The vast new Maki Centre, as seen from the top of Costco looking across the park at Westgate on January 28, 2025. Photo / Michael Craig
The vast new Maki Centre, as seen from the top of Costco looking across the park at Westgate on January 28, 2025. Photo / Michael Craig
Auckland’s newest showroom for Tesla is reaching fit-out stage with the main structure completed at what CBRE says is Auckland’s second-largest active retail development under construction after Ikea.
The Elon Musk-led Tesla last year closed its central Auckland showroom and service centre on Karangahape Rd, readyfor its customers to head to the city’s northwestern outskirts.
But now it’s about to open a giant new hub.
CBRE’s definitive summary of Auckland’s largest new developments under way and planned listed Westgate’s Maki Centre as the second-largest retail project in the city after Ikea at Sylvia Park, due to open in this year’s last quarter.
Up close to the new Maki Centre at Westgate, as at January 28, 2025. Photo / Michael Craig
That will be home to what could be Tesla North, given the vehicle business premises in South Auckland has been dubbed Tesla South.
Tesla South is 28,780sq m – or the size of three rugby fields – the Herald’s Chris Keall reported in 2023. It has a showroom, a service centre, a delivery area, an area where cars are prepared before being handed over to customers and a parts warehouse at 147 Kirkbride Rd, Māngere.
Tesla North will open in a large part of the 18,000sq m Maki Centre on the same side of the road as Mitre 10 Mega, opposite New Zealand’s first Costco Wholesale.
The new under-development centre for Tesla and other retailers is directly beside Costco Fuel.
The Maki Centre fronts Maki St, which runs parallel with Gunton Drive and the motorway and has been built between Kakano Rd and Northside Drive.
The area is one of the central spines of the ‘new Westgate’ towards the north where the focus of new development is occurring.
Westgate's new Maki Centre is the new home of Tesla. This shows construction nearing completion on January 28, 2025. Photo / Michael Craig
The Maki Centre is beside Costco Fuel, opposite Costco Wholesale Westgate and near Mitre 10 Mega Westgate.
Mark Gunton’s NZ Retail Property Group built the centre in the large-format retail zone, referring to the area as “a retail precinct”, next to the largest Mega Mitre 10 in New Zealand and an array of specialised stores is under construction.
Plans for the new Tesla Westgate, as shown on NZRPG's site. The store will be near the existing Mega Mitre 10. Photo / NZRPG
Gunton told the Herald this week the Maki Centre was “due for tenant handover end of February”.
Further announcements about further growth would be made soon by Westgate general manager Campbell Barbour, he added.
Barbour said he could discuss little of the Maki Centre, given it was up to the tenants who had leased space to announce their arrivals.
But NZRPG has the Maki Centre’s location as one of its core hubs.
Map shows Westgate and all the businesses out there. Kmart's new location is shaded in blue in Zone 06. Map / supplied by NZ Retail Property Group
“Located on the corner of Kakano Rd and Maki St in Westgate Town Centre, the area is home to a 16,000sq m Mega Mitre 10 store, together with Resene, Dulux, NZ Safety and Stihl. The complex recently welcomed Boulder Co, a climbing gym and Bargain Chemist. Construction is currently under way to bring an additional 21 retail sites,” NZRPG says of the area where the Maki Centre has risen.
The large-format area on an 11ha site will have 30 tenants, 616 carparks and 49,084sq m of buildings when completed.
Westgate's new Maki Centre is on Maki St between Kakano Rd and Northside Dr. Photo / Michael Craig
“The site will welcome a collection of well-known brands, including Baby Bunting, JB Hi-Fi, Hunting and Fishing, Super Cheap Auto and food brands,” NZRPG said.
The new fast-food drive-throughs beside Costco Fuel opened last year for KFC, Carl’s Jr, Taco Bell and Starbucks.
The new drive-through fast food lineup at Westgate. Photo / Dean Purcell
Westgate is a master-planned new town centre 18km from Auckland CBD, 30km from Auckland Airport and 15km from Albany.
Its total potential identified catchment is around 1.6 million people. Annual retail expenditure has been put at $25 billion and eventually new homes will be built, mainly in the form of apartments.
“Construction capacity of around 15,000 homes is currently provided within the direct catchment of Westgate. Population growth within the area of over 80,000 is anticipated by 2048. Currently, 50,000 people live within a 15-minute drive time of Westgate town centre,” NZRPG says.
The Tesla North opening comes at a time of falling global sales.
On January 3, the Herald reported Tesla Inc.’s annual vehicle sales dropped for the first time in more than a decade despite a year-end push that sent deliveries to a record in the fourth quarter.
The company sold 1.79 million vehicles last year, slightly less than what it delivered in 2023 and also below analysts’ consensus estimate.
The Herald has picked Westgate’s continued expansion as one of the biggest stories set to dominate the year.
Continued legal action over Du Val, Ikea’s final-quarter opening at Sylvia Park, build-to-rent developments and the stalled construction of the 57-level giant Seascape tower are other topics tipped for the news agenda.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
