Vibrant City
In 2023 we hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup bringing $24m into the city
We’re providing an extra
$500k
per year for city safety initiatives
Work on the Golden Mile revitalisation will begin in 2024
We’ve approved
16
new parklets in the inner city
A greener central city
Filling the gaps in the inner city
We’ve committed to expanding the number of parks in the central city by adding a brand new park on the corner of Taranaki and Fredrick Street.
Over the next twenty years we expect the areas surrounding Taranaki Street to blossom with new residential buildings and local businesses. To strengthen the local community we’re investing in a new park that will support all of this development.
This park will be alongside the Chinese Mission Hall, and the recently completed Frederick Street Apartments.
Image Credit: Wellington City Council
Using all the space we have
Completed in 2023 the Swan Lane and Garrett Street upgrades have improved the look of the precinct, made it easier to walk around. The upgrades involved new surfacing, the installation of two rain gardens, new lighting, bike racks, and extra seating near Glover Park.
The new rain gardens are a cost effective way of removing pollutants from our waterways and bring natural vibrancy to our inner city streets.
We also added a mural by Izzy Joy (Kāi Tahui) to brighten up some of the blank walls along Garrett Street.
Image Credit: John Fillmore Contracting
Telling the stories of Pōneke
In 2024 we opened the redeveloped play area at Frank Kitts Park - Te Aro Mahana. The redevelopment includes an interactive waka named Whetuu Maarama which connects us to the importance of waka in our collective history. The name Te Aro Mahana was gifted by Taranaki Whānui and acknowledged the sites connection to Te Aro Pā.
We’re also committed to two further developments at Frank Kits Park, the Fale Malae and the Chinese Garden, which will provide a physical representation of the contributions made by our Pacific and Chinese communities to the Wellington we have come to know and love.
Image Credit: Wellington City Council
More space for people
We’ve enabled thousands of new homes in our city through the district plan.
Parklets are another way we’re bringing the city to life, and we’ve approved another 16 parklets to enable business to expand their storefront, bring in more customers, and give people more opportunities to dine outside.
A study conducted by the City of Toronto found that parklets not only contributed to creating great public spaces but found that they also stimulate economic activity in the surrounding areas. When these parklets are well designed they encourage longer stays by visitors and improve the experience for the nearby businesses.
Image Credit: Wellington City Council
The Golden Mile
The Courtney Place Revitalisation project will be one of our largest investments into public space in Pōneke. Construction will start in April 2025 and will bring life back to Courtney Place. The Golden Mile will:
Provide a much needed uplift to the look and feel of Courtney Place, creating a space that people want to spend time with their friends and whanau.
Make it easier for people to move through the city by foot, bike, or bus.
Create safer and more accessible spaces with better lighting, wider footpaths, and slip resistant paving.
Provide a renewal of the pipes underneath our streets so we don’t need to come and rip up the road again in a couple years time.
Bringing people into the city
In 2023 we hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup with over 200,000 tickets sold to Wellington games. 40,000 of those were purchased by international visitors and a further 36,000 were purchased by people outside of Wellington.
Wellington NZ estimated that the world cup brought $24.6 millions in net benefit to the city, $13m more than we had projected.
1.
Every year we support Cuba Dupa to attract 100,000 to the city centre as part of New Zealand’s biggest outdoor arts and music festival. We’re extending this success by running a Summer Series where we open up Cuba Street for people to enjoy.
This year our Summer Series included Fringe on Cuba, PARK(ing) Day, and the Cuba Dupa pre-party.
2.
We’re committed to implementing the Wellington Destination Management Plan. The plan has an ambition of making Wellington a zero-carbon city famous for experiences that ignite curiosity and make you think.
Most of Wellington’s visitors are from New Zealand, and our Strategy builds on this to provide even more opportunities for our neighbours to get out and experience everything Wellington has to offer.
3.