Today marks the start of the council’s new CCO Pānuku Development Auckland. The combination of Waterfront Auckland and Auckland Council Properties Ltd. It should hopefully see some of the fantastic work that has done at Wynyard spread to other areas of the city.

Pānuku Development Auckland

If you’re wondering about the name,

‘Pānuku’ means to ‘move on’ or ‘move forward’ and the name conveys the concept of dynamism, of building towards excellence. It has been likened to the motion of a waka that requires skill to navigate, and teamwork to propel.

Wynyard Quarter

The purpose of the organisation is:

Development Auckland will contribute to the implementation of the Auckland Plan and encourage economic development by facilitating urban redevelopment that optimises and integrates good public transport outcomes, efficient and sustainable infrastructure and quality public services and amenities. Development Auckland will manage council’s non-service property portfolio and provide strategic advice on council’s other property portfolios. It will recycle or redevelop sub-optimal or underutilised council assets and aim to achieve an overall balance of commercial and strategic outcomes.

And its objectives are listed as:

Facilitate redevelopment of urban locations

Consistent with the urban form and infrastructure objectives of the Auckland Plan, Development Auckland will facilitate private sector, third sector, iwi and government investment and collaboration into the sustainable redevelopment of brownfield urban locations. It will co-ordinate provision of council’s infrastructure and other investment in these locations.

Accommodate growth

Development Auckland will contribute to accommodating residential and commercial growth through facilitating the quality redevelopment of urban locations with excellent public infrastructure and services. Redevelopment of the overall portfolio should offer a range of residential choices and price points to cater for diverse households.

Facilitate vibrant development

Development Auckland will facilitate the creation of adaptive and resilient places that inspire wellbeing, promote health and safety and are fully accessible to disabled people and older adults. It will harness and incorporate the local community’s unique identity, attributes and potential to create vibrant communities.

Waterfront development

Consistent with the Waterfront Plan 2012, Development Auckland will continue to lead the development of the Auckland waterfront in a way that balances commercial and public good objectives, including high quality urban design.

Optimisation of council’s property portfolio

Development Auckland may facilitate quality redevelopment of underutilised council landholdings within current urban boundaries.

Contribute to the management of non-service properties

Development Auckland will also manage council’s non-service properties in partnership with the council group.

While there will obviously still be a lot of work to do on the waterfront it will be interesting to see what tasks they take on first. There’s certainly no shortage of areas to look at. The map below shows land owned by the council.

Council Owned Land

The larger areas are obviously things like parks, cemeteries or golf courses however there are also a lot of other opportunities – often hidden by the scale of the map above. Some examples are below.

Takapuna

Council Owned Land - Takapuna

Panmure – there are quite a few sites around the train station.

Council Owned Land - Panmure

Manukau

Council Owned Land - Manukau

Here’s the press release.

Auckland Council’s new urban regeneration agency officially opens its doors for business today.

The new Council Controlled Organisation (CCO), Pānuku Development Auckland, is a merger of two former council controlled organisations, Waterfront Auckland and Auckland Council Properties Ltd, and came out of an Auckland Council’s review of all its CCOs that began in 2013.

The intent with the new entity is to bring together the commercial property and urban redevelopment skills of both legacy organisations to provide Auckland with a clearer focus on how it responds to the challenges and opportunities of a growing region.

Sir John Wells will chair Pānuku Development Auckland. He’ll be supported by three Directors from Waterfront Auckland (Richard Leggat, Susan Macken and Evan Davies), ACPL Directors (Richard Aitken – Deputy Chair and Anne Blackburn) and three new appointments (Paul Majurey, Mike Pohio and Martin Udale).

John Dalzell, the former Chief Executive of Waterfront Auckland, will be the Interim Chief Executive and David Rankin, the former Chief Executive of Auckland Council Property, will be the Director of Strategy and Engagement.

Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town, who has overseen the transition process, says with a specific mandate and visibility over all Council landholdings, the new organisation will be in a good position to assemble and shape larger scale and more integrated development opportunities.

“By co-ordinating and optimising Council assets and resources in agreed locations, and partnering with other landowners such as iwi or Central Government, Pānuku Development Auckland will enable and ensure private sector participation at pace and in step with defined outcomes in the Auckland Plan.”

“Such outcomes will include providing quality mixed-use development where good design reflects community need and culture, demonstrates sustainability and offers a diversity of commercial premises and residential dwellings.”

John Dalzell says he’s looking forward to the challenge and opportunities the new organisation will bring.

“Whether it’s a site in Onehunga or Takapuna, our role and responsibilities will be customised to each specific project, initiative and location. A few will be of high custodial nature associated with urban regeneration. Some will be at the other end of the scale with a more facilitative role; and some will be much more able to be delivered in the short term.”

