August 4, 2025 • 18 mins
Is New Zealand’s largest city dying?
Auckland is home to roughly a third of the entire country’s population and is predicted to grow even bigger in the coming years.
The City of Sails is, by far, the largest contributor to New Zealand’s economic output, generating about 40% of GDP.
But, walk down many of the inner-city streets, and you’ll see vacant lots – with a lot of potential.
Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald property editor, Anne Gibson is with us to discuss what can be done to get developers moving on empty spaces – some, that have been desolate for decades.
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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Ethan Sills
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Kilda.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Is New
Zealand's largest city, dying. Auckland is home to roughly a
third of the country's population and is predicted to grow
even bigger in the coming years. The city of Sales
(00:29):
is by far the largest contributor to New Zealand's economic output,
generating about forty percent of GDP. But walk down many
of the inner city streets and you'll see vacant lots
with a lot of potential. Today on the front page
ends at Herald, Property editor An Gibson is with us
to discuss what can be done to get developers moving
(00:52):
on empty spaces, some that have been desolate for decades.
First off, there are several high profile vacant sites in Auckland.
Can you walk me through? I guess how many there are,
and maybe a couple of those ones that interest you
the most.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Well, good question for me. I've become so anewent to
vacant sites that I don't even see them as vacant anymore.
They're just part of the streetscape. But I think the
one that is most concerning is nearly a half heck
to it, and it's the old food Alley and Yates site.
So this is in between Albert Street, Wolf Street and
kind of the start of Fanchial Street, and it's right
(01:36):
opposite the billion dollar commercial way. Can you believe prime
real estate? You would have thought it's owned by the
comm Family of Singapore. Now they got Ward demolition in
twenty twenty two and twenty three to knock down what
they called the Pigeon Palace, which some people in Auckland
would have called the food Alley the Yates building. Now
(01:57):
can you believe it's not even a car park?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So what is that? They've just got fences up.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
We've got fences up with barboir on top.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
And do they need to do anything with that site?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Well, that's a block from the waterfront. The Common family
who owned the Hilton Hotel down on Princess Wholf, they
don't feel any impetus to do anything there. Although Peter Ball,
who works with the Comms, talked about being optimistic about
projects on that site to me last year, but he
also talked about it as being a post COVID challenge. Now,
(02:29):
the second one that I think is well known is
the old Auckland Star site in between Shortland Street and
Fort Street that has been vacant for I think thirty
six years. And the third one, very high profile, is
what's known in the property sector, although I don't know
if other people call it, this is the Royal International
(02:51):
Hotel site. Now, this is below Albert Street, just right
beneath the new train station there, and it had a
re bungee jump on it for years. But as I
say in the story, even the reverse bungee jump people left.
That is a car park, so it does have some use.
Right beside the attrum Mannlia, just at the back of
(03:12):
where Smith and Coe's used to be. So these are
all really central city important sites. And these are big sites.
And those two last ones that I've referred to have
been vacant plots of land for nearly forty years. Nobody
talks about them. Nobody asks the questions why is that
like that? These are like gaps in the teeth of
(03:33):
perfect mouth, you know what I mean. You can say
Auckland's not perfect. It's an evolving city. And some people say,
don't worry about the empty sites. But I look at
those and I think, what a lost opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It seemed like there was a time when you'd look
at the Auckland skyline and you'd see, you know, dozens
of cranes and things like that, and now you kind
of drive into the sea, you don't see many at all.
Do you do you feel the same?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I couldn't believe it. Driving over the Harbor Bridge, thinking
about making this with you today, I looked specifically now.
The one crane I did see is the China Construction
crane on the side of Seascape, the huge new apartment
building downtown which Icon has taken over from China Construction
finishing that there's a crane there. But you're right, the
(04:20):
cranes have vanished, and you know, this is really a
sign of the recession. This is the downturn. This is
the developers not having the confidence to go ahead and build.
