Project Auckland: Putting heart into the city

Bill Bennett talks to Wellingtonian-turned-Auckland advocate Viv Beck.

Viv Beck still remembers a time when out-of-town visitors to Auckland would struggle to find anything open in the city centre outside normal business hours. That has changed. Today there is always something going on. The city is busy from breakfast until the small hours and all through the weekend.

Now, as chief executive of Heart of the City, Beck's job is to maintain the momentum. The goal is for a vibrant, exciting centre that visitors and residents expect to find in an international city. She says 24-hour operation is one of the marks of a city on the international map.

Change has been in the air for a generation. Beck says the turning point for her was the 2011 Rugby World Cup. At the time she was working in Wellington and was surprised by the exuberance she found when visiting Auckland. "There was an incredible sense of involvement. It wasn't just the tourists in town for the Cup, the locals embraced the event. Everywhere you looked there were flags, not just our flag, but the flags of other nations taking part. There were people everywhere and something going on all the time."

Beck singles out the Fan Walk which stretched from Queen St through Myers Park all the way to Eden Park as an example of how the event breathed life into the city.

"It's been four years since then and what has happened since is incredible. That was the first time Auckland emerged as an international city. It showed the world it had its own attitude and culture.

"That's important. Being distinct is critical. Most big cities offer the same set of things: they all have shops, hospitality, parks, cultural and sporting venues. What sets one apart from another is the feeling visitors get when they are there. Cities need a heart; they need to touch people's emotions. That's what they remember after they leave. Our job is to galvanise that experience," she says.

Heart of the City is the business association for the central part of Auckland. Beck says her patch is essentially the area between Albert Park and Victoria Park, the harbour and Mayoral Drive. It's a small area, but the most densely built-up space in New Zealand.

It contains about 10,000 businesses and there are 1200 property owners. Many, but not all, are members of the organisation and the goal is make sure the city centre remains successful. "We aim to create a place people want to come to. The business they bring drives economic growth, that's good for the city, good for the region and good for New Zealand. After all this part of Auckland is a shop window for the entire country." This shop window is most apparent when cruise liners are in town. For many cruise tourists, the heart of Auckland city is their first taste of New Zealand. Beck says cruise activity in town has grown fast. That wouldn't have happened if people coming her on previous cruises didn't have a positive experience.

Much of the organisation's work revolves around marketing and events. These days that means using social media tools like Facebook. Beck says Heart of the City Facebook page is popular with users. There's also a phone app people can use to find out what's going on in the city.

Though the area is small it contains a number of distinct areas or precincts. Queen St and High St are mainly shops. There are areas with entertainment and restaurants. Aotea Square is one cultural hub, there's another around the City Art Gallery.

Heart of the City is also involved in transformational projects designed to build on this. The idea is to create stronger places with a clear identity. Visible examples are St Patrick's Square, Fort St and O'Connell St.

Change is a constant feature of any vibrant city centre. Auckland is about to go through one of its biggest changes in a generation with the City Rail Link. Beck welcomes the development; she says rail plays a crucial role bringing people into the city centre.

"All the world's great cities depend on public transport. We know the growth of public transport will help business grow here. People's behaviour changes when they have the services that suit them."

However, the building work is likely to be disruptive. Heart of the City will work to communicate what this will mean for members so they can plan for road closures and other disturbances. There's a need to provide feedback to minimise the effect on businesses. Beck points out there is a macro-picture and a micro-picture: "We need to balance what happens now with what's going to happen in the future. Success will depend on all parties working together".

Heart of the City plays a role influencing projects funded by the City Centre Targeted Rate, which are transforming the city physically. There has been significant private investment in the city centre and growth and investment are set to continue. This includes a growing retail offering, new commercial developments, and a wide range of restaurants, events, arts and cultural experiences.

Heart of the City also has relationships with central and local government including Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and the Police, and strategic partnerships for destination marketing with Ateed, NZME, Regional Facilities Auckland, SkyCity, Britomart, Panuku Development Auckland and City Works Depot. There are strong ties with developers, real estate, security and wellbeing. Collaboration is important. For example, Heart of the City, along with others, advocated strongly for a long-term port study that takes account of the economic, social, environmental and other impacts of expansion into the Waitemata Harbour.