This issue - in my opinion - is very high among the issues that are central to the current debate over how Auckland might host the America's Cup event in 2021.
No doubt there will be a war of words in the next few months over what the urban design priorities should be for Wynyard Quarter, and what previous planning documents mean. Panuku and others will be prepared to argue that black is white, and will wheel in urban design experts prepared to argue the case in support of building a bunch of syndicate sheds on Hobson and Halsey wharves and relocating the fishing industry to free up space for America's Cup related infrastructure.
I was an ARC Councillor during the critical period 2004 to 2010 when the Western Reclamation came into public ownership (through Auckland Regional Holdings and Sea + City all owned and governed by ARC), when the Urban Design Framework Wynyard Quarter was adopted in 2007, when the Wynyard Quarter Precinct Plan 1 dated July 2009 was adopted, when plan changes were incorporated into the Auckland Plan Coastal and the Auckland City Isthmus plan - huge public processes - all of which were designed to incorporate into statutory planning documents the objectives of the original Urban Design Framework 2007.
That framework has received national and international recognition. I won't set out all of the accolades it has received. However one of the citations from the NZ Institute of Architects reads:
The framework for the urban design of Wynyard Quarter reveals an appreciation of the exciting possibilities of this maritime precinct and a mature understanding of the realities of Auckland development. Benefitting from a design rather than a planning approach, the framework represents a qualitative advance in the thinking about the occupation and use of the Auckland waterfront. Based on clearly articulated design principles, intended to be sufficiently robust to both sustain and survive development, the framework is already being fleshed out with well-considered landscaping and architecture. This is an auspicious beginning for an important precinct.What would be an equally auspicious end, or change in direction, would be an outcome led by Panuku and Auckland Council that resulted in the fishing industry being displaced away from Wynyard by the destructive changes proposed in order to host a yachting event.
A few years ago I became aware of various policy shifts underway that appeared to threaten the fishing industry's presence in Wynyard Quarter. At the time I did some work on this and you can see the resulting 2014 post here. Have a look. There is a lot of useful information there...
Panuku and Auckland Council have recently released a whole bunch of planning documents which are casually described as a "refresh" of the waterfront planning. These haven't had any public input. They appear to lubricate the way for a profound change to Auckland's waterfront, enabling a significant increase in superyacht berthage, the relocation of the fishing industry, the development of Te Whero, the construction of substantial buildings to house America's Cup syndicates... the list goes on.
What these new documents (which fall woefully short of standards associated with credible public planning) don't do is prioritise public open space and views out over the waterspace. They de-emphasise the gritty working waterfront feel and maritime heritage protection that was so central to the original Urban Design Framework.
Councillors who have signed up to them should be raising questions about them now. In particular they should be demanding detailed financial information about the revenue streams that are projected from all of the new and additional activities Panuku's proposals will generate, and the costs of those activities, and they should be demanding better information about the losses in intangibles (or uncosted) benefits the public will suffer.
Just because some of what is currently available to the public at Wynyard Quarter is priceless, doesn't mean it has no value. So often we don't know what we've got till it's gone.
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There has been increased restriction on commercial fishing in the Hauraki Gulf. Commercial fishing was banned in the inner Hauraki Gulf in 1986 and in 2016 it was announced that this would be extended to the outer Hauraki Gulf. It is easier for fishing boats to use a port that is not in Auckland harbour and the commercial fishing base has shifted away.
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