Viv Beck: Heart of the City CEO on the closure of Auckland's Smith & Caughey's

Smith and Caughey's closure indicates what needs to change in Auckland's CBD 

The city's most iconic department store is closing its doors after 145-years, with the loss of almost 100 jobs. 

The closure comes down to increased competition, economic hardship, and the state of the central city.  

Heart of the City Chief Executive, Viv Beck told Mike Hosking it's a sign of fundamental flaws in the management of Auckland's CBD, especially in transport.  

She says the system needs more functionality and common sense to meet Auckland's realistic transport needs. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You want to see a story of how to record place,
try downtown Auckland. After one hundred and forty five years,
we got confirmation last night that Smith and Coey's can't
do it anymore. Economic hardship, CBD safety, road cones, homeless, parking,
picking anyone you want. If you've ever seen a council
try to record joint that this is it. The store
will officially close by the end of July. Vibeca's the
heart of the city boss, of course, and she is

(00:20):
with us. Good morning to you, good morning. Was it
always coming post the initial announcement or not?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, we hope they'd be able to get through to
the opening of the CRL And we have absolutely laid
it out clear as day to both Auckland Counts and
on Auckland Transport what they needed to do to reduce
the barriers to get into the central city. And I
think the lack of action is inexcusable.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
I know you don't like me saying this, but I've
been to this. I go to the city, it's a dump.
I wouldn't go to Smith and Coe. Why would it
bother with the homeless, the cones, the signs, the fines
that you can't get there. It's just ruined. It's wrecked.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well on the moment, obviously, that's that's a good call.
I mean, you know, the reality is, we know the
things that need to change. There are some fantastic things
here and we've just had thousands of people for the
Writers Festival, but there are fundamental flaws in the way
this is being managed and it has to stop. The

(01:23):
reality is has been an obsession with getting cars out.
We've already lost forty four percent of them. So it's
twenty fifteen, and yet Auckland Transport seems to think finding
people in our nighttime district in Queen Street is acceptable.
The reality is the ideology has to be replaced by
common sense, economic viability, operational functionality and has to meet

(01:45):
Auckland as realistic transport needs. I've got a whole other
story to talk about another day about the safety and
what we're trying to get counsel to do on that.
It's not just counsel, but there is more they can
do and we determined to keep on that. But the
reality is we've got so much good stuff and it
is a positive future. The City rail Link will make

(02:05):
access easier, but we cannot tolerate this behavior anymore. At
has to stop.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Well see but appreciate it. Beck, Heart of the city.
Probably the toughest job in New Zealand outside being the
Finance Minister. But that's one hundred and forty five years
of history just done. And that's the Auckland Council for you.
That's how useless they are.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
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