There are a few other cranes on the skyline, like
Pompellia on Pontsmby they've got a tail crane CMP Constructions
working there, but generally, no, there are no cranes on
(04:41):
the sky line anymore.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
I also hear people say, well, hold on, Barron is
are going to come in here. They're going to buy
up New Zealand and they're going to leave and it's
going to be ghost town galore. Look, there's there's always solutions,
you know, you know, you could do and have a
vacancy tax and a home was vacant from more than
six months a year charge commercial council rates in Willington
at three point seven times high the residential rates, and
(05:07):
Orphan that's two point five times higher than residential rates.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, right, So plenty of ways it's going to catch
where you could get some more deuce out of the
lemon potentially there. What are some of the main reasons
why these developers are sitting on these vacant sites, whether
it be years or like you said, decades.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Well, I think the main reason is the foreign I mean,
I'm not against foreign investment, but they don't have any
buy into Auckland. They live in Singapore and they live
in China. Now have they land banked those sites? I
don't really know. It's impossible too, very hard, bit of
a spectrum to engage with them unless they have a
(05:47):
local consultant. Very hard to know what they're thinking, is,
what their reasoning is and what can be done about it?
And I talked to Shane Brearley from Simplicity Living Last
Night US and he said, Anne, text them, text them
up to ten percent per annum per year of the
value of their site. Give them a couple of years
(06:09):
advance warning you're going to do it, and then you
see some action.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I remember when I lived in Christchurch actually, and we
spoke about this this morning, a the Dirty thirty. So
the council basically decided to publicly shame at least thirty
either derelict or abandoned lots in the central city in
christ Church. This would have been maybe ten years ago,
maybe twenty seventeen, say ish. I think they may have
(06:34):
incentivized a couple of them and then raised rates, or
that they threatened to raise rates as well. But they
did other things like helping developers navigate consent processes for example,
or offer those incentives, or even the public shame part
of it got a couple of them moving. So there
(06:55):
are different ways to try and get developers to actually
do some work.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Okay, well that's a really good point. You know, I've
talked about a punishment a deterrent for them leaving the
sites vacant, but that's a good point. You make about
the encouragement, so the carrot rather than the stick. And
what Shane Burnley also told me about last night is
when he was working for a big Australian developer here
and they were developing the Key West apartments on Albert Street.
(07:23):
There were a two pronged incentive attack you told me
under the Mayor Les Mills. Now what they got as
developers was basically a rebate on rates, so rates were
suspended for a period of time, plus development contributions were suspended,
So this was an act of financial incentive and encouragement
(07:45):
for developers to build. I mean there are a lot
you could say that having the Auckland Unitary Plan having
no height limit in the CBG obviously having to honor
view shafts as my colleague Simon Wilson has been writing
about recently, but having height limit is an incentive. But
you know, at the moment developers just can't sell apartment
(08:07):
buildings off the plans. So apartments were a big part
of the redevelopment and the regeneration of the Auckland CBD,
and those have stopped, and even the ones that are developed,
like I've been talking to John Love at the Caab,
the former Civic Administration building, and he's still got twenty,
he tells me, out of one hundred and fourteen to sell. Now,
(08:28):
that project was finished some time ago, and that's a
very beautiful building. John Love has done an extraordinary job there.
Those apartments are very attractive and he's still got twenty
to sell.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Why are developers choosing the outer suburbs. I suppose you're
ponts bees your new markets to develop apartment living.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
That's where people want to live. That's a really sad thing.
When I talked to the developer Shane Braley yesterday, he said,
an I don't want to come into the CBD. So
where are they going? They're building a North Kit and
they're building a line level building on former Cala Order
land over there. They're building in Remuera, They're building in Allieslie,
(09:11):
They're building and mornings are they building all over not
in the CBD. Now, Precinct Properties is another example. They're
building in Carlton Gore Road in Newmarket. They've got a
really big site of all places. Our premiere office developer.
They're building in Dominion Road in Mount Eden. Now, when
(09:33):
that starts happening, I begin to think there's been some
big shift happen here. People are not building in the
CBD anymore. Why, it's just where people want to live.
