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Business Happenings
Some pain for a lot of gain
23 April 2008
By Cameron Brewer
‘Growing pains’ is probably the best expression to sum up Newmarket’s situation over the next few years.
It’s not a bad predicament to be in but it does require patience and some careful planning. In fact so much is on the radar locally that one senior Auckland City Council officer has been given the specific responsibility of co-ordinating the myriad of Newmarket projects that have either been kicked off or are about to be.
Private sector projects on the books include AMP Capital Investor’s development of the Lion Brewery site. The 5.2 hectares will be transformed from a factory to a high-end mixed use development which will include new streets, substantial commercial buildings, pockets of retail, and residential.
Westfield is committed to expanding its 277 shopping centre all the way to Gillies Avenue, which will almost double the size of the mall and substantially add to the parking beneath. Immediately across Gillies Avenue, the Newmarket Primary School will build a 300-seat hall which they are currently fundraising for.
The very controversial apartment development between Broadway and the railway track is under construction and once complete it will accommodate 1,000 residents, 1,200 cars and about 40 shops. It will tower eight stories above the bottom of Remuera Road.
Three years ago when I arrived into this job, and before any foundations were in the ground, I wrote letters and met with the previous council about this proposed complex. One Saturday morning I even hired a megaphone and organised a protest. But I was all a bit late. The original consent goes back to the 1990s and the plans went non-notified.
Public sector investment includes our $6m Broadway upgrade which is running on time and within budget. This year-long project is due to be completed in September. May marks the start of major stormwater works beneath Lumsden Green which will be followed by the council’s $2m beautification of the park.
We’ve also got the Central Connector coming to Newmarket which is the dedicated bus corridor now under construction. It will run from Britomart, over Grafton Bridge and onto Khyber Pass Road.
Work continues on the $70m Newmarket rail upgrade which will include a brand new central railway station where the old 1908 station used to sit, a massive junction upgrade, and double tracking to Boston Road. The Boston Road station will be relocated to the corner of Khyber Pass and Park roads and the Remuera Road rail bridge will be rebuilt to accommodate future electrification. When the Newmarket rail upgrade is finished the two temporary stations will be dismantled.
And of course Transit is set to build a new viaduct motorway, above the southern end of Broadway, at the cost of $150 million with a construction period of three to four years. As I said Newmarket’s growing pains will continue for some time yet.
Cameron Brewer is the general manager of the Newmarket Business Association
Summary of Businesses and Employment in Newmarket
- There are 19,100 employees in 3,116 businesses in Newmarket in 2005.
- Property and Business Services Businesses comprise the largest share of businesses at 42 percent. There are 1,322 businesses in this sector in Newmarket. This is a key growth sector for the Auckland region.
- This is followed by Retail Trade, Finance and Insurance and Health and Community Services Businesses which collectively comprise a third of Newmarket’s businesses. This reflects the office sector and retail roles of Newmarket.
- Newmarket is a key office based employment area close to Auckland’s CBD.
- Property and Businesses Services is also the largest industry sector of employment, comprising 25 percent of all Newmarket’s employees.
- This is followed by the Retail Trade, Health and Community Services, Wholesale Trade, Education and Finance and Insurance sectors, which collectively comprise 52 percent of Newmarket’s employment.
- Land intensive primary and industrial sectors comprise a comparatively small share of businesses and employment in Newmarket. These include Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Mining and Quarrying, Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas and Water Supply, Construction and Wholesale Trade sectors. This reflects the office and retail oriented nature of this centre.
- Newmarket contains 5.6 and 6.4 percent of Auckland city’s businesses and employment respectively.
- Newmarket contains 2.4 and 3.3 percent of Auckland region’s businesses and employment respectively.
Click here to see this data in a graphed presentation.
Click here to see the mapped area this data was gained from.
12 reasons why to set up business in Newmarket
1. Newmarket has been voted 'Auckland's best shopping precinct' by Metro magazine readers every year for the past four years.
2. Newmarket is a fast growing commercial centre with over 16,000 people working in the business district every day. Big corporates headquarters include Ericsson Communications, Vector, Watercare, Fidelity Life, Lion Nathan, Westfield NZ, and Sony BMG. Newmarket is also home to cutting edge businesses like Woosh Wireless and Commonwealth Games sponsors Orca wetsuits and sports apparel.
3. Newmarket is a key public transport hub, with hundreds of buses going through the bustling area everyday, including the popular Link bus. A dedicated bus corridor linking the central city to Newmarket, via the university and hospital, will be constructed from next year.
4. On the train Newmarket is only seven minutes from Britomart with the local railway station scheduled for a $50 - $70m upgrade. Every morning hundreds of rail commuters make their way from north, south, east and west into Newmarket – the region’s key rail junction. Up to 1,000 apartment dwellers will soon neighbour the railway station, with the complex also adding around 30 shops to the area.
5. For those who like looking good, Newmarket is well endowed with gyms and health-enhancing centres. It is home to the 50-metre indoor Olympic Pool and boarders Auckland's oldest park, The Domain - a runner's paradise. The region's number one man-made tourism attraction, the Auckland War Memorial Museum, also boarders the town centre.
6. Newmarket has over 100 cafes, bars and restaurants with eight recently opening their doors in the completely redeveloped Nuffield Street.
7. Newmarket is home to high-end fashion with big names such as Karen Walker, Trelise Cooper, Workshop and Zambesi all choosing Newmarket for their flagship stores.
8. Two Double Seven, the best shopping mall in New Zealand, is located in the heart of Newmarket and is about to get bigger and better. It anchors Broadway which boasts the best strip shopping experience in the country. Now with Nuffield Street and its 29 stores added to the mix, Newmarket now offers the most rounded retailing experience in Auckland. and Grafton. Further, despite any myths Newmarket has plenty of spare parking capacity - 10,600 car parks to be precise.
9. The Auckland City Council has committed to nearly $10m worth of infrastructural upgrades including new footpaths for Broadway in 2007 and a modernisation of Lumsden Green, starting this summer. The fabulous Rialto Cinemas have also been completely refurbished, now offering more cinemas and Art House movies.
10. Newmarket is always bustling, helped by the fact that 8,000 students attend a number of Auckland's best secondary school that boarder the town centre.
11. Unlike the CBD Newmarket is better strategically located and is a lot more accessible for employees and shoppers residing all around Auckland particularly in the likes of the Eastern Bays, Remuera, Parnell, Epsom, Mt Eden, Balmoral,
12. Newmarket has the most proactive business association in Auckland, actively marketing the aspiring town centre to the consumer, promoting its businesses and issues to the wider public, and working behind the scenes with local authorities to constantly improve the likes of infrastructure and security.
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