The end has arrived...

With regards to my fellow groupmates: Jayesh, Simon, Steven and Sophie, I present to you our Te Hana resource video.

I am slightly going off-topic for my last post on this blog but I want to end on a high note. Last Friday was our group presentations for Studio. Each group presented to the Te Hana community our recommendations, priorities and resources. My group's resource was a video for Te Hana. This video above is a journey of Te Hana, exploring their history, struggles, achievements and what the future holds not just for their community but also for the Auckland region.


Te Hana is in a rural area and it doesn't really relate to the theme of my blog which is the urban environment. However, I want to put this video up to promote the community and to let people know what Te Hana has been through to get to where they are now. It may be in a rural area but I think Te Hana Te Ao Marama will have an effect on Auckland as a whole once it becomes recognised as a Maori cultural and tourism centre. Auckland does not have an authentic Maori cultural centre so Te Hana will give the region a comparative advantage.


Te Hana also relates to my last post of Auckland lacking 'heart'. As said in the post, Auckland has failed to recognise its people when it comes to planning. We have planned for cars and have turned our backs to the people. Te Hana's approach to community development was aimed at its people. As the Maori proverb goes:

"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata"

"What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!"

Auckland's success lies upon its people. We should not take people for granted. We have the ability to change for the better. Together, we can shape our urban environment, rural areas, towns and communities. Collaboration is key so we can have a city that every Aucklander would be proud of.
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I give credit to my groupmates especially to Simon and Jayesh who have produced a wonderful video of Te Hana's journey.

Also, thank you to the people who have checked out my blog and for commenting on my posts. I truly appreciate it. Thanks to Dory, our lecturer who made this blog a requirement for the course. I have enjoyed blogging and I may continue this blog for planning issues in the future. This blog has inspired me and made me realise what I am interested in and passionate about.

So long for now and until we meet again...

Exciting projects.

Did you know the various projects that are happening in Auckland's waterfront?

I have blogged about Silo Park before but there are also other exciting projects that will make the waterfront a much better place.

The Waterfront Auckland website has good descriptions and updates of what is currently being done and the future plans for the waterfront.

The most popular project is The Cloud or Party Central on Queen's Wharf. It is visible on the Viaduct now and it is slowly coming to life. The Cloud will be used for the upcoming RWC 2011 as an international media lounge and as a Tourism NZ i-site. At the moment, The Could is looking like an out-of-place slug-shaped structure on the Viaduct but I am still excited to see the finished development on this once industrial wasteland.

What Queen's wharf would look like with the revamp of Shed 10 and construction of The Cloud.
Photo Source: Waterfront Auckland.

The Viaduct Events Centre is at Halsey St. in the Viaduct Harbour. The Events Centre will host banquets, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, weddings and other major events. It will be open by August 2011. Though it is not finished yet, bookings are already being accepted. There are more information available on their website.

The plan for the Viaduct Events Centre.
Photo source: Waterfront Auckland.

Close to the Viaduct Events Centre would be the new development of the North Wharf. Doesn't it look inviting?!

The North Wharf will be full of shops, restaurants, cafes that will cater to everyone's interests.
Photo source: EyeonAuckland.

Opposite the North Wharf will be Silo Park and Gateway Plaza. Gateway Plaza will be the redeveloped Tank Farm. It will be an amazing public open space that incorporates modern design. It will be unique to Auckland because the Plaza allows people to access the water via steps. See for yourself below:

The Plaza incorporates old shipping containers into the new open space.
Photos from Waterfront Auckland.

Last but not the least are Trams! Yes, there will be trams along the new waterfront developments (It will loop around Jellicoe St, Halsey St, Gaunt St and Daldy St.). The Heritage Trams will be operative during the RWC.

Construction is going on now in terms of installing the tramway lines. More photos on the EyeonAuckland website.
Photo source: Waterfront Auckland.

Whether you support the RWC and the implications that comes with it, you can't deny that the upcoming event has facilitated these ground breaking developments in Auckland's waterfront. Looking at these projects makes me think that Auckland's urban environment is definitely changing for the better.

There is a cool timeline of the Wynyard Quarter on the Waterfront Auckland website. Make sure you check it out!

Silo Park.

I was researching about Auckland's urban features and I stumbled upon the 360 Urban website. I looked through it and saw current and planned projects around New Zealand. What caught my attention is Silo Park in Jellicoe St, Auckland.

The project is to transform the once industrial area into an adrenaline fueled adventure park with NZ's funkiest playground, retail, dining and views of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Currently, the project is still under construction. Rain gardens for drainage has been made and are being filled with soil to be planted with native plants.

What Jellicoe St. looks like now.
Photo credit: Waterfront Auckland

Once finished, Jellicoe St. Wynyard Quarter will hopefully look like this:

Public open space, retail and dining services and views of the harbour. Not bad at all.
Photo credit: Waterfront Auckland

The nearby Silo Park will be an open space that will offer views of the Westhaven Marina and Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Photo credit: Waterfront Auckland

Silo Park will retain the cement silo and 'six pack' to recognise the industrial heritage of the area. It will offer great public open space with views of the Marina and the Harbour bridge and a cinema during summertime. The key uses of the park will be for recreation, water treatment, events and as a play area as shown in the photo below.

