Buyers asked to throw fish market a line

Building works have put people off visiting the fish market (at right of construction area). Photo / Dean Purcell

Fancy a feed of fish? You might want to consider heading for Auckland's waterfront because fish buyers around that way appear to be an endangered species.

Cam Hadlow, Auckland Fish Market owner, said he wanted to let Aucklanders know his venue was still open for business despite a series of unfortunate and unexpected setbacks in the past three months.

Business had halved since mid-May as the recession, winter and construction on surrounding sites all took their toll, Hadlow said.

Standing in the middle of his depopulated retail venue in the Wynyard Quarter just before lunchtime, Hadlow pointed to the multimillion-dollar construction outside the north side of the building on Jellicoe St.

He said services were being laid for new buildings there and the new Viaduct Events Centre was rising as Hawkins Construction moved above the first level of framing.

A series of new bars and that centre were due to be finished for the Rugby World Cup, when Hadlow said he expected thriving trade once more.

But in the meantime he said customers were put off from visiting. Carparking around the site had been cut significantly as construction crews moved in and erected secure fencing, he said.

That had meant people who had a habit of parking on the Jellicoe St side of the fish market now often drove down to the area, saw work crews and a tower crane, found the area barred and simply drove off again, he said.

"Trading in June, July and now August is down, and we're suffering a triple whammy."

Part of Jellicoe St is closed but customers driving to the fish market are offered a temporary carparking site on an asphalted area clearly marked off Madden St. He wants to get a firm message out to Aucklanders that the fish market is still open and trading but in dire need of more customers.

Shane Walsh of Sanford said the Auckland Seafood School, above the fish market, had also been hurt but not as badly. Business was down about 10 per cent, he said.

The school has a 66-seat auditorium and a hands-on kitchen with self-contained cooking stations. All classes begin with a chef demonstrating seafood dishes and classes this month have taught Vietnamese seafood cooking, filleting and barbecuing, Thai and Spanish dishes, and cooking whitebait and chowder.

John Dalzell of Sea+City, in charge of the area's 29ha development, said it was unfortunate venues were suffering but that work crews were doing all they could to minimise disruption. The area had become one big construction zone with both the Viaduct Events Centre and the Jellicoe St works on at once, he said.

Last year, the Big Picture Wine venture opened alongside the fish market. The tourist attraction offers a virtual tour of Auckland's wine region and tastings of the wines.

Dalzell said the area would thrive soon because ASB's new headquarters would be developed alongside the Big Picture Wine building. Then, hundreds of office workers would arrive in the area and were likely to boost the businesses considerably.

Kiwi Income Property Trust entered into a conditional development agreement with ASB, a deal it announced in February, which said the bank had taken an 18-year lease over about 18,000sq m of office space in a building on a 6800sq m site on the corner of Jellicoe St and Halsey St.

A number of property projects are due to be finished in the area ready for the Rugby World Cup. A walking and cycling bridge will link the Viaduct Basin with Wynyard Quarter.

The new Viaduct Events Centre is being built by Hawkins Construction. Jellicoe St's urban landscaping is being upgraded.

THREE BIG VENUES
* Auckland Fish Market, 22 Jellicoe St.
* Auckland Seafood School, above market.
* Big Picture Wine venue alongside.