The Wynyard Quarter (historically also known as the Western Reclamation, Wynyard Point, Wynyard Wharf or Tank Farm) is a

reclaimed Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lak ...

piece of land on the

Waitematā Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and easter ...

at the western edge of the

Auckland waterfront The Auckland waterfront (rarely the Auckland harbourfront) is a city-side stretch of the southern Waitematā Harbour coastline in Auckland, New Zealand. Previously mostly dominated by Ports of Auckland uses, from the 2000s on it is becoming i ...

, New Zealand. It is located to the north of

Freemans Bay Freemans Bay is the name of a former bay and now inner city suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The bay has been filled in to a considerable extent, with the reclamation area now totally concealing the ancient shoreline. Hist ...

and to the west of the

Viaduct Basin Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a formerl ...

. As of 2012, a good part of the area is still covered by petrol and liquid chemical storage facilities of Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) and various other companies, that gave the area its now slowly disappearing "Tank Farm" moniker. However, major changes are underway, with the area intended to be redeveloped into a mixed-use residential-commercial area, with a major park to run along the northern headland and up to the point. As one of the first changes, the eastern section of the Quarter, as well as one of the main west-east roads running across it, were revitalised with new office and entertainment/restaurant areas, with several major projects finishing in time for the

Rugby World Cup 2011 The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

tournament.

Demographics

Wynyard Quarter covers . It is part of the statistical area of Wynyard-Viaduct, which also covers the

Viaduct Harbour Viaduct Harbour, formerly known as Viaduct Basin, is a former commercial harbour on the Auckland waterfront that has been turned into a development of mostly upscale apartments, office space and restaurants. It is located on the site of a formerl ...

. Wynyard Quarter had a population of 33 at the

2018 New Zealand census Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...

, an increase of 21 people (175.0%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 33 people since the

2006 census 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. There were 9 households, comprising 21 males and 12 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.75 males per female. The median age was 52.2 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 3 people (9.1%) aged 15 to 29, 21 (63.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 3 (9.1%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 81.8% European/

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

, 9.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 9.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although people had the option not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 63.6% had no religion and 36.4% were

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (36.4%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree. The median income was $77,700, compared with $31,800 nationally. 15 people (45.5%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 24 (72.7%) people were employed full-time, and 3 (9.1%) were part-time.

History

Early use

The Western Reclamation was progressively constructed by the

Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities of ...

, of which

Ports of Auckland Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL), the successor to the Auckland Harbour Board, is the Auckland Council-owned company administering Auckland's commercial freight and cruise ship harbour facilities. As the company operates all of the associated fa ...

is the successor. The last components of the reclamation (Wynyard Wharf) were being completed in 1930 and provided the growing harbour with additional berthage capacity and increased land for port activities. Initially used mainly by the

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

trade, it gradually changed to the current bulk petro-chemical storage.

Current use

As of the late 2000s, the area was still used by the bulk liquid industry, with 500,000 tonnes of liquids and cement being transported via Wynyard Wharf each year. This provides NZ$1.2 billion of yearly turnover, and 4000 jobs in the Auckland economy. There are also more than 100 marine companies around the area, with a NZ$400 million yearly turnover, exporting items worth NZ$120 million per year. Three fishing fleets, Moana Pacific, Sanford and Simunovich, are based in the area. SeaLink runs a car and passenger ferry service to Great Barrier Island from a terminal at the base of Wynyard Wharf. The company was seeking clarification of its future facilities in the area in 2007, as their lease was running out in 2010, and it was unlikely to invest a planned NZ$19 million in a new terminal or start using a new, faster ferry vessel before legal concerns were sorted out. An ARC planning committee noted that it supported the further provision of the ferry service in the area, though there had previously been concerns about the island freight shipping not fitting into the redevelopment vision of the area (see below). The Waterfront Plan completed 2012 does include the island ferry terminal, to be in the same general area as before. Shipping fuel storage, once an important facility at the Tank Farm, and delivered to ships in port by the ''Tolema'' refueling barge, was taken over in the late 2000s by a marine fuel tanker, the '' Awanuia'', owned by the Seafuels company. The vessel serves Ports of Auckland shipping by bringing in fuels from the Marsden Point refinery in Whangarei. A sand mining company, McCallum Brothers, used part of the western water's edge to unload barges of dredged sand (for construction projects) but has moved out of the area which was subsequently transformed into a public park / event space (Silo Park).

Redevelopment

Initial plans

Ports of Auckland still owned 18ha of the 35ha site in 2006Auckland's big chance with Tank Farm
. ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'', 10 March 2006 when it was decided that the land would be transferred to its parent company, Auckland Regional Holdings, owned by the

Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The AR ...

