That’s a lot of money, no doubt about it.
John Robson, one of the city councillors discharged from duty in 2020, described the figures at the meeting as “frightening” and “an enormous burden on our taxpayers”.
In response, Edward Guy, who manages independent advisory company Rationale, said the precinct could attract two million visitors by 2035.
“It’s not all about economics,’ he told the meeting.
As a ratepayer, I’m firmly on Guy’s side on this one. Nothing is ever all about economics. It plays a big role, sure, but there’s always more to it than that.
Look at Tauranga’s city centre. Have you been there recently? I was there at the weekend.
It’s grim, I tell you. Grim.
I intended to visit four specific stores, two of which are only in the CBD. The first two didn’t have what I was looking for, the third had moved to Greerton, and the fourth I avoided because of an intimidating-looking homeless person lurking outside.
I did stop off at the library, though. That was nice.
I spent an hour or so traipsing up and down the empty streets with an intention to spend money and all I walked home with were some borrowed library books.
Why is that? It’s partly economics, sure. From what I hear, city centre rents ain’t cheap. And when customers aren’t coming to town, rents can’t be paid and businesses leave. No demand, supply drops. Basic economics, right?
But there’s more to it than that. Why aren’t customers coming in the first place and how can we bring them back?
I reckon a lot of what makes a CBD attractive comes down to more intangible things such as the “feel” of the place.
To me, Tauranga doesn’t “feel” overly welcoming or attractive. It doesn’t “feel” like somewhere you want to spend a few hours. It doesn’t “feel” like a destination.
It has a few gems, but I’d go as far as saying the city centre, as a whole, “feels” bland. Beige. Uninteresting.
Contrast that with neighbouring city Rotorua.
Rotorua’s CBD is somewhere that I think has a real “feel” to it.
It “feels” touristy, but it also “feels” real Kiwi. The city is ringed by beautiful parks and a wonderful mix of both free and user-pays activities, all within easy walking distance.
It also has its iconic buildings (the museum, the information centre, and the Blue Baths among the most notable), points of interest and heritage like the Prince’s Gate Archway and the Government Gardens, and many visible elements of Māori culture like pou and other carvings woven naturally throughout without feeling token.
Rotorua “feels” like an interesting city centre. There’s stuff to look at, stuff to do. You can happily spend a few hours there.
What does all this have to do with the civic precinct, you say? I’m glad you asked.
As Tauranga City commissioner Stephen Selwood said at this week’s meeting, the city is suffering from a legacy of indecision, “the legacy of not being prepared [to invest in the CBD], to always look at the costs and not to consider the wider benefits”.
In my opinion, the Tauranga City Council organisation has a record of dithering over costs, prizing the economy over value, and sacrificing the needs of the future to placate the present.
The opportunity to build something great at Tauranga’s civic heart is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. If we build something beautiful, attractive, and functional, we have an opportunity to inject a bit of colour, life and “feeling” back into the CBD.
Give it a bit of personality, if you will. Make it interesting. Give people somewhere to hang out and spend time there.
Set the tone for the city’s future.
Attract people back. Attract their money back.
We can’t expect business people to invest in a dying city if its own council doesn’t think is worth investing in.
Robson says if the “right people” (his words, not mine) are elected to the council in the next election that a lot of the plans made by the commissioners would be reversed.
Robson’s use of the word “reversed” strikes a chord with me. Reversing is moving backwards.
I want progress. I want change.
I want a city to enjoy.
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
