KEY POINTS:
As auckland evolves and changes, readying itself for the population growth of the future, two Unitec students have caught on camera what is about to be the past.
The Wynyard Quarter is better known to Aucklanders as the Tank Farm; a collection of large, round, white chemical tanks taking up prime waterfront land. Over the next 25 years, around 29 hectares of the waterfront will be transformed in stages into a harbourside community.
Gone will be the landmark tanks, or most of them, and in their place will be parks, plazas, apartments, offices and shops. The new will co-exist with traditional marine and fishing industries.
This area, first used by the timber trade, began to be used for bulk petro-chemical storage in the 1930s. Its revitalisation is one of the largest waterfront urban renewal developments to be undertaken in New Zealand. Enter Unitec's School of Photography.
Students, over the years, will document the changes taking place, not just to give them a chance to learn but also to provide a reminder of what was there before.
The first students to take part in the project are Rebekah Robinson and Leigh Bell, both of them excited by the chance to capture history. Robinson's work includes a little-known aspect of the Tank Farm as it is today.
People in campervans have long been passing through, and staying overnight in the area. She calls these people "nomads". Traditionally, she says, nomads were people who move from one place to another rather than settling down, and today people still choose a nomadic lifestyle for financial, health and lifestyle reasons.
"While photographing the tanks I noticed how many buses and campervans were parked in the vicinity," says Robinson.
"I became curious about this temporary suburb of Auckland so I approached the people who lived in their vehicles and started photographing them.
"Over a period of four months I documented those who were willing. Some live fulltime in their vehicles and others mainly reside elsewhere in houses."
As she sat, talked and photographed them, Robinson found a range of reasons why people from all kinds of backgrounds are drawn to these tanks. This is an area in transition, she says. As the leases run out, this industrial land is zoned for other uses. The CBD and waterfront have changed from primarily commercial and industrial uses to include significant residential and recreational functions.
"It is the location that draws people to this point, the proximity to the city, the panoramic views of the harbour and the access to water-related activities," she says.
"This is the trade-off for the less pleasant aspects of this site. Despite this seemingly toxic environment, penguin, stingrays and fish still frequent the waters. When the wind isn't ripping through, it is a calm oasis, you can't hear the traffic and it is easy to forget that you are in the middle of a roaring city."
In fact, it can be eerily quiet, she says. For the people of the nomadic community, friendships and social networks are formed. While most realise that once change begins they may not be able to park here any more, for now, says Robinson, they are enjoying the time they have left.
Leigh Bell's work includes a series of photographs on the fishing industry which operates within the Auckland Waterfront. For her, the assignment brought back memories of her childhood.
"My grandparents were in Freeman's Bay so as a child I had a vague idea of what was down there but I certainly had no idea of what actually happened in this area. My intention was to photograph boats unloading at the wharf, through to the auctions and retail. Some industries will remain and others will move on. In 25 years there will be photographs to show future generations the working wharf and industrial area that existed prior to the new development. This story of the fishing industry is one of many to follow, to form part of the visual history of Auckland for Aucklanders."
Bell also took more than 650 photographs of the BP site on the corner of Daldy and Jellicoe streets, documenting what this part of town looked like before, during and after the tanks were demolished.
* For more information about the redevelopment and to see the photographs see www.seacity.co.nz