They know they can pre sell in those suburbs.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
When you look at somewhere like Queen Street, right, and
we've been speaking about revitalizing Queen Street for some time,
years in fact, but in terms of businesses on Queen Street,
businesses need people. But people don't go to Queen Street
because there's no businesses. Well, there are some, but it
(10:12):
has the vibrant sea has been lost. I think that's
fair to say, Hey.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Well, it's terrible to think of Smith and Corey's shutting.
I mean that was such an anchor for the midtown,
A really large development site across the road on Queen Street,
the Saint James Sweets where there was a four hundred
million dollar apartment project planned Chinese and now selling that site,
Good luck to them. This is a really bad market
(10:38):
to be quitting a site like that. And now that
was to be right beside the Saint James Theater. Saint
James Theater sitting there partly wrecked. Where's that going?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I mean, so many holes in our CBD, so many opportunities,
but such a lack of movement to a large extent,
it's really covid and it's also the economic downturn at
the moment. So things may change.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And is it things? Is it hard to get consents
and funding for things or is it just literally a
vibe check.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
You're not going to apply for consent if you know
you can't pre sell them. So to get the funding,
you need the pre sales, to get the ten percent deposits,
to go to the bank and say give us the
top up. And if the pre sales are not there,
which they're not, you know, this is just a sign
of people are not selling their houses and moving to apartments,
people are not buying apartments, people fair job losses. This
(11:32):
is the economic downturn in Gorm reality. It's a very
good point you've just made. Look at the skyline. Where
did the cranes go? Where are they now in storage
yards stacked up in little bits like lego sets? Is
the answer. That's where they went. That's a good vestor
that's sad. That's really sad. It's terrible because I mean, well,
(11:53):
just so you know, you say, well, do we need
the city to be changing there's a really good University
of Auckland paper that I was looking at which sort
of encouraged more acceptance of the dynamic or even non
dynamic shape of Auckland CBD, and it sort of said, look,
it's always evolving, just accept it as it is. And
I kind of like that more optimistic sort of to
say it'll be fine, It'll work out fine in the end.
(12:17):
It's just that we've gone from a period of extraordinarily
intense development and a lot of developers to crol for
the clean out of Albert Street. But you know, I
have been down the Tibayhotato station and I have to
say it's very, very beautiful. So if there's going to
be a revitalization, maybe it's that big transport project, and
(12:37):
maybe it's the beautiful new train stations. You've got to
go there to look at the art alone.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
After COVID, it kind of went a bit downhill in
terms of the city center, and you know, the shops
not being as busy.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Traffic is horrendous.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Auckland Transport has slowed traffic down, so it makes it
harder to get anywhere in the city. Too many speed bumped.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
We need basically more events in the city and more
reason to come into the city because you know, parking cerebral,
traffic cerebral. You have to go three one way straights
to even get anywhere.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
In terms of Auckland, is it a dying city? Because
I know that we like to compare ourselves to other
metropolitan centers around the world, and the prices absolutely reflect
that as well, if I'm going to be honest, in
terms of rent, house prices, cost of food, et cetera,
cost of living. Rather in terms of Auckland and it
(13:41):
being the country's largest city, a third of us live
in Auckland and it contributes what about forty percent GDP
to the rest of the country. Does Auckland get the
respect it deserves? Do you think?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well? There was that committed for Auckland report which came
just recently which talked about how far Auckland had fallen behind,
and I found that really concerning in terms of respect.
You know, all the relatives in the mainland hate the
Auckland is right. You know, they give me stick when
I go down there, and it's like a badge of
dishonor isn't it She's from Auckland. Billy Okay, but I
(14:22):
think that that is a big city sentiment that's reflected
in every country, whether it be London or Paris, or
Berlin or Sydney. It's just the way it is, right.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Well, I read in the Deloitte report. Actually they did
a State of the City report for Auckland which compares
Auckland with other global cities around the world. And it's
funny you bring up Paris because Paris generates this is
a quote from the report thirty one percent of France's
GDP and gets treated accordingly, which I thought was that
(14:55):
stuck out to me because do you think Auckland gets
treated accordingly?
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Very interesting, very interesting comparison. I remember Grant Robertson at
one of the I think it was the Infrastructure of
the Auckland Project events, and he was saying how difficult
it is when he was Finance Minister to live in
a city that's been redeveloped. And we know that the
mayor has the War on Cones, so we know that
(15:21):
development has its price and makes it very inconvenient for people.
