Statistics New Zealand moves Auckland office from Greys Avenue to Queen Street after safety concerns

Stats NZ is moving its office from Greys Avenue to Queen Street following safety concerns from staff. Photo / Jason Oxenham

• Stats NZ confirmed in May it was leaving its Auckland office in Greys Avenue due to staff safety concerns
• The government agency’s now signed a new lease on Queen Street and is set to move in in November
• Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck said there’s been “significant improvement” in the city centre and crime is trending down

Stats NZ will move its Auckland office 800m down the road, after safety concerns and “intimidating behaviour” prompted the government agency to ditch its Greys Avenue site.

In May, the Herald revealed the agency was not going to renew the lease on its Auckland central office space, following staff fears about safety.

The agency also hired a security guard for the Greys Ave building and told staff they could work remotely.

In an update, Stats NZ confirmed in a statement the agency is relocating to 191 Queen St in November in a move “much anticipated by staff”.

The lease for the Greys Ave office expires in December.

An email sent to all staff in early May, seen by the Herald, details safety and comfort levels for workers as a “huge priority”.

The email, sent from the agency’s technology, operations, commercial and collections leader Emma Jones said she was “fully aware of the growing level of incidents in the area and the generally intimidating behaviour”.

“At times it does feel uncomfortable just heading out for sushi at lunch,” the email read, encouraging staff to log any incidents, no matter how small.

In a new statement released this week, Stats NZ did not mention safety in regards to its move.

“The decision to move was about finding a space that was more fit for purpose, where teams can work across one level, with good accessibility and improved access to public transport and amenities.”

“We believe that the new office will be a comfortable environment for our Auckland-based and visiting staff,” the agency added.

When questioned further, the agency said its Greys Ave office was always intended as a temporary solution.

Stats NZ said it wanted to have a single-level floor plan.

“We also wanted somewhere which would be a pleasant environment for our people and was either budget-neutral or a cost saving,” the statement added.

Stats NZ offered all of its staff voluntary redundancy earlier this year in a bid to cut back on its spending and meet savings targets, after revelations it was facing a budget overspend above $10 million.

The department said it was committed to keeping relocation costs as low as possible.

In a statement to NZME in May, after being questioned about the potential move and the safety of workers, the agency confirmed it had received a number of reports from workers “who have felt uncomfortable and even unsafe in the area around our Auckland office”.

Staff have been supported to work from home if necessary.

Stats NZ will not be renewing its lease when it expires at the end of the year. Photo / Michael Craig

80 Greys Avenue, Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig

The new office is located near lower Queen St, close to a number of eateries and shopping sites; it’s also less than 200m from the former One New Zealand store, which was closed due to retail crime in May.

One NZ chief consumer and business officer Chris Fletcher told Markets with Madison at the time there was a massive escalation in incidents, which ranged from customers putting their hands on somebody, to a person “coming in with a knife and cutting through cables to steal a device”.

A month later, beat police teams were rolled out in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch by the Government in a bid to tackle rising crime levels.

Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck welcomed the rollout of the police teams after years of “intense lobbying”.

In the same month as the beat police announcement, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown announced a $60,000 contribution to youth crime prevention organisation Turn Your Life Around Youth Development Trust in a bid to “generate community safety and crime prevention outcomes”.

In an interview with NZME on Stats NZ’s office move and the general state of crime in central Auckland, Beck said crime is trending down, and she was really pleased to see more police out and about.

“I think there’s been significant improvement,” she said, adding it was positive that Stats NZ was staying in the city centre.

Public Service Association assistant secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the union has been involved in determining an appropriate location, and supports the decision.

“If safety issues arise, we will support our members in getting these addressed by Stats NZ,” Fitzsimons said.

Stats NZ said staff had given “overwhelmingly positive” feedback about the move.

“We’ve heard from our people that they are happy with the close proximity to transport options, making travel to and from work safer and easier, and that they will enjoy being in a busier part of town,” the agency said.

“The health and safety of our people is our priority, and we are confident that this Queen St workplace is a safe and comfortable work environment.”

Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.