Over time, the 10-hectare site will feature mixed-use and sustainable development, with five of the 10 hectares transformed into a harbourside park in Tāmaki Makaurau, looking out to Te Waitematā. The city’s unique Māori identity will be woven into the fabric of the place, and is predicted to attract visitors from throughout Tāmaki Makaurau, other parts of Aotearoa and around the world.

To bring this vision to life, a design collective has been appointed by the Auckland Council-controlled organisation Eke Panuku and mana whenua following a comprehensive selection process. The process attracted submissions from leading design, landscape architecture and urban design experts — a testament to the significance of the project.

Ultimately, Toi Waihanga (comprised of LandLAB, Warren and Mahoney, Mott McDonald (supported by DONE), Stellar Projects, BECA, Fresh Concept, and New York-based landscape architecture firm SCAPE) was awarded the contract to design the public realm component of Wynyard Point. Working closely alongside Eke Panuku and mana whenua, Toi Waihanga brings substantial experience, vision, and global expertise to this important work.

Henry Crothers on behalf of the design collective says, “Toi Waihanga represents the team as a collective of ‘creative designers’ with a variety of skills, experiences and passions that will fill our ‘kete’ (basket) of knowledge over time through deep engagement and meaningful wānanga. A process of listening, enabling, designing, and delivering that enables Te Ara Tukutuku to emerge.”

The guiding document for this work, and for Wynyard Quarter’s next stage of regeneration is the plan called Te Ara Tukutuku. A name gifted by mana whenua, Te Ara Tukutuku is a name used for waka (canoe) ramps. It is a metaphor for the binding of the land and the sea, between the domains of Tangaroa and Papatūānuku.

Created in partnership with mana whenua and through consultation with key stakeholders including the Waitematā Local Board and our Auckland Council-whānau, Te Ara Tukutuku draws from the City Centre Masterplan 2020, and sits alongside the Waterfront Plan, setting the scene for the next phase of design and delivery on Wynyard Point over the coming years.

Mana whenua representative Pāora Puru, Kaitiaki, Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua says, “Although a long time in the making and not without its challenges, we as individual iwi mana whenua have come together with Eke Panuku to create a foundation document that will see the unique faces of Tāmaki Makaurau embedded into this place so future generations may see themselves reflected back and know that they belong.” 

You can read Te Ara Tukutuku here.

Four key kaupapa (principles) will guide the transformation of Wynyard Point:

• Te Wakatupu I Ō Tātou Hapori / Growing Our Communities
• Ā Tātou Whakarite Mō Ngā Wāhi Tū Wātea / Enhancing Our Public Open Space Journey
• Te Wheako I Te Taha Moana / Celebrating A Waterfront Experience
• Te Manaakitanga / Building On Our Hosting Legacy

Eke Panuku Board Chair Paul Majurey says the board is very proud of Te Ara Tukutuku. “This exceptional plan has been created through the successful partnership of the various mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau and the Eke Panuku team. This intergenerational mahi will guide the transformation of Wynyard Point — into a place where people experience the value of manaakitanga, cherish the moana, watch fleets of waka and boats, feel the grass under their feet and enjoy the spaces and mara hupara (playground) with whānau.”

For next steps, Toi Waihanga is working alongside Eke Panuku and mana whenua over a number of hui to gain an understanding of the brief and ensure a clear line of sight between the purpose, principles, design and outcomes of Te Ara Tukutuku and its delivery.

Once ready, the designs will be shared publicly so that Aucklanders can get involved, have their say, and share their aspirations for the future of the space.

The drive behind the work is to create a place that is distinctly Tāmaki Makaurau, recognisably Aotearoa, resilient, prepared for the future, and a place where people will always feel welcome.

“Where once iwi mana whenua were all but largely absent in the built environment, ongoing partnership with Eke Panuku has given rise to an increasingly sophisticated indigenous voice that is unique to Tāmaki Makaurau,” shares Adrian Pettit, Iwi Kaitiaki of Te Ākitai Waiohua, “Te Ara Tukutuku seeks to crystallise that voice, in a way that is both enduring and highly legible.”

About Eke Panuku:

Eke Panuku Development Auckland is a council-controlled organisation that delivers urban regeneration in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).