It's just that when development stops, you sort of sit
there and look at it and think, right, what's going on?
I'm sure that development will come back. Auckland is a
huge generator of wealth. It has so many of the
growing financial services and the other respects in New Zealand's
(15:42):
economy that are so important. Fon Terra's headquarters is down
on Vanchul Street. I mean, you know, what is it
an export lead recovery. So it's a really good question
to ask about the role that Auckland plays in terms
of New Zealander. The rural growth we know at the
moment is coming from the agriculture sector and a lot
of people who work in services have fears about job
(16:04):
loss and unemployment. Has you know, that's been something that
is a real issue now. You can only hope that
for Auckland's sake, that that dynamic nature of the city
continues and the developers will return. We need good shops,
we need good offices, we need good hotels and apartment buildings.
(16:25):
We need really good infrastructure, and I would say that's
one aspect of Auckland that hasn't had the attention it deserved.
I remember someone from Auckland Transport telling me years ago
that in nineteen fifty nine people said, why do we
need to Harbor Bridge. There's any strawberry fields on the
North Shore, lack of vision right and many people are
critical of the City rail Link, and I think they
(16:48):
really don't understand the difference that City rail Link is
going to make to Auckland. And O hope with that
movement and easy movement of people around the CBD, we
do see some change. There's a proposal for the Symphony Center,
like multimillion dollar project of officers and apartments right above
(17:11):
the teawater y hodd Aituo station on the old Blislow
car Park the Auckland Council car Park site. So you know,
let's hope that those developers are finding in the market
the ambition and the drive and the determination of businesses
to commit and people to buy apartments. Otherwise a scheme
will not go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And in the meantime we should tax them if they
don't do anything with their land.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
It's quite a controversial idea, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Thanks for joining us. An that's set for this episode
of the Front Page. You can read more about today's
stories and extensive news coverage at enzidherld dot co dot
m ZAD. The Front Page is produced by Ethan Seals
and Richard Martin, who is also our editor. I'm Chelsea Daniels.
(18:03):
Subscribe to the front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you
get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look
behind the headlines.
Kilda.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Chelsea Daniels and this is the Front Page, a
daily podcast presented by the New Zealand Herald. Is New
Zealand's largest city, dying. Auckland is home to roughly a
third of the country's population and is predicted to grow
even bigger in the coming years. The city of Sales
(00:29):
is by far the largest contributor to New Zealand's economic output,
generating about forty percent of GDP. But walk down many
of the inner city streets and you'll see vacant lots
with a lot of potential. Today on the front page
ends at Herald, Property editor An Gibson is with us
to discuss what can be done to get developers moving
(00:52):
on empty spaces, some that have been desolate for decades.
First off, there are several high profile vacant sites in Auckland.
Can you walk me through? I guess how many there are,
and maybe a couple of those ones that interest you
the most.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Well, good question for me. I've become so anewent to
vacant sites that I don't even see them as vacant anymore.
They're just part of the streetscape. But I think the
one that is most concerning is nearly a half heck
to it, and it's the old food Alley and Yates site.
So this is in between Albert Street, Wolf Street and
kind of the start of Fanchial Street, and it's right
(01:36):
opposite the billion dollar commercial way. Can you believe prime
real estate? You would have thought it's owned by the
comm Family of Singapore. Now they got Ward demolition in
twenty twenty two and twenty three to knock down what
they called the Pigeon Palace, which some people in Auckland
would have called the food Alley the Yates building. Now
(01:57):
can you believe it's not even a car park?
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Right?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
So what is that? They've just got fences up.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
We've got fences up with barboir on top.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
And do they need to do anything with that site?
