City centre business people tell us why investing in the city is so important
Thanks to:
Andrew Stringer | Senior Managing Director | CBRE New Zealand
Bruce Ross | Jason Books
Donna Hutchins | Head of Operations, Auckland | Mojo Coffee
Giapo Graziolo | Giapo Ice Cream
Peter Kerridge | Partner | Kerridge & Partners
Sarah Solaris | Owner | The Vault
If you'd prefer to read what these city centre business people had to say...
Donna Hutchins: Ongoing transformation of Auckland is important for us all, obviously as the urban spaces develop, it brings fresh energy to the city, it brings a positive space to work and play in.
Sarah Solaris: Well the Vault basically chose this location because of what happened in Freyberg Place. We’re just so impressed with the planting and the vision of what’s happened in the city, as you can see the shop’s a pleasant place to be, there’s no traffic noise, people are happy walking by.
Bruce Ross: Now, it’s a pedestrian friendly area, so we have people wandering in the street who are spending time looking in the shops, who come and see us, and say ‘oh, we didn’t know you were here!’ And so the actual foot traffic coming into the shop has increased dramatically.
Peter Kerridge: If you look at other comparators around the world, cities that I think I’d potentially like to live in, the Vancouvers of this world, they all have a vibrant city centre that’s also very well connected for pedestrians, for cyclists.
Andrew Stringer: People that I talk to around the city are super excited about these different modes of transport and how flexible that’ll make getting in the CBD. Not just during the day, during the week, but weekends as well, which is really important for us to grow the economy.
Peter Kerridge: I think it’s fair to say that Auckland’s catching up. We’ve under invested for a long time and we’re catching up. There’s still more work to be done and I think it’s important we get that right.
Giapo Grazioli: The growth that we want to see in the next 5 – 10 years in infrastructure, the private and public, will define what Auckland will be.
Andrew Stringer: The city centre requires continued investment. It’s a living organism, basically. The private sector will invest, but if we’re aspirational as a city, and I think we are, the public sector also needs to commit.
Giapo Grazioli: Now think of all of the big developments happening around us, with the Seascape, Pacifica, we have a Sofitel hotel opening up across the road, the next five years will deploy really incredible things. With the America's Cup coming, the city’s on fire.