Photo credit: Urbika

I think this is a great project. Auckland's waterfront is not really something to be proud of due to the tanks and ugly ships docked in the viaduct. Projects like Silo Park will make the waterfront visually appealing and also accessible to people.

To see more photos and plans of Silo Park, go to Urbika and Waterfront Auckland. An animation of what the waterfront would look like has been made and you can view it here.

Auckland = Global City?

In our Planning 330: Community and Economic Development class, the question of will Auckland ever be a world city came up a few times. Global cities are London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

The four Alpha world cities
Photo credit: Google Images

With the recent formation of the Supercity, its aim is for Auckland to be a globally competitive metropolitan city. The Council's vision is:

In the next 10 years Auckland's CBD will grow and consolidate its international reputation as one of the world's most vibrant and dynamic business and cultural centres.

Can it actually happen though? As discussed in class, to be a global city is to have the following characteristics:

• First name familiarity.
• Active participation in international events and world affairs.
• A large population.
• Several international cultures and communities.
• Major international airport.
• An advanced transportation system and communications infrastructure.
• A strong sporting community. 
• International financial institutions

Reflecting on the list, a strong sporting community is the only one that can be truly applied to Auckland as it is hosting the Rugby World Cup this year. Although Auckland is also culturally diverse and is home to more than 150 different ethnicities, it doesn't have specific "communities" such as Little Italy and Chinatown but it now has a China Town Mall that has recently opened.

In my opinion and maybe a lot of people will agree on too, is that Auckland still has a long way to go to become a globally competitive city. I don't think it can be achieved in 10 years time. With providing an advanced transportation system and communications infrastructure alone, we are definitely running behind. If we want to achieve the Council's vision and to be like one of the alpha cities, we still have a lot to learn, step up our game and we need to put our plans into actions.

Photo credit: Google Images

We need to make this city every Aucklander will be proud of.

Graffiti Murals: Good or Bad?

Mural in K Road before it was removed
Photo from: Central Leader

Just recently, there has been a lot of talk about the removal of popular graffiti murals all over Auckland city as a part of a major clean-up project in preparation for the Rugby World Cup. The mural above has been removed by the Council and has received backlash from locals who obviously liked the colourful artwork by Askew. The mural was painted with the owner's permission and the artist was commissioned to do it. It was a popular mural in the area and it was even printed on the front cover of pamphlets by the K Rd Business Association to be given away during the RWC in order to promote art.

According to the Council, graffiti will not be removed if:

it appears to be an artwork (i.e) permission was given for work to be done.

If that was the case, then why was the K Road mural removed?

Is this a result of poor consultation from the Council?
According to Council Manager Kevin Marriot, it was their mistake as they assumed the owner wanted the mural gone. They removed it because an Auckland Council anti-graffiti volunteer made a request.

Their assumption that the owner wanted the mural to be removed is not a good reason or excuse. This shouldn't have happened if they consulted the owner or the community instead of relying on a volunteer's request. Now the Council is planning of replacing it with another mural thus wasting time and money for something that shouldn't have been done in the first place.

For the full story, click here.

While I agree that graffiti and tagging should be removed as they degrade the surroundings and bring a negative connotation to the area, I believe that there should be exceptions. Graffiti murals that have the local community's support, reflect the community's identity and are given value should not be considered to be taken off. Some murals around Auckland represent the communities and are visually appealing. Seeing these works of art can be a breath of fresh air from the dull grey or black walls of buildings.

Just take a look at these examples:

Photo credit: Hamish Rickerby

Photo credit: Cut Collective

Photo credit: Cut Collective

If you don't want graffiti murals around Auckland to be removed, you can sign the online petition No More Grey Walls.

My view of Auckland.

Photo taken by myself.

Before I talk about the different issues in Auckland, I want to start of with writing about what I like about this city. After living in New Zealand for almost five years, I have developed a love for this country and this city. Although it is not perfect, I love the diverse culture and the relaxed atmosphere. Coming from a country with 90 million people (in 2006), Auckland was a dream. I remembered the first time we explored the city, I found the air so fresh and clean. I was used to seeing smoke and fog in the air and littered streets. Though the CBD is developing problems of pollution and congestion, it was nothing compared to what I've experienced before.

To me, Auckland is a beautiful city. There are multiple beaches and dormant volcanoes that provide amazing views. For thrill seekers, there are various adventure sports and activities available and for nature enthusiasts, there is a variety of places you can go to.

View from North Head in Devonport, Beach in Arkles Bay
View from Stanley Point, Muriwai Beach
All photos taken by myself

Even the most famous cities in the world have problems, Auckland has too. Further in this blog, I will look at some of the issues and problems this city is facing today.