Pānuku Development Auckland will have 170 staff with the majority of positions from the two previous organisations not changing or being subject to minor change.

The new head office for Pānuku Development Auckland will be at the existing Waterfront Auckland offices at Pier 21, 11 Westhaven Drive.

Wynyard - Kids Playing
I’m looking forward to more people centred urban developments around Auckland.
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28 comments

  1. Congratulations to Auckland for getting its act together. Looking forward to it becoming a world-class city.
    One thing I am curious about on those maps, is the lack of any yellow paint in central Auckland CBD or on the waterfront. Surely some of that land must be Council owned? Or is even all of Wynyard Quarter still owned by the Port?

      1. The council owns everything north of Pakenham St West – so that’s all of Wynyard Quarter except the two southernmost blocks. Technically, it was Waterfront Auckland ownership so presumably that will pass to Development Auckland, it’s still very much a development area after all.

  2. If a big fan of the CCO model, I think this one is really promising.
    How about a planning CCO instead of the current politically driven planning department.

    1. Uhm, how about we outsource politics to unelected boards of companies too? Serco is looking for new work!

      [Actually I am quite positive about how some of the CCOs have worked out – and Waterfront Auckland is a great example – but there’s limits, because we still are a democracy, last we looked!]

    1. They own the land and lease it to the theme park operator – similar situation for Westfield Manukau across the road, the council owns most of the carpark land and some of the land under the shopping mall itself.

  3. Matt, the overview image shows only a small part of Auckland. Do you have the rest?

    Also, keen to see their plans for the Helensville waterfront and urban environment redevelopment. HAAAHAHAhaha.

  4. So another expensive rebranding and a Maori name for an organisation for development (something which most iwi seem to be opposed to… how ironic…)

    1. It’s not a rebranding. It’s the logical idea of combining 2 Council Controlled Organisations and giving it a new name as both of the previous ones don’t fit the description.

  5. Those maps are a worry. Really, I do wish you wouldn’t keep publishing them, without distinguishing between brownfield and greenfield.

    To me they suggest you’re almost flagging them for development.

    Building over playing fields (Bill Mackinlay Park in Panmure?), reserves and parks.. I see some spectacular, precious places highlighted: The Domain, Waiatarua Reserve, Ambury Farm Park, Kepa Bush.. even the Waitakeres. Sure I know that’s not what’s intended. But it’s grossly misleading.

    As Auckland intensifies, some of these places are going to be under pressure because they are relatively cheap land. But their CVs don’t even begin to reflect their true value.

    Just about the only thing worse than ex-urban sprawl would be inner urban sprawl.

  6. More wasted rates money by useless, paper-pushing bureaucrats. if they really had Auckland’s interests in mind, most of them would quit because they don’t bring any value to the city.

    1. Ironic, when you are talking about Waterfront Auckland, one of the best things that happened to Auckland for a long while.

      But hey, you seem to think the market will solve it, seeing that you indicate a preference for less govt? Even though we have fewer civil servants than most of the western world?

      1. Waterfront Auckland have acheved what, exactly? The playground in Wynyard? The bland, mid-rside development of Wynyard? The tram to nowhere? The Queens Wharf state house? I’m hanging out here for achievements of note.

        1. If nothing else, peoples’ position on the “state house” provides a nice quick barometer of how much time you should spend listening to the rest of their opinions

        2. In five years they have transformed a port into the busiest square kilometer of contruction in NZ.

        3. Yep, and Wynyard Quarter has 2 buildings worth more than the entire Fletcher redevelopment in about 1/8th the spcae.

  7. Good God who let the trolls out? A few bad tempered whingers on here today. Is it the weather? Perhaps they should pop across to Whaleoil.

    Personally I’m excited at the transformation of Auckland presently underway. Thank God for the visionaries.

    If the moaners don’t like it I suggest they might like it in Temuka.

  8. I have to say I am against the council acting as a developer. For one they are the regulator when it comes to land use so there is a conflict. In addition why are they risking public money on development? It’s not like we don’t have a market for land development.

    1. Don’t think PDA won’t do any development themselves, they’ll be more likely to do as has happened in Wynyard and come up with the master plans and then work with private developers to build the actual buildings.

    2. yeah I think it’s more of a public private partnership. Council already owns lots of land that is not being particularly well-used. Some of it may, however, have strategic value, so it’s not just a matter of handing it over to the private sector.

      Through this agency, Council can ensure wider strategic outcomes are maintained (e.g. access to waterfront, access to public transport) while ensuring that the land they own is used in a way that recognises its commercial value as well. As with Wynyard Quarter, this might result in partnerships to realise both strategic and commercial outcomes.

      At least that’s my take on it from afar …

  9. Great news! Hopefully they could start to do some TOD like new lynn.

    Redevelop, attract private investment, recycle initial capital, and repeat

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