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Well, that's a block from the waterfront. The Common family
who owned the Hilton Hotel down on Princess Wholf, they
don't feel any impetus to do anything there. Although Peter Ball,
who works with the Comms, talked about being optimistic about
projects on that site to me last year, but he
also talked about it as being a post COVID challenge. Now,
(02:29):
the second one that I think is well known is
the old Auckland Star site in between Shortland Street and
Fort Street that has been vacant for I think thirty
six years. And the third one, very high profile, is
what's known in the property sector, although I don't know
if other people call it, this is the Royal International
(02:51):
Hotel site. Now, this is below Albert Street, just right
beneath the new train station there, and it had a
re bungee jump on it for years. But as I
say in the story, even the reverse bungee jump people left.
That is a car park, so it does have some use.
Right beside the attrum Mannlia, just at the back of
(03:12):
where Smith and Coe's used to be. So these are
all really central city important sites. And these are big sites.
And those two last ones that I've referred to have
been vacant plots of land for nearly forty years. Nobody
talks about them. Nobody asks the questions why is that
like that? These are like gaps in the teeth of
(03:33):
perfect mouth, you know what I mean. You can say
Auckland's not perfect. It's an evolving city. And some people say,
don't worry about the empty sites. But I look at
those and I think, what a lost opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It seemed like there was a time when you'd look
at the Auckland skyline and you'd see, you know, dozens
of cranes and things like that, and now you kind
of drive into the sea, you don't see many at all.
Do you do you feel the same?
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I couldn't believe it. Driving over the Harbor Bridge, thinking
about making this with you today, I looked specifically now.
The one crane I did see is the China Construction
crane on the side of Seascape, the huge new apartment
building downtown which Icon has taken over from China Construction
finishing that there's a crane there. But you're right, the
(04:20):
cranes have vanished, and you know, this is really a
sign of the recession. This is the downturn. This is
the developers not having the confidence to go ahead and build.
There are a few other cranes on the skyline, like
Pompellia on Pontsmby they've got a tail crane CMP Constructions
working there, but generally, no, there are no cranes on
(04:41):
the sky line anymore.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
I also hear people say, well, hold on, Barron is
are going to come in here. They're going to buy
up New Zealand and they're going to leave and it's
going to be ghost town galore. Look, there's there's always solutions,
you know, you know, you could do and have a
vacancy tax and a home was vacant from more than
six months a year charge commercial council rates in Willington
at three point seven times high the residential rates, and
(05:07):
Orphan that's two point five times higher than residential rates.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Yeah, right, So plenty of ways it's going to catch
where you could get some more deuce out of the
lemon potentially there. What are some of the main reasons
why these developers are sitting on these vacant sites, whether
it be years or like you said, decades.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Well, I think the main reason is the foreign I mean,
I'm not against foreign investment, but they don't have any
buy into Auckland. They live in Singapore and they live
in China. Now have they land banked those sites? I
don't really know. It's impossible too, very hard, bit of
a spectrum to engage with them unless they have a
(05:47):
local consultant. Very hard to know what they're thinking, is,
what their reasoning is and what can be done about it?
And I talked to Shane Brearley from Simplicity Living Last
Night US and he said, Anne, text them, text them
up to ten percent per annum per year of the
value of their site. Give them a couple of years
(06:09):
advance warning you're going to do it, and then you
see some action.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I remember when I lived in Christchurch actually, and we
spoke about this this morning, a the Dirty thirty. So
the council basically decided to publicly shame at least thirty
either derelict or abandoned lots in the central city in
christ Church. This would have been maybe ten years ago,
maybe twenty seventeen, say ish. I think they may have
(06:34):
incentivized a couple of them and then raised rates, or
that they threatened to raise rates as well. But they
did other things like helping developers navigate consent processes for example,
or offer those incentives, or even the public shame part
of it got a couple of them moving. So there
(06:55):
are different ways to try and get developers to actually
do some work.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Okay, well that's a really good point. You know, I've
talked about a punishment a deterrent for them leaving the
sites vacant, but that's a good point. You make about
the encouragement, so the carrot rather than the stick. And
what Shane Burnley also told me about last night is
when he was working for a big Australian developer here
and they were developing the Key West apartments on Albert Street.
