new homes, along with a new supermarket, with changes to parking and the road layout in the area as a result.

Play

Back in 2020, we asked the local community for their ideas and views on how to transform council land in the Waiapu Precinct. This feedback helped shape the concept design that we then consulted on in early 2024. The Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board then subsequently approved the design, enabling us to work towards the construction phase.

To ensure Onehunga’s rich history, natural treasures and strong community identity is visually celebrated in the Precinct’s development we have partnered with mana whenua on a newly designed precinct that includes:

A family play space that catering for all ages, abilities, and preferences.
A new sheltered public pavilion.
Planting to complement existing trees, offering adequate shade in summer.
Improved walking connections between the Woolworths supermarket, Onehunga Mall, and Paynes Lane through to Dress Smart.
Improved walking connections from Onehunga Primary School to the Onehunga Library.
Changed car parking, which will be phased to occur over a staggered period of time.

New supermarket
In late 2024, Woolworths entered into a conditional agreement with Eke Panuku to bring a state-of-the-art supermarket to the Onehunga town centre, as part of the regeneration of the Waiapu Precinct.

The store will be much larger than the current store and will offer the full Woolworths product range. The new store will include an undercover car park, Direct to Boot facility for picking up online orders, and a small number of retail tenancies to further add to the community amenities. They anticipate that the new store will bring at least 30 new jobs to the area.

The Trident Tavern, which on the site of the new supermarket, will be deconstructed in late 2024 as plans for the new supermarket progress. The Tavern is home to some special rugby league jerseys and Woolworths are proud to be preserving the collection and will be looking to incorporate them into the new store.

Consultation summary 2024

We received a total of 201 survey forms with 97% submitted by individuals and 3% by businesses/organisations.

We analysed and categorized the feedback gathered into the following key themes which will be considered by the Design Team in the next stage of design:

Play
Safety and security
Amenities
Access and Parking
Trees and planting
Unwelcoming space due to maintenance and cleanliness issues
Social problems and antisocial behaviour within the Precinct

Other themes raised that are not part of this project and will be considered in future projects or require wider discussions with other agencies include:

Safety concerns at the intersection of Arthur St and Selwyn St: This concern has been raised with Auckland Transport, who are currently investigating possible solutions to improve this intersection.
Social problems and antisocial behaviour within the wider town centre: Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Report (CPTED) is part of the design. Long-term solutions for these issues require a collaborative approach across government agencies, council family, community groups, and the community.

Waiapu Precinct Public Consultation Feedback Report (1.09 MB) (pdf)

Consultation summary 2020

In the 2020 community consultation, we collected feedback on key themes such as:

Improved safety
Better connectivity
More green space
Car parking
Quality housing
An upgraded supermarket.

Based on this feedback, we created plans which address these themes alongside private investment such as:

The Dress Smart retail expansion
A proposed new and much larger supermarket which will ensure a diverse range of retail options for locals.

Construction timings

The project will begin in 2025 and take a number of years to complete. The Precinct will be constructed in stages to minimise disruption to parking during that time.

Waiapu Precinct - Early indicative Construction phasing

Q & A

How long will these changes take?

The project construction will be staged to occur over the next five-plus years. Initially the works will be focused on infrastructure ground works, which will require the temporary removal of some parking, and the construction of the play space. There will then be changes to the roading layout which will also see changes to car parking. The last stage will be around the five potential development sites for new homes within the precinct, subject to market demand.

Do you own all the land shown in these plans?

Eke Panuku, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport own most of the land in the Waiapu Precinct block bounded by Arthur Street, Selwyn Street, Church Street and Onehunga Mall. The masterplan, which guides the development of the precinct, requires some future property acquisitions to support the development plan. The owners of these properties are aware of the desired acquisition and are part of this process.

What’s happening to the Enchanted Forest mini golf?

The Enchanted Forest is a commercial business operating on a site leased from Auckland Council. The tenant is aware that the site is planned for future development and have been kept them informed of the proposed timing of the future redevelopment of the site.

Why are you bringing more housing to the town centre?

For Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to meet its housing challenges, more housing is needed closer to the things people want and need, like shops, cafés, schools, and transport options. Onehunga has good access to existing services and public transport networks and can grow ‘upwards’ to make the best use of this existing infrastructure and great town centre location. More people living in the town centre will also create more activity for local businesses that isn’t dependent on car parking availability.

Why is the car parking changing?

Car parking will remain an important part of how people access the precinct and the wider town centre, but to enable the transformation of the area into a safer, more welcoming space for people, there will have to be some changes. The changes are necessary to accommodate the new supermarket and to provide more convenient access for visitors to local businesses on Onehunga Mall and the library.

As part of the precinct development, we’re working closely with a supermarket operator on a new supermarket development which will provide underground car parks for supermarket customers. By moving these car parks under the supermarket, it will allow for space for the creation of public green spaces and improved walking connections. Public car parks in the area will still be retained in lesser numbers, with a focus on mobility car parks and loading zone parking.