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Greater safety for late night bar patrons on city streets is the aim of the Barwatch radio scheme, which began in the city centre last weekend. Nine bars in the downtown precinct around Fort St and High St have been supplied with radios under the...

The Auckland SkyPath, the privately-funded proposal for a tolled walking and cycling path over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, has been given a conditional tick by Auckland Council’s Transport Committee, meaning Council will now look at the funding proposal...

Fashion in the BIG little City, our annual campaign supporting the city’s retailers, is now underway. With more than 100 retailers promoting offers, over 25 fashion events and shows activating the city and a dedicated marketing and communications...

Auckland Council is working with Wi-Fi provider TomiZone to increase the area of the free high speed wireless zone in Auckland's central city. The network is currently found in public spaces, on public transport and in council-owned facilities;...

HOTCity’s submission on Auckland Council’s draft annual plan was submitted last week, outlining our support or otherwise of various projects and spending with a view to shaping the city centre to be the best it can be for businesses, workers and...

There are a number of events and activations taking place in the city centre over the coming months that will bring road closures to specific surrounding areas. Most significantly, the Queen Street Golden Mile will be taking place on 1 April the ITU...

Our BIG little City Marketing and Events calendar sets out to activate and promote the Heart of the City throughout the year, and to give our member businesses opportunities to be part of our campaigns.Diary these dates for our upcoming major campaigns,...

Two great trial initiatives to create a safer night time environment in the city are underway this month.The Barwatch scheme, which provides portable radios to selected bars in the Fort St and High St area to enable better communication with each other...

Auckland Council are currently working on a raft of development projects in the city centre, transforming our public places into better versions of themselves. These developments are part of Council’s ten year City Centre Master Plan, and are funded from...

On March 15, Auckland Council released its draft Unitary Plan, outlining the growth direction for the region over the next 30 years. You can see the draft plan online here to find out what is in store for the city centre and beyond. HOTCity will be...

Following on from the success of the ‘A Day in the Life of the BIG little City’ digital campaign we ran last year, we’ve launched a new campaign: Discover the Precincts of the BIG little City. This digital and video initiative, hosted on the...

There are a number of events and upgrade works taking place in the city centre over the coming months that will bring road closures to specific surrounding areas. ITU World Triathlon Series – Barfoot & Thompson World Triathlon Auckland6 – 7...

We are currently recruiting for a Marketing Communications Executive to join our team, working on our BIG little City campaign.In this diverse and dynamic role, the successful applicant will work across our online channels to promote the best the central...

The BNZ Marketview reports for year end 2012 and the first quarter of year 2013 are in. 2012 proved a strong year with HOTC spending up 4.8% compared to competitors, and year on year growth at 3.3%. So far in 2013 Q1 results for both Heart for the City...

From 1 - 31 August 2013, Heart of the City, in partnership with Brand Events & Festivals (the organisers of Taste of Auckland) and American Express®, will be delivering for the third year the...

HOTCity has continued its tradition of asking the hard questions of Auckland Council, most recently at the Auckland Plan Committee’s meeting about the Ports expansion earlier this week. Council has agreed to open the lines for public consultation on...

HOTCity’s Fashion in the BIG little City campaign, which works to stimulate retail spending around the introduction of the new season ranges, once again had a positive effect on sales. Fashion in the BIG little City participants experienced 32.7%...

Changes to parking charges in the city centre have been well received over the first 3 months of the new City Centre Parking Zone. The CCPZ was implemented by Auckland Transport at the end of 2012 with the key objective of improving access and increasing...

The BIG little City website will soon have a fresh new look and functionality. We’re looking forward to launching our new image-led site later in May, and we’d like to make sure all relevant consumer focused city centre businesses are putting their best...

In this city that has more cars than it does registered drivers any issue associated with our love of our car is a contentious one. So, it was no surprise when most of the recommendations published this week for funding the transport funding gap over the...

Following on from the great success we had last year, 48 Hour City will be returning in 2013 as part of BIG little City winter campaign. 48 Hour City is free to participate in giving you the chance to drive business through the quieter winter months, and...

Charity fundraising is a regular feature of city centre streets, and businesses often ask us about the rules and regulations regarding collectors in the CBD. Charity collecting activities are controlled by Council permit and by the voluntary code of...

The Auckland SkyPath, the privately-funded proposal for a tolled walking and cycling path over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, received another tick from Council's Strategy & Finance Committee  who voted to support Mayor Len Brown's...

Don’t forget that consultation on Auckland Council’s Draft Unitary Plan closes at the end of the month. This is your chance to have your say on the rulebook that will shape development in Auckland over the next 30 years. In the city centre, the...

Auckland Council is developing a new public art policy and is currently seeking feedback on the draft policy. The Public Art Policy will guide decisions on both council’s own public art activity and any art activity in public places and aims to ensure...

The Sustainable Business Network has recently launched a new strategy, introducing four new Transformation Areas to help their member businesses along the path to sustainability and a better business future. They believe every business – large and small...

The now well-established Fashion in the BIG little City event will be back in 2014 and planning will be underway in the next few months. In the meantime make note of the dates: 28 February – 9th March, 2014. More details on the event will be available...

HEART OF THE CITY LAUNCHES 453 REASONS TO LOVE YOUR CITY From next week Heart of the City will be publishing a list of 453 experiences to inspire Aucklanders and asking people to share the things they love most about their central city via Instagram. By...

It has been an exciting week at the HOTCity office, we have just launched the brand new BIG little city website. The new image-led site has a fresh new look and some great new functionality to improve user experience. If you would like to explore the...

In the last issue we shared with you our BIG little City campaign for this year: Love your City. Using photo sharing platform Instagram, we are encouraging Aucklanders to share the experiences they most enjoy in the BIG little City, from the whole baked...

Bars and clubs in the Heart of the City’s Fort St and High St precinct and in the K Road Business Association area have joined the BarWatch network and using two way radios to warn other bars about any anti-social behaviour, intoxicated patrons or other...

Entries close 28th JuneWestpac Auckland Central Business Awards, presented by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, reward excellence in business and celebrate the greater value it brings to Auckland city."Awards like this highlight true excellence in...

Back for the third year in a row, Restaurant Month will be returning to Auckland’s central city to showcase the talents of our city’s chefs and the delights of our dining experiences this August. With over 125 central city restaurant’s participating,...

Auckland’s annual celebration of contemporary arts and galleries returns to the city from 11 – 20 October. Beyond the gallery exhibitions and events that form the mainstay of Art Week, Heart of the City delivers a range of activations designed...

StoreWatch is a community prevention first strategy towards reducing the effects of theft from retail stores on Queen St, Auckland. The StoreWatch initiative will allow stores to pass information easily between each other either by email or text. A...

Precinct Properties' ANZ Centre, the 32-storey landmark on Albert Street in Auckland, has recently claimed top honours at the Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards 2013. The $76 million project is New Zealand’s...