COMMENT
Watching a city come to a standstill is surreal and disturbing in equal measure. The reasons for doing so on March 25 were crystal clear, but it was a mammoth and heart-wrenching task for everyone, not least the businesses forced to shut up shops and dreams in a very short space of time.
Challenging as a situation with no rulebook is, some positives are emerging. Smart cities embrace collaboration. Whatever concerns still linger about border control and testing, there have been some good examples of business working with government through these issues. This is a perfect time for Auckland Council to show it too can adapt and offer contemporary leadership through and beyond a crisis.
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As the business association charged with fostering the city centre as a successful place to do business, a vibrant place for international visitors and students, and an interesting place to live, Covid-19 has "threat" written all over it. There is reason to be concerned as the city centre's fundamentals are shaken, not least because this concentrated area delivers 20 per cent of Auckland's GDP. Furthermore, an economic and social shock of this scale is not just a city centre issue – it also contributes about $100m of rates to the rest of the region annually.