Auckland Business Voice Heard

After a four-year lobby brought to a head with the release of a business survey seven weeks ago, Chief Executive of city centre business association Heart of the City Viv Beck, is delighted that both the government and Auckland Council have heard and acted on business needs.

“We have lobbied relentlessly since the significant impacts experienced during the Covid period, for both social and economic needs to be met with a cross-agency approach that is now coming to pass,” said Ms Beck.

The business survey provided an up-to-date snapshot of how businesses have been affected in the Queen Street valley area. People want to see laws and bylaws enforced; antisocial behaviour addressed; better cleaning and maintenance; and bold action on social issues, with housing, mental health and addiction needs met.

“This has been an extremely difficult decade for many city centre businesses and it’s imperative that 2026 is a major turning point with long-standing construction projects coming to an end. While progress has been made, the cross-agency approach needed for sustainable change required commitment from both senior Ministers and the Mayor of Auckland with collaboration across all relevant parties, as we see announced in the action plan today.”

And while this announcement is cause for optimism, Heart of the City believes some further change will likely be needed in setting standards for behaviour on city streets.  “We will continue to monitor progress, advocating for ongoing change where necessary, and the ultimate test will be our next business survey. This must deliver a significantly improved result to ensure conditions are right for businesses to grow and thrive, and to attract more people, business and investment.”

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