KEY POINTS:
Sir Edmund Hillary is the world's most well-known and best regarded New Zealander. He manifests New Zealand values more than anyone else.
A person of great achievements, great works and great deeds, he has created a story worth telling to future generations of New Zealanders and the world.
Time magazine included Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in its list of 20 most influential heroes of the 20th century: "By conquering Everest, the beekeeper and the Sherpa affirmed the power of humble determination - and won one for underdogs everywhere."
Many people alive today grew up with his achievements - the conquest of Everest, the transantarctic expedition to the South Pole on Massey Ferguson tractors, the "Ocean to Sky" jetboat trip from the mouth to the source of the Ganges, and his devotion to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal. So, to the outside world Sir Ed is an impressive figure, but to us he is even more than that. For me it was a great moment meeting him when I was a city councillor.
Since his passing only a year ago there have been tributes, including continued support of the Himalayan Trust's work in Nepal, but we need an outstanding tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary in New Zealand. Somewhere I could take my grandchildren to introduce them to his achievements and his message to us all. Something that is world class, that has his "go for it attitude". His life was bold, innovative - we should be the same. We need a way to explain to the rest of the world how we saw him.
But I don't want him in a museum - I'd like to see him commemorated where we go out to the world - where we sell the New Zealand story. I think we should look at a Sir Edmund Hillary Convention Centre on the waterfront.
Think of how America pays tribute to its leaders with presidential libraries and performing arts centres ... the Lincoln Centre in New York or the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. There's the concept, but we should do it for Sir Ed and in a way that makes New Zealanders proud.
I get the sense that John Key understands bold ideas - this would be one that would not only boost the nation, but also go to the heart of who we are. It would celebrate Sir Ed - but it would also have a practical benefit to New Zealand and the economy. It would link to his bold world-class achievements, but also transform Sir Ed's city - yet another lasting legacy of his great life.
Two recent Herald editorials advocating redevelopment of Auckland's central finger wharves and new economic infrastructure in Auckland other than roads were right on the mark. Both a new cruise ship terminal and a convention and exhibition centre have been mooted for Auckland and represent the types of investment that will help transform Auckland's economy.
Correctly located and designed, they will also help transform the Auckland CBD waterfront. Central government coming to town, especially the Prime Minister with his tourism portfolio and investment decisions to make, might for once also mean we can do something by more than half and without compromise.
The concept of the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre was quietly developed over two years ago with a previous council colleague, Doug Armstrong. Since then it has been circulated but not promoted publicly. The potential of the project and the current climate and shaping of events in Auckland point to the time being right for a full public discussion.
So imagine for a moment that instead of negotiating for and developing "Auckland's sorry old working wharves" one at a time we take a broader look at all three - Queens, Captain Cook and Marsden, and maybe even the southern end of Bledisloe - and redevelop the central part of the Auckland CBD central waterfront cohesively and comprehensively, all in one go.
Imagine that we don't let the port company proceed with their plan to industrialise our CBD waterfront further. With their plan they dominate the central wharves area for years and expand the container terminal to the size of the Auckland Domain. Aucklanders should be concerned about that, probably angry.
Tauranga and Whangarei's Northport say that it is better to invest in their facilities. We should go down the well on their options before any further massive port investments in Auckland.
And imagine for a moment travelling a much more exciting path, building a centre of international scale and significance that includes cruise, convention and exhibition facilities and incorporates some of the qualities of the Opera House in Sydney, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and the cruise and convention facilities being built on the Vancouver waterfront.
We can completely change Quay St at the same time. It's nuts that we give up the sunniest street in the Auckland CBD to so much traffic and port activity.
The Sir Edmund Hillary Centre would include, besides convention and cruise ship facilities, exhibitions which celebrated Sir Ed's life, cultural and art expressions, and other visitor-related activities.
The buildings themselves would incorporate architectural and activity-based references to his life. They could have several external faces that could be climbed - that in itself would be a tourism attraction.
The Ed Hillary name will be a huge drawcard for international and local conventions and New Zealand and overseas visitors. Sir Edmund Hillary's story would stand the test of time; no one can repeat what he and Tenzing did, and Sir Ed is so highly respected for his works since. An international centre named after Sir Ed brands New Zealand (and us) as mountains, beauty, outdoors, achievers, world citizens doing good things.
Ed is an Aucklander, the first Distinguished Citizen of the city. New Zealand needs Auckland to look like and be a city with an international presence. Attracting more visitors to Auckland, both international and local, needs a supreme theme.
Personally I have an aspiration for Sir Ed to be remembered as part of our language, and immortalised - as are Lord Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar Square and President Lincoln at the Lincoln Centre. But for more than one reason. The Sir Edmund Hillary Centre is a project with multiple dimensions: national pride and world profile for Auckland and New Zealand.
Something staggeringly good to commemorate Sir Edmund Hillary's life. And an economic infrastructure including a convention and exhibition centre, new hotels, art and cultural expressions, and tourism infrastructure to drive visitor growth.
A sustainable economic development with a waterfront transformation.
The time is right to seriously consider these two completely different options: one, the Ports of Auckland plan for the CBD waterfront - importing cars on Captain Cook, a Bledisloe expansion that will see bigger container ships right in the centre of the CBD waterfront with container area reclamations stretching further into the Waitemata, and more container trucks on the central city roads.
Or two, the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre - building national pride, promoting tourism and celebrating the life and deeds of Sir Edmund Hillary, building our heritage and culture, transforming Quay St. The barrier of the red fence gone and much greater access to the waterfront for all to enjoy.
Surely the latter option is something that will resonate more with the nation. Unlike the port plan, it offers something that embraces a more optimistic outlook and will foster national pride for years to come.
I'm not totally sure we can rely on politicians to make the decision for us. A better result will be determined by the involvement of ordinary people who want to play a role celebrating Sir Edmund and in shaping Auckland's waterfront and our future.
* Greg McKeown is a former Auckland City Councillor.