(07:23):
There were a two pronged incentive attack you told me
under the Mayor Les Mills. Now what they got as
developers was basically a rebate on rates, so rates were
suspended for a period of time, plus development contributions were suspended,
So this was an act of financial incentive and encouragement
(07:45):
for developers to build. I mean there are a lot
you could say that having the Auckland Unitary Plan having
no height limit in the CBG obviously having to honor
view shafts as my colleague Simon Wilson has been writing
about recently, but having height limit is an incentive. But
you know, at the moment developers just can't sell apartment
(08:07):
buildings off the plans. So apartments were a big part
of the redevelopment and the regeneration of the Auckland CBD,
and those have stopped, and even the ones that are developed,
like I've been talking to John Love at the Caab,
the former Civic Administration building, and he's still got twenty,
he tells me, out of one hundred and fourteen to sell. Now,
(08:28):
that project was finished some time ago, and that's a
very beautiful building. John Love has done an extraordinary job there.
Those apartments are very attractive and he's still got twenty
to sell.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Why are developers choosing the outer suburbs. I suppose you're
ponts bees your new markets to develop apartment living.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
That's where people want to live. That's a really sad thing.
When I talked to the developer Shane Braley yesterday, he said,
an I don't want to come into the CBD. So
where are they going? They're building a North Kit and
they're building a line level building on former Cala Order
land over there. They're building in Remuera, They're building in Allieslie,
(09:11):
They're building and mornings are they building all over not
in the CBD. Now, Precinct Properties is another example. They're
building in Carlton Gore Road in Newmarket. They've got a
really big site of all places. Our premiere office developer.
They're building in Dominion Road in Mount Eden. Now, when
(09:33):
that starts happening, I begin to think there's been some
big shift happen here. People are not building in the
CBD anymore. Why, it's just where people want to live.
They know they can pre sell in those suburbs.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
When you look at somewhere like Queen Street, right, and
we've been speaking about revitalizing Queen Street for some time,
years in fact, but in terms of businesses on Queen Street,
businesses need people. But people don't go to Queen Street
because there's no businesses. Well, there are some, but it
(10:12):
has the vibrant sea has been lost. I think that's
fair to say, Hey.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Well, it's terrible to think of Smith and Corey's shutting.
I mean that was such an anchor for the midtown,
A really large development site across the road on Queen Street,
the Saint James Sweets where there was a four hundred
million dollar apartment project planned Chinese and now selling that site,
Good luck to them. This is a really bad market
(10:38):
to be quitting a site like that. And now that
was to be right beside the Saint James Theater. Saint
James Theater sitting there partly wrecked. Where's that going?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I mean, so many holes in our CBD, so many opportunities,
but such a lack of movement to a large extent,
it's really covid and it's also the economic downturn at
the moment. So things may change.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And is it things? Is it hard to get consents
and funding for things or is it just literally a
vibe check.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
You're not going to apply for consent if you know
you can't pre sell them. So to get the funding,
you need the pre sales, to get the ten percent deposits,
to go to the bank and say give us the
top up. And if the pre sales are not there,
which they're not, you know, this is just a sign
of people are not selling their houses and moving to apartments,
people are not buying apartments, people fair job losses. This
(11:32):
is the economic downturn in Gorm reality. It's a very
good point you've just made. Look at the skyline. Where
did the cranes go? Where are they now in storage
yards stacked up in little bits like lego sets? Is
the answer. That's where they went. That's a good vestor
that's sad. That's really sad. It's terrible because I mean, well,
(11:53):
just so you know, you say, well, do we need
the city to be changing there's a really good University
of Auckland paper that I was looking at which sort
of encouraged more acceptance of the dynamic or even non
dynamic shape of Auckland CBD, and it sort of said, look,
it's always evolving, just accept it as it is. And
I kind of like that more optimistic sort of to
say it'll be fine, It'll work out fine in the end.
