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So, what did the last 12 months look like for the city centre, and what happened in the last quarter? When looking at the year-end to December 2023, there are positive trends to report. There’s been more spending - up 13% on 2022 - and more people - up...

In February, the city centre came to life with Lunar New Year celebrations. One part of the festivities was our walking food tours with Lincoln's Table. We helped people discover some of our iconic Asian eats alongside hidden gems - and people loved them...

Credit Sacha Stejko This opinion piece by Viv Beck was published in the New Zealand Herald on 21 May 2024 as part of Project Auckland. Developer Mansons TCLM’s most expensive office build, on the former site of NZ Herald at 50 Albert...

Submission to Auckland Council Long Term Plan (LTP) 2024/2034 (10-Year Budget) on 28 March 2024. Read in full here. 

The impact of the cost of living can be seen in our latest quarter’s results with reduced domestic spending contributing to an overall flat result (-0.4% vs STLY). The international spending dollar, always highly valued here, was of particular...

Auckland-based businesses with more than five staff can sign up for Fareshare, where they can subsidise a portion of their staff’s public transport costs for commuting to and from work using Auckland Transport (AT) services. Staff with  Fareshare...

Auckland’s Restaurant Month will be served 1 – 31 August 2024 Get ready to discover a world of flavours with the return of Restaurant Month, where every day in August is a celebration of Auckland city centre’s culinary scene. Restaurant Month provides...

Chris Lawton, Chair, Community Patrols NZ and Viv Beck, Heart of the City Chief Executive Update: After we trialled a pop-up Safety Hub at Queen’s Wharf in partnership with Community Patrols of New Zealand (CPNZ) during the FIFA...

Heart of the City, Auckland’s city centre business association, welcomes today’s announcement to boost the police presence in the city centre and anticipates work to continue on a longer term solution.   CEO Viv Beck says “an additional 20...

Heart of the City is delighted that Smith and Caughey’s has decided to keep their Queen Street store operating. Viv Beck, Heart of the City’s Chief Executive says that “The news from Smith and Caughey’s today of their decision to keep their Queen Street...

Off the back of a flat March quarter, the June quarter reflected the wider economic landscape, with both overall spend and foot traffic down compared to 2023 (Spend: -9% vs STLY, Foot Traffic: -7% vs STLY).   This is consistent with retail...

Heart of the City is delighted with the commitment from government to the cross-agency approach to addressing crime and social issues to complement local initiatives in Auckland’s city centre – bringing results to issues that the organisation has been...

Friday, 4 October – Sunday, 13 October Multiple locations across Auckland’s city centre Auckland’s city centre will be radiating hues of happiness this October, with the return of Art Week, featuring a programme packed with over 70 events,...

Discover a world of flavours with the return of Restaurant Month this August where every day is a celebration of the city centre’s culinary scene. Restaurant Month provides foodies the opportunity to indulge in special menus priced at $30, $45 or $55...

Auckland’s Restaurant Month is back from 1-31 August 2023. This year’s programme includes a stellar line up of events and menu offers that showcases the breadth of talent and diversity of offers that can only be found in the heart of the city. Global...

Heart of the City is encouraged by the move to get the public sector working back in the office and looks forward to seeing this get more legs in Auckland. Viv Beck, Chief Executive, Heart of the City says “Having more people working back in city centre...

Our recent Late Night Art programme, part of Art Week 2024 was a hit as people enjoyed over 40 events across a balmy evening, including a market, live music. pop-up exhibitions and more. The bustling, vibrant energy felt across...

Join the festive fun as Auckland’s new Christmas tradition kicks off with an inaugural tree-lighting event, featuring free family-friendly entertainment from Anika Moa, Tami Neilson and the Auckland Youth Choir. AUCKLAND, FRIDAY 15 NOVEMBER...

Viv Beck, Chief Executive of Heart of the City says that “We’re very pleased with today’s announcement of a permanent police station for the city centre.   With overall crime trending down over the last year, this is key piece of the safety...

Tāmaki Makaurau’s magical Christmas tree set to illuminate the heart of the city from 23 November  This festive season, Te Komititanga, Auckland's premier public square in lower Queen Street, will host the spectacular debut of a magical new...

2024 marks 50 years of Fingers Contemporary Jewellery in the city centre! We sat down with one of its founders (and practising artist) Alan Preston who told us the story of Fingers - how it came to be, his favourite memories and hopes for...

Te Manaaki - the spectacular new Christmas tree – is installed in Te Komititanga in lower Queen Street. Standing 18.4 metres high and decorated with over 10,000 individual led lights, 4,000 vibrant Pōhutukawa flowers and over 200 giant baubles...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the city centre. Have you spotted our Christmas campaign on billboards, adshels, buses and digital? It's also running across radio advertising and this year, we're targeting both local audiences and some...

The Wynyard Quarter bridge has reopened and it’s time to enjoy a magic trifecta Heart of the City research shows that when you mix the waterfront with events and dining, it’s a hit with Aucklanders. So, it’s big news that the sorely missed Te Wero...

Heart of the City, Auckland’s city centre business association, welcomes Auckland Transport’s decision to keep overnight parking free for another year.    Viv Beck, Chief Executive, Heart of the City says that  “AT is to be commended for...

The September quarter has been a mixed bag for the city centre.  Our overall foot traffic and spending were down by -9% and -12% respectively. The dip in spend is consistent with national trends for the quarter. Hearteningly, pedestrian...

It was fantastic to celebrate the Lunar New Year - and Year of the Snake - with events and activations across the city centre. The programme included our walking food tours with Lincoln's Table. For the second year in a row, the series quickly sold out....

Auckland CBD strip retail vacancy rates decreased for the sixth consecutive biannual survey (Colliers); three sold-out Coldplay gigs caused hotel rooms to be fully booked; and international spend more than doubled compared to the previous quarter. The...

Heart of the City is over the moon with the news that the St James Theatre’s restoration is now full steam ahead, with Auckland Council today reconfirming its funding contribution towards the project. Viv Beck, Chief Executive of Heart of the City, says...

The Office of the Mayor and New Zealand Government sought high-level feedback on the development of an integrated Transport Plan for Auckland. We submitted the following: We want to see a reliable, effective and integrated transport plan and...

There's been a lot of effort to support improved safety in our city centre, including more police on the beat, a permanent police station opening soon, our own HOTC safety team and Auckland Council's compliance wardens.  These efforts have...

Introduction: Heart of the City (HOTC) is the business association for Auckland’s city centre, operating a Business Improvement District (BID). We represent the interests of businesses and property owners. Our purpose is to champion a successful city...

This is a summary of feedback to Auckland Transport's draft proposals to inform the development of Room to Move - a parking management plan for the city centre.  Key points made:  With a mandate to support business, we have been concerned...

“The news that Auckland is unable to proceed with a bid to host the next America’s Cup in 2027 is seriously disheartening. This was a golden opportunity to utilise purpose-built infrastructure and reap a timely economic return”, said Viv Beck, Chief...

Aucklanders got into the seasonal spirit with 20+ festive music, art, decorations and lighting that filled the city centre’s public spaces throughout December. Our Christmas marketing campaign, along with the introduction of Te Manaaki, our new...

Heart of the City welcomes NZIER’s latest Insight report, released today, outlining the need to build construction impacts and financial support into infrastructure decision-making from the outset. “Local businesses impacted by CRL construction have...