Has Tauranga really become a “ghost town”?
A sightseeing video by a visitor went viral this week for all the wrong reasons, after highlighting a city centre filled with shop windows decked in ‘For Lease’ signs, abandoned businesses and “dead vibes”.
The video, posted on TikTok by What Zoe Does, says 90 per cent of stores in the main street are either closed or for lease.
Non-residents are shocked, calling it “dire”, “grim” with “dead vibes,” rather than the hum and buzz of activity and trade you’d expect in a city centre.
Tauranga's dwellers are aware the city centre is in crisis.
Former chair of Downtown Tauranga, Brian Berry, sounded the city’s death knoll in his last report this year, calling it “dead”, and that it had been dying for a number of years.
Downtown Tauranga figures, as at January 2023, showed there were 514 occupied sites in the Mainstreet organisation’s catchment area and 166 empty sites.
This is an increase from January 2019, when there were 422 occupied and 281 empty sites recorded.
Tauranga City Council city development general manager Gareth Wallis says a number of issues led to the dead zone in the CBD.
“The need to strengthen or redevelop buildings after they were classed as earthquake-prone, an increase in the presence of large-scale suburban shopping centres, the impacts of Covid-19, and indecision by previous councils about progressing with long-held plans for the city centre.”
It’s not all doom and gloom. There are plans to bring the ghost town back to the land of the living and make it busier than ever.
The council is now committed to revitalising the city centre, says Wallis, with projects including a new civic precinct, transformation of the waterfront, and a range of public and privately funded projects.
These will not only increase shop occupancy, he says, but create a “vibrant and thriving city centre”.
The new $306m civic precinct, Te Manawataki o Te Papa (the heartbeat of Te Papa), will include a library, community hub, civic whare (public meeting house), exhibition gallery, upgrades to a theatre and art gallery and a new museum. It is earmarked for completion in 2028.
Commissioner Anne Tolley is aware the cost of the project is significant in a cost of living crisis. Its benefits will be presented to council today, in a business case, before the project is green lighted.
“The business case paints a picture of a thriving, beating and vibrant city heart that celebrates our heritage and culture...the prediction that in just over 10 years, there could be 5500 people visiting Te Manawataki o Te Papa, and therefore the city centre, per day.” says Tolley.
New chair of Downtown Tauranga, Ash Gee, who runs popular cocktail bar and eatery Miss Gee’s, says that while she recognises the city is like it is now, she hopes people see it as “short term pain for long time gain” as the city transforms.
“The current vacancy rate in Tauranga city centre is not ideal, however we are not the only CBD in New Zealand faced with high vacancy rates. The construction of shopping centres such as Tauranga Crossing and Bayfair caused a vacuum effect for chain style retailers. This has made way for boutique retail which we are looking to attract.”
“We are currently seeing a trend of innovative new businesses moving into the city centre. Repurposing vacant retail spaces into modern ground floor offices is starting to create a thriving business hub. There are some major companies beginning their plans for relocation back into the city centre, which you will start to see happening over the next twelve to 18 months.”
8 comments
Hmmm
Posted on 24-07-2023 12:35 | By Let's get real
Part of the problem is successive arrogant council officers that believe that the world revolves around them. They claim public consultation, which may happen with "informed" camp followers, but fails dismally with the bulk of the ratepayers, who are out there trying to earn the money to pay the DEMANDS for council rates. Extravagant council amenities generate nothing but increased burden on household income. They suck money out of the local economy, but claim to be generating prosperity. Storing bits of stone and wood, shuffling bits of paper around and expelling vast quantities of hot air discussing nice to boast about empty spaces, doesn't put food on the table, provide affordable housing or do anything for the health and well-being of the bulk of the community that are being treated as totally irrelevant. Refocus on the core objectives of council & stop trying to get your name in lights.
Tolley's folly.
Posted on 24-07-2023 13:25 | By morepork
Why not spend the $300 million (which will likely double by the time it is implemented) on encouraging business back to the empty premises, with initial free rental periods while businesses get established, and rents geared to a percentage of profitability, after say, 4 months operating? Show that the administration is committed to encouraging the existing location, without grandiose plans that simply indulge vanity and are of questionable value (at a time when we can't afford them). Accept that cars are the lifeblood of the city and sort out the parking. Get Cameron Road sorted with an intensive effort and work shifts to do it. We have a beautiful city and waterfront and it should be buzzing. It has in the past and it can again. THEN, when you have a CBD that is back on its feet, you might consider some further development...
Of carts and horses.
Posted on 24-07-2023 13:40 | By morepork
The problem with our CBD is that the cart (major development) is being put before the horse (existing thriving commerce). Building flash new facilities in a place no-one wants to go, is unwise. Forcing businesses out of the existing location is simply counter-productive, and results from over-inflated values and poor grasp of the reality. Businesses can't thrive without traffic and traffic is being stifled. Businesses cannot indefinitely cope with high overheads when traffic is slowed to a trickle. Instead of looking at reality and dealing with it, the plan is to wage a war on cars, and hope people will come on buses if the buildings are big and impressive enough. Start by fixing the current problem. Restore traffic flow and accept that the CBD has low value right now as a business location. Work WITH the businesses and the community instead of waging war on them.
Downtown lost the battle
Posted on 24-07-2023 13:52 | By treekiwi
to be a retail centre with the rise of the outlying malls which provided easier access, free parking, longer trading hours and more variety. Nothing will change this new status of the area to encourage retail back with the space, access and parking limitations that would make it accessible to everyone.
It's now the commercial hub of the city and parking and access for that is completely unsatisfactory now in volume and availability for those who have no choice but go there for their non-retail jobs.
Maybe the skinny little peninsular looked a good bet for the town 150 years ago, but it's been decades since that was any kind of reality.
Apartments
Posted on 24-07-2023 15:07 | By Samwell
Any redevelopment of buildings in the cbd without ~6 levels of apartments on top is a waste of opportunity to revive the cbd. Good that the number of empty sites has come down since 2019
Traffic
Posted on 24-07-2023 16:54 | By Angels
To travel , in or out of town is a huge mission with the nightmare traffic. That is why we are also , know as the worst traffic in Nz too.
They are now destroying all the businesses along Cameron road.
Is anyone accountable for all these disastrous programs.
They say they consult us , yes after they have already made their decisions they give us lip service.
Time for accountability.
Time for democracy and a real accountable council.
It’s not all doom and gloom.???
Posted on 24-07-2023 21:51 | By nerak
What else is it then? Tga is one complete disaster zone, absolutely no amount of crap coming from council is going to change that. 30 minutes from Mitre 10 Gate Pa to 11th Ave today. Same all around the area. Too many warm backsides (900) in council, earning far more than they are actually worth, 'placating' ratepayers with numerous pseudo surveys never looked at when presented. 'The council is NOW committed to revitalising the city centre'...Why now, when spending is utterly out of control? Remind me again, whose money?
Of course the place is dead, started way back maybe 15 years ago. After Christchurch quake 2011 it took them 8mths to get a pumping container mall up and running. We came home from that mall and realised how dead Tauranga was, even then. Maybe some of our problem is too many staff on council, not enough brains.
@nerak & Let's get Real
Posted on 25-07-2023 14:03 | By morepork
Two excellent posts which cover different aspects of the problem. I can only say: "Hear! Hear!" to both of you.
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