(12:17):
It's just that we've gone from a period of extraordinarily
intense development and a lot of developers to crol for
the clean out of Albert Street. But you know, I
have been down the Tibayhotato station and I have to
say it's very, very beautiful. So if there's going to
be a revitalization, maybe it's that big transport project, and
(12:37):
maybe it's the beautiful new train stations. You've got to
go there to look at the art alone.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
After COVID, it kind of went a bit downhill in
terms of the city center, and you know, the shops
not being as busy.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Traffic is horrendous.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Auckland Transport has slowed traffic down, so it makes it
harder to get anywhere in the city. Too many speed bumped.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
We need basically more events in the city and more
reason to come into the city because you know, parking cerebral,
traffic cerebral. You have to go three one way straights
to even get anywhere.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
In terms of Auckland, is it a dying city? Because
I know that we like to compare ourselves to other
metropolitan centers around the world, and the prices absolutely reflect
that as well, if I'm going to be honest, in
terms of rent, house prices, cost of food, et cetera,
cost of living. Rather in terms of Auckland and it
(13:41):
being the country's largest city, a third of us live
in Auckland and it contributes what about forty percent GDP
to the rest of the country. Does Auckland get the
respect it deserves? Do you think?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well? There was that committed for Auckland report which came
just recently which talked about how far Auckland had fallen behind,
and I found that really concerning in terms of respect.
You know, all the relatives in the mainland hate the
Auckland is right. You know, they give me stick when
I go down there, and it's like a badge of
dishonor isn't it She's from Auckland. Billy Okay, but I
(14:22):
think that that is a big city sentiment that's reflected
in every country, whether it be London or Paris, or
Berlin or Sydney. It's just the way it is, right.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Well, I read in the Deloitte report. Actually they did
a State of the City report for Auckland which compares
Auckland with other global cities around the world. And it's
funny you bring up Paris because Paris generates this is
a quote from the report thirty one percent of France's
GDP and gets treated accordingly, which I thought was that
(14:55):
stuck out to me because do you think Auckland gets
treated accordingly?
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Very interesting, very interesting comparison. I remember Grant Robertson at
one of the I think it was the Infrastructure of
the Auckland Project events, and he was saying how difficult
it is when he was Finance Minister to live in
a city that's been redeveloped. And we know that the
mayor has the War on Cones, so we know that
(15:21):
development has its price and makes it very inconvenient for people.
It's just that when development stops, you sort of sit
there and look at it and think, right, what's going on?
I'm sure that development will come back. Auckland is a
huge generator of wealth. It has so many of the
growing financial services and the other respects in New Zealand's
(15:42):
economy that are so important. Fon Terra's headquarters is down
on Vanchul Street. I mean, you know, what is it
an export lead recovery. So it's a really good question
to ask about the role that Auckland plays in terms
of New Zealander. The rural growth we know at the
moment is coming from the agriculture sector and a lot
of people who work in services have fears about job
(16:04):
loss and unemployment. Has you know, that's been something that
is a real issue now. You can only hope that
for Auckland's sake, that that dynamic nature of the city
continues and the developers will return. We need good shops,
we need good offices, we need good hotels and apartment buildings.
(16:25):
We need really good infrastructure, and I would say that's
one aspect of Auckland that hasn't had the attention it deserved.
I remember someone from Auckland Transport telling me years ago
that in nineteen fifty nine people said, why do we
need to Harbor Bridge. There's any strawberry fields on the
North Shore, lack of vision right and many people are
critical of the City rail Link, and I think they
(16:48):
really don't understand the difference that City rail Link is
going to make to Auckland. And O hope with that
movement and easy movement of people around the CBD, we
do see some change. There's a proposal for the Symphony Center,
like multimillion dollar project of officers and apartments right above
(17:11):
the teawater y hodd Aituo station on the old Blislow
car Park the Auckland Council car Park site. So you know,
let's hope that those developers are finding in the market
the ambition and the drive and the determination of businesses
to commit and people to buy apartments. Otherwise a scheme
will not go ahead.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
And in the meantime we should tax them if they
don't do anything with their land.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
It's quite a controversial idea, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Thanks for joining us. An that's set for this episode
of the Front Page. You can read more about today's
stories and extensive news coverage at enzidherld dot co dot
m ZAD. The Front Page is produced by Ethan Seals
and Richard Martin, who is also our editor. I'm Chelsea Daniels.
(18:03):
Subscribe to the front page on iHeartRadio or wherever you
get your podcasts, and tune in tomorrow for another look
behind the headlines.
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