Whangārei CBD: The plans to turnaround a struggling city centre

“We’ve all seen the inner city declining over the last few years.”

The regular meetings of about 30 people from agencies including police, Kāinga Ora and health organisations have already come up with initiatives such as a wellbeing hub for rough sleepers and the mentally unwell, plus an alcohol accord aligning police and hospitality venues.

Couper said while he would be holding agencies to account to deliver, he expected it could take two to three years before change was felt.

Difficulties of inner-city business

Inner-city businesses shutting shop was not new to central Whangārei, nor unique to the city, Couper said.

Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper wants to see the CBD thriving but admits it will take time to turn it around.

“Anecdotally, we hear other cities grappling with the same problems, not even just here in New Zealand but overseas too.

“Online shopping, a change in retail spending habits, all make a difference. We will take learnings from other places but we have to deal with our city.”

Challenges included Northland’s unemployment rate of 8.8% in June – the highest of any region in the country.

But Couper said there was plenty of job growth coming, with major projects including the hospital rebuild, Northport expansion and start of the Northern Expressway, plus potential projects such as a biorefinery at Marsden Point.

Developing a tertiary education hub in Whangārei’s Knowledge Education and Arts Hub (Kea) would not only train Northlanders for these projects but bring significant input into the CBD, he said.

Community leaders want Whangarei’s CBD to be full of people and thriving year-round. Photo / Denise Piper

“It will bring 2500 to 4000 students into the Forum North area which will then flow into the town and there will be a significant amount of accommodation required for students as well.”

The council encouraged inner-city living and was looking at other changes, such as new parking technology and extra lighting, he said.

Couper said Whangārei CBD’s small size was a positive, as it was personal and small enough to walk around.

While growth areas like Ruakākā and Waipu were also growing their business offerings, Couper was adamant they would not compete with the town centre.

“This district is going to grow. It’s going to take off and we need to make sure that our city centre is a place where those people can come and find what they want in a city,” he said.

“I do feel positive about the future of our district – I think we’re really on the cusp of good things.”

Whangārei’s Mayoral Inner City Taskforce, including Jensen Webber from Mahitahi Hauora (left, speaking) recently told Prime Minister Christopher Luxon what they hope to achieve. Photo / Denise Piper

Citywide strategy will take CBD forward

Tim Robinson, an inner-city business owner and acting chief executive for NorthChamber, admitted more CBD businesses were considering shutting their doors.

But he was also confident change was just around the corner.

As part of the mayoral taskforce, Robinson was pushing for a citywide business strategy, funded a third each by council, central government and businesses.

The strategy would give a vision to help businesses through the latest challenges, and set them up to cater for things such as the tertiary education hub, he said.

“It’s how to provide businesses on the ground with some immediate hope that it’s worth hanging on for the next six to 12 months, in the knowledge that things are going to get better.”

Tim Robinson, co-owner of Bernina Northland and NorthChamber chief executive, says customers need to have a great experience to keep them coming back. Photo / NZME

Robinson said the important part of this work was it wouldn’t just be a council strategy, it would belong to everyone.

Implementation would be a big part of the strategy, set to be done by a world-renowned New Zealand company.

The only hold-up was the funding from businesses, including commercial business owners, he said.

Speaking as a business owner, Robinson encouraged shops and hospitality venues to focus on giving their customers a great in-store experience.

His store Bernina offered great advice plus step-by-step workshops, and was frequently changing its offerings to keep up with the latest textile fashion, he said.

“The only way that we can keep viable and sustainable is having a unique point of difference based on customer experience.”

In Monday’s Northern Advocate, we start meeting those finding success in our CBD.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.