If you haven’t managed to visit the sinkhole, you’ll find it buried under a collection of scaffolding and odour-reducing barriers on Saint Georges Bay Road. Amongst the unsightly jungle of protection are many beloved businesses that were promised normality by March but are now grappling with an unconfirmed end date of August, most probably later.
Sachie Nomura, owner of Sachie’s Kitchen, which is located right behind the temporary pumphouse in the middle of St Georges Bay Road, is dealing with it daily.
“They are blocking our kitchen visibility, which has led to our clients having difficulty finding the entrance. By the time this is finished, they will have been in front of our entrance for nearly a year,” Nomura says.
While I credit Watercare for their clear and consistent communication, the hope for shortened timelines or coming in under budget feels, regrettably, like a pipe dream (excuse the pun). Our businesses appreciate it, but it will never trump the desire for it to come to an end.
We recognise construction woes are inevitable and necessary for modernising our neighbourhoods, though they often fall short of expectations. Given the choice, we’d take effective construction and project completion over slick communications any day of the week (although the two are not mutually exclusive).
This brings us to the problem at the heart of it all. When will Auckland leave the funk behind? In 2023, Auckland was ranked the 10th most liveable city in the world and has continually been a hotspot for exciting organisations and industries to emerge. Yet when our infrastructure is on the backburner, our ability to grow starts to diminish.
While I might be the one putting pen to paper, this sentiment is shared by businesses throughout our city.
An example of this is local importer Epicure Trading.
“Our business has been completely cut off by the bypass pipes. Access via side streets is not sufficient for deliveries, even the couriers have struggled. On one occasion, a delivery vehicle had to park in Parnell Road and transfer pallets manually to a smaller truck, who then ferried them down in several loads,” founder Catherine Bell tells me.
There’s no doubt the infrastructural slump we’re in is having an impact: even our very own council is aware. There is a desire to get ahead, to make the most of the opportunities we are presented with.
As we reflect on our aspirations for the city, it becomes evident that one of the few areas of sanctity Watercare has provided our community - clear and collaborative communication - lies in stark contrast with reality.
Despite the wealth of amazing ideas to improve our largest city for businesses and residents alike, the dialogue between us and those making impactful decisions often lacks the very clarity and collaborative spirit we value.
Our communities know themselves best and when consulted in meaningful ways, we know we can drive better results. To me, it feels like an afterthought that the council is deemed one of the few entities that has a vested interest in our communities. Our businesses are also a part of that ecosystem and want to see economic prosperity return, for everyone’s benefit.
It’s time we drop the funk. Our communities and businesses know they can do better and have the incentive to get things done. The sooner the sinkhole is sorted out, the better, because its foul stench lingers all too obviously as a symbol of everything that’s wrong with our amazing city.
- Cheryl Adamson, general manager of the Parnell Business Association.