.Ports of Auckland loses ownership of Tank Farm site
. ''

'', 8 December 2006 As was noted on the Tank Farm website in 2006: :Changes in bulk liquid transportation, the advent of the pipeline from Marsden Point, and the progressive expiration of industrial leases in the reclamation means that Ports of Auckland's land is becoming a precinct in search of a new purpose. Following similar declarations by Auckland City and the Auckland Regional Council, political and design processes were underway in the mid and late 2000s to define the future shape of the area, a change process that will take up to 20 years. One of the main public inputs at that time was a wish for increased waterfront access, as well as the desire for more parkland on the point. However, some of these wishes were muted from political sources, as the redevelopment of the area is to be paid by the development of residential areas, with the available land for this use shrinking with an increase of the proposed park space. Already mostly agreed on was a bridge connecting the new quarter to the

. Early plans intended to name the new area 'Kahurangi',

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

for 'blue/precious jewel'. This has now been replaced with 'Wynyard Quarter', though it is still generally referred to as Tank Farm, including when talking about the whole Western Reclamation. Others have suggested the label 'Tech-Farm', referencing a 2004 call to showcase on the waterfront New Zealand's best sustainable design and technology, as well as anticipating the government's and council's 2012 initiative to establish an 'innovation precinct' within the Wynyard Quarter.

Project scope

;First stage In June 2007, more detailed concept plans were published after a year of negotiation between stakeholders. In the first stage of the redevelopment, the eastern section of the Western Reclamation, along Jellicoe Street, was to be turned into an entertainment strip, to complement similar areas on the eastern side of the Viaduct Basin, and to be completed in time for the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

. This area was to be linked to the Auckland CBD via a new 'Te Wero' bridge, to be constructed as a lift- or swing bridge after an international design competition, and expected to cost around NZ$35 million.New park 'a gift for our children'
. ''

'', 30 June 2007 As part of the area renewal, the 'Wind Tree' sculpture that was located in Queen Elizabeth II Square outside of Britomart from 1971 until 2002 was installed in the new Jellicoe Square. The August 2011 opening of the Wynyard Quarter to the general public, with the main features being the new Jellicoe Street and North Wharf areas, as well as the open spaces around 'Silo Park' (designed b
Taylor Cullity Lethlean
an
Wraight and Associates
and the Viaduct Events Centre, were met with great public interest, and critical acclaim for the synthesis between open space and formerly industrial use. ;Later stages In a next stage, a large 'point park' of 4.25 ha is to be developed on Wynyard Point, with another park strip along the east side of Wynyard Wharf. This larger design followed wide public complaints in 2006 about the new development being dominated by apartments. The layout of the park is also to be decided via an international design competition, and would leave space for a so far unidentified landmark public building. The park would include about 2.4 km of waterfront access, and would be linked with

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

via a 40 m wide tree-lined boulevard and a NZ$5 million pedestrian bridge. This work would likely take place between 2014 and 2017, after commercial leases in the area run out. Other areas in the Western Reclamation will remain set aside for marine industry, with the main bulk of land being developed as apartments, with some associated smaller-scale retail and entertainment areas.Promenades and plazas on waterfront to be proud of
. ''

'', 3 July 2007 One matter of contention, as became visible during previous consultation, is the future building height of the residential areas. After 10–16-storey buildings proposed in 2006 met strong opposition, the July 2007 design envisages only a small number of 14-storey towers, with the main apartment strips along the eastern side of Wynyard Wharf being no higher than seven storeys at the road, stepping down to three storeys at the water's edge. The new Western Reclamation zone is to be dominated by public transport, with the targeted transport mix being 70% public transport / walking / cycling and 30% motor vehicle, a reversal of the typical modal share in Auckland City. Ferries are also mooted as possible connections. ;Cruise ship terminal With new plans to open up the

for more public access, the lack of sufficient cruise ship berthing space has entered the public discussion early 2008. This led to considerations that a new terminal could be built on the Western Reclamation. A major negative point for this usage would however be the short-term (from 2010 on) need for more cruise ship space, while the tank farm is unlikely to be redeveloped less than a decade in the future.

