Viv Beck: Time of reckoning for Auckland’s city centre

As the gateway for international tourists, what happens in Auckland affects how they feel about our city and country, says Viv Beck. Photo / Hayden Woodward

OPINION

As a bumper cruise season kicks into full gear and the sun starts to shine, it looks as if recovery is in full swing in the city centre. At a macro level it is – sales and foot traffic are tracking up and vacancies are heading down. However, tensions are growing, and concerns need to be voiced – popular or not. People are fed up with bad behaviour and buses (often empty) always getting priority over the needs of everyone else.

This matters because more than a million people are coming into Auckland’s city centre every week, mostly Aucklanders. We are also the gateway for international tourists, and what happens here affects how they feel about our city and country.

The next two to three years are critical if we are to reap the rewards from years of construction disruption and have a vibrant, safe international city to showcase when the NZ International Convention Centre opens its doors.

This is a stark warning. It won’t happen by accident.

Businesses in the city centre have shown remarkable resilience through years of massive disruption, but they are not invincible - many are struggling. Construction, crime and growing antisocial behaviour, working from home and access issues are all taking a toll.

I am confident the incoming Government understands the importance of recovery here and the role business plays in that. The parties who will form a government have said they want a strong and visible downtown police presence. There will be accountability expected from cross-agency actions to tackle emergency and transitional housing, mental health and other social issues.

Businesses will continue to adapt. However, to support recovery and growth, there are two urgent “must-dos” locally.

Firstly, I can’t go anywhere without people raising concerns about Queen Street. They are sick of seeing good people on the receiving end of bad behaviour. They want people to be housed in our new purpose-built facilities, not sleeping unsafely on the streets. It is our most famous street, and it needs to be clean, safe and welcoming.

We are doing what we can with security and activation, but there is a limit to what can be done without rules that people understand and a way to enforce them.

We want Auckland Council to be brave, to listen to the concerns of its business and residential ratepayers (growing louder by the day) and work with us to set standards that will create the streets our city needs, and then maintain them. The sooner we deal with this, the more manageable it is to resolve. I want parents to feel good about sending their kids here to have fun. I want the elderly to come and enjoy concerts and shows. And I want our business community to thrive.

This leads to the second must-do. Auckland Transport needs to show they understand that we need more people back, and they can’t all come by bus. Even when the CRL is finally operating, only about 45 per cent of Aucklanders will be able to get here within 45 minutes by public transport. And yet, we continue to hit a brick wall over access to areas like the arts precinct by The Civic - a civic space that should be accessible for all, including the elderly and people with mobility disabilities. Taxis should be allowed, but AT continues to prioritise buses, even at night. I don’t know too many people coming by bus to see a show at The Civic – good on those who can, but let’s make sure those who can’t will still come.

Make no mistake, Heart of the City supports transformation. We love watching international cities that do it well, and we love what has been achieved by our local visionaries. We just want our city centre to be a viable, safe and accessible place for everyone.

Viv Beck is chief executive of Heart of the City, a business association for Auckland’s city centre.