Once the heart of each town and city, New Zealand’s high streets have had to overcome many challenges over the years, including the advent of big malls, the rise in online shopping and in working from home, cost of living and inflation. Around the country, NZME reporters set out
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Future of Rotorua CBD: Toyworld returns after 11-year absence in show of support
By Fayzah Mohamed
Rotorua Daily Post·
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The return of a national retailer after 11 years is a show of support for the CBD, the store's owner says. Photo / Andrew Warner
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On Auckland’s Queen St, the proposal to close flagship department store Smith & Caughey’s is seen as summing up the retail landscape, an NZME report found. Wellington’s David Jones closed on Lambton Quay in 2022 and now the city is bracing for a plan to remove private vehicles from the Golden Mile.
‘Make Rotorua great again’
New Toyworld owner Chris Fleming told the Rotorua Daily Post bringing the brand back was a positive move.
“Rotorua has experienced significant challenges over the past few years, but we see the opportunity to add an iconic brand back into the heart of the city as something that is good for business. We hope to support other stores in the CBD and add to the revitalisation of Rotorua.
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“Rotorua has some amazing facilities and we need to show that together we can make Rotorua great again.”
Fleming said there was a “very clear gap in the market with no specialty toy stores in Rotorua”.
“We wanted to be established in time for the Christmas season, which is rapidly approaching.”
Fleming and his wife own Paper Plus and Toyworld in Te Awamutu and Paper Plus in the Rotorua Central Mall.
“When we purchased the Paper Plus business it was always our intention to bring Toyworld back to Rotorua.”
The business previously operated as Martin’s Toyworld on Eruera St, but it closed when the family who ran the business sold the building in 2013 following the death of owner Deryck Hintz.
Bayleys Rotorua salesman Mark Rendell told the Daily Post at the time the building was up for sale that Rotorua had seen a marked change in shopping habits over the past decade.
‘Convenience shopping’
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Steiners, Interiors by Reputation owner Mike Steiner said the continuous change in the CBD over the years reflected people’s evolving social habits, needs and perspectives.
He said 25 years ago, the majority of leisure time used to be spent shopping but that was no longer the case.
“Now it is much more convenience shopping and the attraction of warm days, convenient locations such as malls, and destination locations.”
Steiner said it was a struggle for retail, especially those in the more selective high-end market, as Rotorua had a high percentage of a low socioeconomic population and that the changes Rotorua Lakes Council had been implementing were, in his view, “insufficient to retain existing business or attract new”.
Steiner suggested a way to improve the CBD would be to build more residential housing in the city.
“Inner city dwellings need to be encouraged and established. Grow our economic base and population base and strive to regain our pride and mana.”
Ongoing improvements
Council group manager community and district development Jean-Paul Gaston said the council had been developing and revitalising the CBD over the years.
“Changes to date have been of benefit in terms of refreshing and reinvigorating the CBD and providing opportunities for businesses and investors.
“During the past two years we have worked on foundational work to help guide further development and revitalisation of our CBD, including working with mana whenua and Te Arawa on cultural foundations to inform the future form of our inner city.”
Gaston said the CBD had a large footprint that created both new opportunities and challenges. The council looked forward to working with the community on the next iteration of the CBD.
“We look forward to input from people like Mr Steiner into the master plan that will be developed with the aim of making improvements and providing opportunities that will keep people in business and help attract new business and investment.”
Crime tracking down
Local Democracy Reporting reported in June crime had been tracking downwards in the CBD since its City Community Safety Hub was opened last year following public after-school attacks on teen girls near a CBD bus stop.
Rotorua area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika told a council committee tresspass was down by 39%, property damage by 37%, drug and antisocial offences by 24%, dishonesty by 14% and violence by 26%.
“I think it’s a good start for us, it’s a positive start,” Ngawhika said in the meeting.
Mayor Tania Tapsell told the Daily Post for this article the “rapid reduction” was because of collaboration between the council, police “and others working together to improve community safety”.
”We see this as a great start towards revitalising our inner city and continuing to build confidence for our businesses, community, and our many visitors who are returning.”
Still a way to go
Honey Comb salon owner Sarah Pearson, said people were not coming into town as much anymore because of financial reasons and the CBD was seen as more of a service area.
“When people don’t have that spare cash, they have to cut things out. That self-care, those little luxuries that people have, they don’t spend it – even coffee, I mean, people just don’t have that when they’ve got bills to pay and children to feed.
“Most of our town is a service town in a sense, the tourists love it but you know you can now get a massage, sushi, you can get your husband’s haircut, your haircut and get your nails done on every single street in Rotorua. Let’s have a few different shops.”
Pearson said although Rotorua needed more businesses, it was a tough time to start when some were “hanging on by a limb”.
Pearson said issues such as antisocial behaviour and trolleys on footpaths - which have caused damage to her shop windows - needed to be addressed.
“It just is ridiculous but they’re causing damage, they make the town look so untidy, our town is beautiful.”
Pearson said that in the next 10 years, if Rotorua CBD made good use of its cultural roots, and implemented ideas such as having an open roof bus, installed speed cameras and cracked down on anti-social behaviour, Rotorua’s image could be restored. ”.
Attracting and keeping tenants
Bayleys Realty Group commercial and industrial agent in Rotorua Mark Slade said some businesses within the CBD were finding trading “tough going”, holding tight or considering relocating to either a smaller or more economical space.
“Tenants are always looking to gain the best position and quality of space, at the right price for their business and there is often a lack of supply of quality space with a good New Build Standard and off-street parking available.
“We have also noticed recent investment by Kāinga Ora into the residential property market has increased demand for quality space from the wrap-around and support service sector.”
He said the “gap between C grade to A grade office available” presented an opportunity for landlords to invest in upgrading office spaces, which would appeal to tenants.
Plans in motion
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard said plans were in motion to help improve the CBD.
“The Business Chamber has a major plan for some really positive changes that will shift the CBD paradigm in the right direction,” Heard said.
He was not ready to share those just yet.
Fayzah Mohamed is an Auckland University of Technology student.
Clarification
This story has been amended to clarify council comments regarding CBD revitalisation, including that this work has been ongoing for years with specific foundational work over the past two years.