City centre recovery
Today we released an economic report and media statement outlining the risks to the city centre economy from COVID-19. It shows that more than 12,000 jobs and $3B of GDP could be lost by March 2021.
The reason we have released this is because we want to ensure that the needs and risks for the city centre are top of mind for central and local government and that there is a collaborative focus on addressing these risks. We want to ensure that the hard-won vibrancy and success of the city centre is not lost.
We have a unique place here. We are a significant centre for commerce, as well for tourism, retail and hospitality, entertainment and the arts. Prior to lockdown we were heading into a period with growth, a great line up of events and a number of developments close to completion. With the borders closed, restrictions for trading and gatherings and the requirement for people to work from home, even once we get into Level 2, our normally busy and vibrant city centre could change for quite some time.
We are optimistic that America’s Cup and APEC will still happen in 2021 and we want our city centre to be in a position to capitalise on this opportunity and put its best foot forward.
Given this, we are focused on a strategic recovery response for the city centre. This will build on the investment already underway and will consider:
- appropriate support for businesses and impacted sectors
- opportunities for trading in a restricted environment and how best to provide for physical distancing
- how we best ensure that the city centre is top of mind for visitors
- investment priorities to ensure we have a unique and attractive place people want to visit and do business
- opportunities to accelerate, such as improvements to access
- managing ongoing disruption to business
We are progressing discussions immediately with decision makers at Auckland Council and central government.
We will also be working with our city centre businesses to seek feedback on priorities - if you're part of the business community we welcome any general thoughts you have here.
We will continue to provide updates on the strategic city centre recovery response as work progresses.
