Mayor Steve Chadwick declares Te Manawa officially open.
Even on an overcast morning with the threat of rain, the grand opening of Te Manawa managed to attract a number of spectators.
Mayor Steve Chadwick kicked off Sunday morning's Farmer's Market with a speech, declaring Te Manawa officially open, after it was partially opened earlier last week.
She saidshe was happy the new social space was finally of use to the public after a long period of construction.
"It's been a long time coming. The plan for this really kicked off in 2014 and it's great that we are finally here."
Mrs Chadwick said support from local stores was much appreciated.
"The retailers around here have been amazing. They were part of the decision for this to go ahead and they tolerated the construction well."
She expects business in the CBD to grow now the Tutanekai and Hinemoa Sts intersection is open again and thinks retailers are realising the benefits it will bring.
"I wandered down the other morning and was talking to a local retailer who said their manger had bought them a new coffee machine saying they'll need to gear up now that the new space is open."
Mrs Chadwick said for an intersection where cars and pedestrians were side by side to be successful, there needed to be co-operation.
"In Napier they have a shared space where cars and pedestrians look out for each other and it works really well. Te Manawa feels the same way to me and it's important that we all respect each other in the area."
She hasn't left out the possibility for future development in the space.
"The council has received constructive feedback from residents and no doubt we will tweak things in the future."
Councillor Mark Gould handing out council pens at the Te Manawa grand opening. Photo/Ben Flood
Councillor Mark Gould has mixed feelings on Te Manawa but agrees there will be an immediate boost in business for local retailers.
"One part of me thinks it's great but the other part doesn't like it. It's beneficial for retailers with the greater flow of customers that will be coming through, but it was also a huge cost to get to make this happen."
Jenny Lux, owner of Lux Organics, has a weekly stall at the Sunday Farmers Market and thinks the new space makes it more attractive to customers.
Jenny Lux, owner of Lux Organics is excited to see the benfits Te Manawa will bring to her Sunday stall. Photo/Ben Flood
"It's much better for my stall now that there's more space for people to walk through but I'm not a huge fan of the pointy benches. They're a bit hard to get around when driving a car through so that's something that may need to be looked at."
Waiariki MP Tamati Coffey said he was surprised to see the barriers were down and the intersection was open when he drove through earlier in the week.
The problem with the City Focus was that it didn't flow well, but this new space opens everything up and makes it easier for people to get through.
He said it should attract people back to the city centre.
"Many people think Fenton St is the main road in Rotorua but the locals know that Tutanekai is, especially now that both ends of the street are connected again.
"You can look down one end and see the mall and if you look down the other you can see Eat Street. It makes everything feel closer together."