Funding

The public infrastructure costs of redeveloping the Western Reclamation were first estimated at around NZ$400 million in 2006, of which between 5 per cent and 10 per cent are expected to be spent on cleanup of soil contamination due to petrochemicals. In 2007, this was updated to NZ$504 million (with the whole project, including the private investment, expected to cost more than NZ$2 billion). Most of the public infrastructure costs, NZ$349 million, are expected to be carried by development contributions, with NZ$112 million from Auckland Regional Holdings (

) and NZ$43 million from Auckland City Council.Ratepayers get off lightly on Tank Farm
. ''

'', 4 July 2007

Construction

In 2010, the first stages of work began in the Wynyard Quarter, among them the construction of a new-look, 'pedestrian-oriented boulevard' Jellicoe Street, which is to be a new entertainment area, linked to the

by a walking/cycling bridge (

Wynyard Crossing Wynyard Crossing (also known as Te Wero Bridge) is a modern double bascule pedestrian and cyclists' bridge built in 2011 in Auckland, New Zealand. It connects the redeveloped Wynyard Quarter with Te Wero Island and the existing Viaduct Harbou ...

). Also underway is the construction of a new length of

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

track (see further section below). All the projects are to be completed in time for the

, when the area is to be part of an extended

visitor zone on the waterfront.

Transport

Tram circuit

As part of the concept to make the new quarter more interesting, as well as accessible, a new

circuit was constructed around the quarter, using two heritage trams on a 1.5 km $8 million clockwise track. It is hoped that the tram line will later be extended, to serve transport as well as tourist functions for the quarter. Such a link, initially to the Britomart Transport Centre was originally intended to form part of the initial works, but the global financial crisis scuttled plans to make the new

substantial enough to also serve trams, though the foundations for the interim bridge will be sufficient for a later bridge upgrade. The tram circuit was proposed by the Campaign for Better Transport and the

MOTAT The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) is a science and technology museum located in Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand. It is located close to the Western Springs Stadium, Auckland Zoo and the Western Springs Park. The museum ha ...

museum, and in Phase 1 includes a 1.5 km loop track with 4 stops and separate sidings to house the trams. Commercial service started on 6 August 2011. Phase 2 will be the later extension to Britomart, with no timeframe set. The 1920s trams are leased from Bendigo Tramway Museum in Australia, and are a W2 Class tram with 52 seats for weekends and holidays, and a 32 seat X1 Class tram for mid-week periods. However, the tram system will also be able to operate both trams at the same time.

Harbour Crossing

Earlier feasibility studies saw the possible terminus of a new Waitematā Harbour Crossing (possibly as a tunnel) at Wynyard Point. These have now been shelved by Transit New Zealand, with one remaining option being a longer tunnel to surface near Fanshawe Street or further south along Cook Street, possibly with an underground public transport station somewhere underneath the Tank Farm. A less likely option has also been proposed by Mike Lee, Auckland Regional Council chairman, who suggested a tunnel underneath the Auckland CBD to emerge east of the city centre at Stanley Street, thus avoiding the

Central Motorway Junction The Central Motorway Junction or CMJ (best known as Spaghetti Junction and rarely as Central Motorway Intersection), is the intersection of State Highways 1 and 16, just south of the central business district of Auckland. A multilevel structu ...

and city centre traffic.Brian Rudman: Hallelujah, talk before bulldozers
. ''

'', 11 July 2007 The plans to connect the new quarter with Victoria Park would make a cut-and-cover tunnel construction possible along the length of the planned Daldy Street boulevard in the Western Reclamation, providing for two public transport and two private vehicle lanes. Light rail was also mentioned as a long-term possibility. However, as it is unlikely that the harbour tunnel section would be built before 2020 earliest, coordination with the development of the new quarter would pose some difficulties.Transit rethinks tunnel entrance
. ''

'', 5 July 2007

Economy

The Air New Zealand head office is located off of Beaumont and Fanshawe Streets in Western Reclamation Precinct 2.Gibson, Anne.
Air NZ readies for headquarters shift
" ''

''. 14 August 2006. Retrieved on 26 August 2009. The airline moved there from the Auckland CBD in 2006.

ASB Bank ASB Bank Limited, commonly stylised as ASB, is a bank owned by Commonwealth Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, operating in New Zealand. It provides a range of financial services including retail, business and rural banking, funds managem ...

recently built its new headquarters for Auckland at the corner of Jellicoe Street and Halsey Street. Various marine-related industries also exist in the area, with many proposed to be retained even after the transformation of the area. In contrast, some other more industrial developments, such as an aggregate supplier and cement storage facilities, have already moved out of the area by mid-2011.

References

External links

Sea + City
(Western Reclamation project website of

Auckland Regional Holdings Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government in New Zealand, local government municipal council, council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial au ...

)
Western Reclamation & Viaduct Harbour
(concept document from Auckland City Council)
Photographs of Wynyard Quarter
held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections. {{Waitematā Local Board Area Suburbs of Auckland Waitematā Local Board Area Land reclamation Auckland waterfront Populated places around the Waitematā Harbour