More than 100 people turned out to celebrate the official opening of east Auckland’s newest shopping precinct.
Developer Todd Property Group welcomed dignitaries, politicians, retailers, staff and customers to the unveiling of the brand new $250 million-plus Ormiston Town Centre on March 25.
Among those on hand were mayor Phil Goff, Howick ward councillors Sharon Stewart and Paul Young, Howick Local Board chairperson Adele White and numerous board members, Todd Property managing director Evan Davies, and Panuku Development Auckland chief executive David Rankin.
The audience was treated to a karakia and waiata from members of Ngai Tai ki Tamaki iwi and a Chinese cultural drum performance.
Davies said he wanted to acknowledge former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis and the Manukau City Council’s previous leaders.
“A community of this nature needs a centre, it needs a heart,” Davies said.
“In 2020, Todd Property entered into an agreement with Auckland Council to build it.
“We completed stage one of the Ormiston Town Centre in 2015.
“Over the past five-and-a-half years we’ve seen the outstanding positive response from the community to the Pak’nSave, the surrounding shops, and the housing that has been built across Ormiston Road.
“We are very confident this new stage which we open today will prove equally popular.”
Davies said the town centre was built and is being opened in “extraordinary times”.
“Although we faced challenges over the past 12 months, and some of those challenges continue today, we made the decision to be brave, to be bold, and to uphold the promise to the community to open on time.
“The foundations of what we promised to the community are here.
“A space for the community to occupy and to make their own, a building of high quality and thoughtful design that is easy to navigate and to park in.
“Generous open and engaging public space in the eatery, in the square, and in the market, and all of those spaces are for you.”
Goff said the new town centre will be the “commercial heart” of Ormiston.
“It is a world-class design. It is a place that is 21st century in every aspect of its development.
“While we haven’t got all the shops and restaurants open yet, I walked up the road before and could smell the bakeries and the cafes.
“This is going to be a great place for the community to come.”
Goff acknowledged that many locals, as well as the Howick ward’s elected representatives, want to see a library and community hub built in Ormiston.
“That will be a great social heart for this community as well.
“So a commercial heart, a social heart, and a community that is a great community.
“It is rich in its cultural diversity. It’s got fantastic medical and educational facilities in it.
“It’s got great places for recreation. It’s got Barry Curtis Park, [which is] 94 hectares of green space.
“So this is a growing and thriving community that is going to be a very, very special place to be.”
The town centre’s major tenants include New World, Hoyts, The Warehouse, Noel Leeming, and City Fitness.
