City Centre Design Collective

It was with courage and belief that Auckland Council’s Auckland Design Office (ADO) entrusted transformation of Auckland’s Downtown waterfront to local design practices as the City Centre Design Collective (CCDC) through delivery of the Downtown Infrastructure Development Programme (DIDP). The CCDC was challenged with imagining new ways of working together and with Mana Whenua through an innovative design partnership. At the beating heart of this kaupapa was a requirement of the CCDC to create ways of designing that would help move from Auckland to Tāmaki Makaurau.

An intense, immersive and collaborative process provided the CCDC with a range of strategies and ways of working, all with a singular focus on place as Client - Tāmaki Makaurau (as opposed to Auckland). Now integrated into the daily life of Tāmaki Makaurau, the DIDP has transformed the City Centre’s relationship with Te Waitematā. Noticeably different and exciting public spaces carry the mark of deep knowledge and rich cultural expression to express a tangible sense of manaaki for all users of these spaces as they visit, dwell, pass through - or stand as Mana Whenua. Relationships, knowledge and understanding of place have been shared and developed through the DIDP which will be taken forward into other programmes of work, an investment that will bear fruit for all in the future.

The CCDC provides a model approach for other cities across Aotearoa to redefine their public spaces and relationships with Mana Whenua to be uniquely and recognisably of their respective places.