Hi All,
Have you noticed the decline of Auckland and Wellington city centres?
Tourists are coming back in a couple of months and neither city is in a good condition. Why are the councils and Government not doing anything to improve them?
Sources:
Neighbourly
Stuff
Stuff
Probably the most embarrassing news item found is this one in The Guardian.
Crime swells in NZ cities....
Okay, we could argue other cities around the world are empty too but our concern should be our own - especially as we want and more importantly 'need' the tourists back.
But, we're not ready for them. An example is my niece came over from Melbourne recently and she naturally went out on the town in Wellington on a Saturday evening. Wellington is her home town and she wanted to go to some familiar haunts. However, her experience was frankly quite scary. A lack of people frequenting the restaurants and bars - and most of the people on the streets were homeless and delinquents.
The cities are where the tourists will go out. A lot needs to be done now to ensure their safety and that they have a favourable experience so their reviews are positive and don't put off other tourists from coming here.
What can be done to make the cities safe after dark?
If you look across the ditch at what they're doing to offer their people and tourists a good time - we too need to jump onboard and host events to pull people back to the cities.
Turning Sydney into a 24-hour economy
future-proofing Sydney
Source
Do we have a task force working on our cities after dark economies?
I didn't find any news on the plan to bring people back to the city after dark. There's talk of making the cities safer with police presence - great! So our tourists see police cars and maybe some walking the streets.
This article from Newshub is good as it shows how we struggle to put a plan in place that is focused on supporting local business, local economies and getting stuff done!
Keen on your thoughts.
Donna
Have you noticed the decline of Auckland and Wellington city centres?
Tourists are coming back in a couple of months and neither city is in a good condition. Why are the councils and Government not doing anything to improve them?
Sources:
Neighbourly
On the weekends, “everything” is mostly young people behaving badly, especially late at night. But even during the daytime, it’s obvious that something has changed in the CBD.
Recently, one of Martin’s staff – “he’d been working his butt off all day”, says Martin – popped out to stock up on some groceries between the lunch and dinner service. He called in later from the hospital.
He’d been mugged, in the middle of the day, for his shoes.
Edgy is how some people describe the atmosphere in the CBD these days. At certain times, even frightening.
Recently, one of Martin’s staff – “he’d been working his butt off all day”, says Martin – popped out to stock up on some groceries between the lunch and dinner service. He called in later from the hospital.
He’d been mugged, in the middle of the day, for his shoes.
Edgy is how some people describe the atmosphere in the CBD these days. At certain times, even frightening.
This week I walked Wellington’s Golden Mile from the Embassy Theatre to Bowen St, and counted at least 11 restaurants, bars and cafes closed or on restricted hours, including the McDonald’s in Lambton Quay.
Probably the most embarrassing news item found is this one in The Guardian.
Crime swells in NZ cities....
In downtown Auckland, violent crime rates are up 30% from pre-pandemic levels, while shootings in Wellington have left residents shaken
But, we're not ready for them. An example is my niece came over from Melbourne recently and she naturally went out on the town in Wellington on a Saturday evening. Wellington is her home town and she wanted to go to some familiar haunts. However, her experience was frankly quite scary. A lack of people frequenting the restaurants and bars - and most of the people on the streets were homeless and delinquents.
The cities are where the tourists will go out. A lot needs to be done now to ensure their safety and that they have a favourable experience so their reviews are positive and don't put off other tourists from coming here.
What can be done to make the cities safe after dark?
If you look across the ditch at what they're doing to offer their people and tourists a good time - we too need to jump onboard and host events to pull people back to the cities.
Turning Sydney into a 24-hour economy
A recurring theme is a ‘New Diversity’.
It deep dives further than the narrative that entertainment needs to be more across-the-board and less alcohol-centred to draw a wider demographic into the city after sunset.
It deep dives further than the narrative that entertainment needs to be more across-the-board and less alcohol-centred to draw a wider demographic into the city after sunset.
Melbourne is buzzing after dark as foot traffic and consumer spending reach a two-year high, providing a boost for city businesses.
Do we have a task force working on our cities after dark economies?
I didn't find any news on the plan to bring people back to the city after dark. There's talk of making the cities safer with police presence - great! So our tourists see police cars and maybe some walking the streets.
This article from Newshub is good as it shows how we struggle to put a plan in place that is focused on supporting local business, local economies and getting stuff done!
Keen on your thoughts.
Donna
Comment