WINDS OF CHANGE
There’s an undeniable buzz building in the city. But how did Downtown Tauranga get its groove back? UNO goes in search of answers.
PHOTOS NICK NEWMAN + SALINA GALVAN + BEN PARKINSON @ PABLO CREATIVE
If you’ve visited Downtown Tauranga recently, perhaps to take the kids to the waterfront’s new destination playground, or grab a delicious bite from one of the many new cafes or eateries, or while away an hour or two in the stunning new Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, then you would have noticed that change is in the air.
Walking around, there’s a new buzz and vitality present. There are people and new shops opening everywhere you turn. As a local, it’s exciting to feel a vibe coming back to the downtown area.
Genevieve Whitson, general manager of Downtown Tauranga, says this shift has been gradual but unmistakable.
“It’s been a moving beast for a considerable period of time,” she explains. “It’s taken a lot of major stakeholders working with the businesses, and a variety of different organisations, including the local iwi, to get these developments up and running as part of this massive revitalisation. I would imagine that what the Tauranga City Centre is going through must right now be one of the biggest city centre activations happening across the country.”
The opening or near completion of major projects is really fuelling the sea change. Te Manawataki o Te Papa, the city’s new museum, is scheduled to open in 2028. The architecturally inspiring new library opens later this year. Panorama Towers and the Craig’s Investment Partners building continue to take shape. The large, mixed-use Northern Quarter development is now open and in full operation. These projects all add to the purposeful transformation that has been highly anticipated for years.
Since joining Downtown Tauranga in September 2023, Genevieve has been able to cross items off the city’s hypothetical ‘to do’ list.
“Every year I’ve seen more and more projects get ticked off. There are still more to go, but we’re starting to reap the rewards now.”
Along with the new developments, hospitality has also played a vital and visible part in bringing new energy to the streets. The formerly sleepy Grey Street is beginning to bustle with the arrival of Stassano Deli, which Genevieve credits with helping “zhuzh up the general atmosphere,” while at the other end of the street, The Clubhouse brings a unique experience, pairing a golf simulation and a bar setting.
“We haven’t had anything in the city centre before where you can go and play golf and then enjoy a drink,” she says. “That’s pretty cool.”
Alongside the eateries and bars, shops are coming back as well, many independently owned, giving the city a growing character.
“I think it’s going to have some niche stuff that you can’t get at a mall or sometimes anywhere else,” Genevieve enthuses. “Over the past four months, we’ve seen an increase in businesses choosing to move into the city centre.”
The injection of approximately 700 Tauranga City Council staff into the city centre last year has also supported weekday trade, adding a reliable base of customers for cafés and retailers.
Despite the complexity of construction and on-going change, the prevailing mood is shifting. “If we compare it to two years ago, it’s considerably better and if we compare it to a year ago, it’s definitely better,” she says. “There’s a sense of optimism building.”
The exciting part is that it’s only going to get better as more projects are completed, bringing people in with them.
Genevieve cites the new playground, a Tauranga City Council initiative, as one of the most significant contributors to the renewed energy, calling it “one of the best activations for the city centre.” It allowed families to plan whole days around a visit. With the updated Masonic Park, the waterfront swim access - complete with its popular Manu launchpad, and the Sauna Project, the area encourages people not just to visit, but to hang around.
She also mentions the Tauranga City Council and their 700 staff moving into their new building last May, as another key moment, as it brings increased foot traffic to hospitality and retail.
“The revitalisation of downtown has been a huge task. It takes time,” she explains. “Bringing that energy back is not something that you can change overnight. We've entered a marathon, not a sprint. Now we just have to be patient, because things are changing. We’ve not been without some teething problems, but things are moving in the right direction.” DOWNTOWNTAURANGA.CO.NZ