Mayor welcomes new City Centre Advisory Panel

The panel, made up of business leaders and key stakeholders from across the city centre, is established with each new council term, and is tasked with advising the mayor and council group on the rejuvenation of the city centre.

Mayor Brown has worked alongside Eke Panuku to identify the panel representatives and ensure a good mix of people are at the table.

“We have invested considerable time and effort in to ensuring the new City Centre Advisory Panel has the scope and ability to do what is needed and has voluntary representatives from across our city who are as passionate about it as I am.

“This term I have purposefully invited a new wave of members from across business and social sectors to bring much-needed perspective. 

“Their inclusion is part of a refreshed terms of reference for the panel and I’m looking forward to seeing them work together to improve city safety, better integration of works, reduce the impact of traffic management and increase the number of residents in the central city.

“This panel isn’t about deciding what colour the pavers should be, but instead about hearing a range of perspectives about what can be done to make the central city somewhere all Aucklanders can be proud of.

“As someone who lives and works in the central city, I will be particularly interested in how we can improve collaboration across the public and private sector to create a more prosperous city centre for both businesses, tourists and residents,” says Mayor Brown.

Eke Panuku Chair Paul Majurey says today marks a key milestone for the urban regeneration agency’s work in their newest priority location, since Eke Panuku agreed to take the lead role for the council group in the city centre.

“It is inspiring to see the level of knowledge and expertise that is represented by those who are giving their time to work with us for the city centre.  We have been looking forward to getting this new panel underway and building on the relationships and experience from many years leading the regeneration of the city’s waterfront “says Mr Majurey.

The panel will play a key role in advising the council group on strategic direction and priorities for the city centre, and the city centre targeted rate while providing civic leadership and championing the city centre.

About The City Centre Advisory Panel

A natural progression from the former City Centre Advisory Board, Mayor Wayne Brown’s newly established City Centre Advisory Panel was endorsed by the Governing Body on 15 December 2022.  

The purpose and role of the panel is to work with Eke Panuku as lead agency and the new matrix city centre team from across the council group to achieve shared outcomes for the city centre, including implementation of the city centre masterplan vision and outcomes, by:

1. a)        providing strategic advice and thought leadership based on sector and industry expertise and lived experience to help the council group set strategic direction and priorities for the city centre.
2. b)        providing advice on the future of our city centre including sector and industry trends and plans and how this can be applied to Council group programmes.
3. c)         providing advice on how the Council group can best respond to and address key challenges and opportunities facing the city centre through regeneration programmes, taking into account the changing and evolving context.
4. d)        providing advice on the resolution of strategic tension and trade-offs in relation to realising the vision and outcomes of the city centre masterplan, and the pace of change and how these decisions could impact the community.
5. e)        providing advice on priorities for the City Centre Targeted Rate, in the context of the overall group budget, and in doing so, advocating best value for the City Centre Targeted Rate ratepayers.
6. f)          providing civic leadership, champion the city centre and support for the case for progress.

Panel membership covers sectors and organisations able to advise on a range of current and future issues and opportunities for the city centre. This includes institutional members who represent the views of specific organisations, groups and Iwi in the city centre, as well as sector representatives who represent the views of specific sectors within the city centre context.

A large portion of the panel’s membership are returning members from the previous board. There are also four new membership roles agreed as part of the refreshed terms of reference.

These are:

• Tourism and travel sector
• Arts, culture and events sector
• Social sector
• Climate change advisor.

City Centre Advisory Panel members

Mayor Wayne Brown, Mayor of Auckland

Scott Pritchard, (Independent Chair)

Adam Parkinson, City Centre Residents Group

Antony Phillips, City Centre Residents Group

Anahera Rawiri, Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei representative

Helen Robinson, Social sector (Auckland City Mission)

Viv Beck, Heart of the City

Alec Tang, Sustainability and climate change

Shona McCullagh, Arts, culture and events (Auckland Arts Festival)

Jamey Holloway, Karanga-a-Hape Road Business Association

Kiri Coughlan, University of Auckland

Amy Malcolm, Auckland University of Technology

Neville Findlay, Retail sector (Zambesi)

Christina van Bohemen, Urban Design sector (Sills van Bohemen Architects)

Debbie Summers, Tourism and travel sector (ID Tours)

George Crawford, Property sector (Property Council of NZ)

Patrick Reynolds, Transport sector (Waka Kotahi)

Councillor Mike Lee, Waitematā and Gulf Ward Councillor

Genevieve Sage, Waitematā Local Board Chair

Further representation from mana whenua and the corporate sector will be joining the panel soon.  

The City Centre Advisory Panel meets bi-monthly.  Further details can be found on the Auckland Council website here.

The Eke Panuku Priority Location Director, Simon Oddie will work closely with the CCAP.