Conceptual planning for the future redevelopment of Port of Auckland Limited (POAL) Land

The potential redevelopment of the port precinct represents a huge opportunity to further enhance Tāmaki Makaurau, to seamlessly connect the city centre to its waterfront and to create a new destination - one that attracts Aucklanders and visitors, further opens the waterfront to the public, and supports a growing central city population.

Stretching from Queens Wharf to Teal Park, the site is approximately 2km long, comparable to the length of Queen Street. The study area includes 81.5 hectares of port land, as well as Queens Wharf, Hobson Wharf extension and Teal Park – approximately 85 hectares in total.

The initial phase of this work has focused on the potential vision alongside the opportunities and constraints of this waterfront site. The land is complex because it is historically reclaimed and contains industrial wharves. A key component has been working with staff from across the council group, including Port of Auckland Limited (POAL), to understand the quality of the existing port and wharf land, the future of cruise, and other opportunities and challenges for regeneration.

We have reviewed historical work to investigate how the existing quality of the asset could affect future uses for the port land. Our work has been to outline what infrastructure, transport, or remedial work will be required to change how the port land is used in the future, with climate change factors a crucial consideration.

Eke Panuku presented conceptual plans on a potential staged redevelopment of the Port of Auckland Limited (POAL) Land to the Governing Body at a confidential workshop in July 2023.

• View the presentation to Auckland Council Governing Body in July 2023, here.
• View the Mayoral proposal on Auckland Council’s Draft Long-term Plan 2024-2034, which includes a section titled ‘Return of Port land to Aucklanders’, here.

Eke Panuku is currently developing a Framework Plan to deliver to the Governing Body to help Councillors consider what might be possible if port activities were relocated or operating on a reduced footprint. This will set out a potential high-level vision for the future of the whole site with greater detail around the probable first stage of development, and will help to guide subsequent planning and engagement.

The Framework Plan will lay out a joint council group approach, including:

• A proposition around opportunities for the full site managed by Port of Auckland Ltd (POAL).
• The major issues and challenges involved, including responding to climate change, increasing public access, complimenting the wider city centre experience, and the future of cruise and supporting infrastructure.
• The likely staging of development, including the opportunities for a first stage, and the future of the central wharves including Queens Wharf.

If the Governing Body directs Eke Panuku to further progress the work, the next step would be to develop a masterplan for the first stage of land release, specific to the Central Wharves – Queens Wharf, Captain Cook Wharf and Marsden. This includes the waterspace and associated breastworks that run next to the red fence.

If this happens:

• a thorough community engagement and consultation process would be used to engage Aucklanders and a range of waterfront and city centre stakeholders
• we would work in partnership with Mana Whenua through the masterplan process, taking a similar approach to that used for Te Ara Tukutuku in Wynyard Quarter.

It is important to note that Eke Panuku has no part to play in decisions around if, when or where the port should move, how the port should operate, or who should operate it. Our role has specifically been to respond to the opportunity of regenerating this part of the waterfront, should the land become available over time. The Governing Body will decide about any release of land and any other ways of operating the port.