The billion-dollar Commercial Bay shopping precinct opens in Auckland amid Covid-19 uncertainty.
New Zealand's biggest corporate relocation will begin later next month when 3200 people will begin moving into the new $1 billion PwC Tower on Auckland's waterfront.
Scott Pritchard, chief executive of NZX listed Precinct Properties, has named Monday July 27 as the start of this country's largest corporate relocation.
That will mark the start of arrivals into New Zealand's tallest new office tower, to accommodate the highest number of workers together in one new building.
Around 900 PwC New Zealand staff will be one of the first to move into the tower at 15 Customs St West, having leased levels 24 to 29.
The shift marks a milestone for Precinct, its clients and for Auckland's city centre, Pritchard said.
"Having PwC move into the tower next month is a huge vote of confidence for the city centre and demonstrates the importance of workplaces having a central place to come together and collaborate.
A new era of state-of-the-art modern workspaces would be unveiled, he said.
"We've worked hard to ensure the tower and the wider Commercial Bay precinct offers a level of amenity for the workforce and connection between businesses which is unparalleled," Pritchard said.
Increased collaboration, flexibility and a more shared ways of working via fewer offices were objectives. More meeting and breakout spaces and access to a dedicated meeting suite within the tower were offered, he said.
Once PwC is full, about 10,000 people would work in HSBC House, Jarden House, the AMP Centre and the ex-PwC Tower, he said. Those towers stand on two waterfront blocks.
"PwC is our anchor tenant and they have been on this journey together with us since 2015. They were amongst the first to commit to leasing at Commercial Bay which meant the project could get off the ground and become what it is today," Pritchard said.
The tower is 92 per cent percent leased, he said.
Mark Averill, PwC New Zealand chief executive and senior partner, said: "The Commercial Bay development is a key part of the revitalisation of Auckland's CBD drawing people in, including our own, to support local businesses and the wider community."
The new floorspace would be open, fully-flexible and conducive to co-creation and collaboration, he said.
No mention was made of the pandemic, coronavirus of social separation.
Pritchard said Jarden would also move on July 27 and in August MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Chapman Tripp, DLA Piper and others would shift.
Tenants have for some months been due to move into the new tower which has changed Auckland's skyline.
Construction delays and the pandemic hit the project, pushing the opening of the commercial and retail space back some years.
Commercial Bay's shops opened earlier this month. In February, Precinct revealed how liquidated damages for Fletcher Construction delays finishing the new tower now stood at $50m of which $26.7m had been released to the profit and loss account and $23.3m was predicted against the project costs.
Precinct scored a coup four months ago when it announced it had it had leased the top two floors to a video gaming start-up out of Dunedin. RocketWerkz topped hundreds of lawyers, accountants, financiers and global businesses by securing the penthouse floors of New Zealand's tallest new office tower on Auckland's waterfront.
"It's only money. You can't take it with you," said RocketWerkz chief executive Dean Hall of his firm's surprise leasing the penthouse levels.
View of the new PwC Tower. Photo / Michael Craig.
That move has trumped the blue ribbon corporate brigade, all will be beneath the whiz kid game developers: giant well-established businesses PwC New Zealand, Chapman Tripp, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Jarden, DLA Piper, Marsh, Macquarie Bank and Delegat.
"We wanted to make a statement. We're scaling the company up and we're doing to the gaming industry what [Sir] Peter Jackson did to the film industry," Hall said in February, adding that leasing such premises was a drawcard for new staff.
