A contentious upgrade of Freyberg Place in central Auckland opens today with mixed opinions about the year-long redevelopment of the civic space.
An Auckland Council media release calls the $11 million project to upgrade Freyberg Place and refurbish the Ellen Melville Hall a "jewel for the city centre".
The new Freyberg Place, named after WWI and WWII war hero Lord Bernard Freyberg, creates a healthy urban place that reflects its environment, geology and history, the media release said.
Mayor Phil Goff said the development was "superb", creating one of the best open spaces in the CBD and preserving the heritage Ellen Melville Centre, built in 1962 and named after Eliza Ellen Melville, the first female city councillor in New Zealand.
"With more than 200,000 people working and studying downtown and 45,000 living here, we need more world-class public spaces and facilities like this," Goff said.