People are said to be generally confused about what Dominion Rd wis supposed to be. Photo / Jason Oxenham
People are said to be generally confused about what Dominion Rd wis supposed to be. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Chinese shoppers and business owners in Dominion Rd are at odds with their non-Chinese counterparts about the ethnic precinct being branded "Chinatown".
An Auckland Council study into the precinct, Understanding the Role and Function of the Balmoral Shops, found non-Chinese customers supported the idea of it being called Auckland's Chinatown.
But Chinese shoppers were opposed to it and - with Chinese business owners - preferred the area being marketed as a "food street" or "food hub".
The study by the city's research and evaluation unit was done to help the council better understand the "social, spatial and economic role" of the precinct located halfway down Dominion Rd.
Just over six in 10 businesses there were Chinese owned and operated, 13 per cent Pakeha, 11 per cent other Asian, 9 per cent Indian and 6 per cent others.
"Overall, non-Chinese business owners were in favour of a branded Chinatown and thought the addition of cultural markers such as dragons and red pagodas would add a degree of authenticity and improve the area's economic function," the report said.
"Chinese shoppers were almost exclusively opposed to the idea ... and felt such branding would problematically mark Chinese people as different."
The Balmoral Shopping Village on Dominion Road. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Balmoral Chinese Business Association spokesman Fang Hua said people were generally confused about what Dominion Rd was supposed to be.
"Calling it a Chinese food street or a food hub will make it clearer to customers, because a majority of people come here primarily to eat.
"This area is not a Chinatown because it does not have Chinese markets, theatres or shopping centres."
Mr Fang said people often associated Chinatowns with "trouble" - triads, crime and gangs - and branding it as such could deter them from coming.
Nearly 300 people were interviewed for the report.
Non-Chinese participants described the precinct and the people there as "mostly Asian" and appreciated the diversity of food on offer; they said shops provided them with an authentic dining and cultural experience.
Although 80 per cent felt it was a good place for different ethnic groups to mix, many noted it was "quite grubby and run-down".
'Huge potential' for Dominion Rd as ethnic food street
Alex Sun has been running his restaurant, San Bao, on Dominion Rd for the past 12 years.
The 37-year-old told Auckland Council researchers that he wants the Balmoral ethnic precinct to be branded as Auckland's "ethnic food street".
Alex Sun says food from many parts of China can be found on Dominion Rd menus. Photo / Jason Oxenham
"Non-Chinese customers come here to get a taste of Asian food, and for the Chinese, it is to get a taste of home," said Mr Sun.
"The first priority for people who come to Dominion Rd is to eat, so it is most appropriate for it to be called a food street."
Mr Sun's restaurant specialises in Szechuan and northern Chinese cuisine, and he said most of his customers were Chinese. "They feel at home, not just with the food, but being able to communicate with me and the staff in their own language." .
On the street, he said, food from all parts and districts of China - from Wuhan to Guangzhou, and even Taiwan - can be found.
Like 28 of the 31 business owners interviewed for the report, Mr Sun was not born in New Zealand - he moved here from China in 2003.
He said there was a "huge potential" for the street to be developed as a tourist attraction, but the council needed to improve facilities.
