Kia ora, welcome to the final edition of Waterfront News for 2025.
Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete koutou – season’s greetings and our very warmest wishes to you and your loved ones for a safe, happy and relaxing holiday season.
Thank you for your ongoing interest and support for the mahi of so many people committed to making our waterfront an even more exciting and inviting place for Aucklanders and visitors to live, work and play.
Wherever you’re spending Christmas and the New Year, we hope you manage to enjoy one of the free, family-friendly events at the waterfront over the holidays.
Ngā mihi mahana,
The Waterfront Team
A popular treat at the recent Karanga Plaza Christmas markets.
December’s Wynyard Quarter Neighbour’s Forum hosted by BECA. A positive vibe with thoughtful questions and great chats.
North Wharf development agreement announced
As you may have heard, the AUDO recently announced Stride Property Group (Stride) as the preferred development partner for the future redevelopment of North Wharf in Wynyard Quarter. Stride has also confirmed its partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei as cultural lead for the development.
This announcement marks the beginning of a multi-year process. Until settlement occurs following consent, the council will continue to manage North Wharf tenants.
New Year's Eve city centre road closures
To help make our city centre a safer space for everyone enjoying New Year’s Eve festivities, some road closures will be in place in the city centre.
The map below shows city centre road closures from 7:00pm to 1:00am on 31 December 2025 / 01 January 2026.
Please also note that the Wynard Crossing Bridge will close to pedestrians from 11:45 pm (31 December 2025) to 12:15 am (1 January 2026).
Waka Moana
Towering six metres above Daldy Street in Wynyard Quarter are Waka Moana. Nine awe-inspiring hull structures, designed by Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Haua, Ngāti Manu).
Check out a truly inspirational clip of Graham narrating a beautiful video about Waka Moana on youtube.com here. If you haven’t seen Waka Moana yet, they’re well worth a viewing.
Pōhutukawa naming competition
Connecting with nature and spotting the first brilliant red blooms on our very own Aotearoa Christmas tree – the pōhutukawa, is something many of us look forward to every year.
At Wynyard Quarter, 12 rescued pōhutukawa trees are sitting patiently in our nursery space waiting to be named. We’ve extended our competition to name these beautiful trees until the end of summer to give everyone more time to carefully consider the right names for these trees and enter the competition.
Naming our rescued trees could be a fun summer holiday activity for kids and families; get those thinking caps on and let us know your ideas for naming the pōhutukawa.
Read more and enter the competition here.
Vector Christmas lights
Vector Lights is celebrating the festive season with a dynamic light and sound show based on the New Zealand children's book, We Wish You a Kiwi Christmas by Lynette Evans and with music by Pio Terei.
Spot the Little Kiwi on the Auckland Harbour Bridge and sing along to the lyrics in both English and te reo Māori.
Check out the flags along the North Wharf edge of Silo Park and the story signage under Silo 7 – both share images from the delightful book that is the inspiration for this year’s light display.
Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool
The ever-popular Karanga Plaza tidal steps, free harbour pool and jump platform are getting lots of use with these long, hot summer days. Open from sunrise to sunset, our lifeguards and security team are on site from around 11am to 7pm until 15 February 2026.
Reduced hours apply for lifeguards and security over the holiday period, so please check safety signs at the pool to confirm that lifeguards are on duty when you visit.
Student ‘Live Brief’ showcase
Check out this free event in January to see how young designers from the Bachelor of Media Design Programme at Media Design School Strayer based at Wynyard Quarter are tackling real-world problems through Design Thinking and Collaborative Design practice.
Silo 6 will host an interactive showcase of student outcomes from live briefs with Spark, Auckland Transport, the council’s Auckland Urban Development Office and Adobe.
When - 15 – 17 January 2026, 10am – 3pm
Where – Silo 6 exhibition space
Live brief - AUDO featured projects.
Skate workshop
On 16 January a Girls Skate female inclusive skate workshop will be held at Base Spaces. This free event promotes wāhine empowerment, skill development and community connection.
Skaters will learn skills and make friends through the joy of skateboarding.
When – 16 January 2026, workshop 5 -6 pm, open skate jam 6 – 7 pm
Where – Base Spaces, 34 Brigham Street
Working around the water's edge? This one's for you
Covering drowning prevention, free sessions are being offered for local workers on rescue techniques and using the public rescue equipment available on the waterfront. This free event is specifically for people who work around the water’s edge in Wynyard Quarter.
Enjoy a sausage sizzle and free water safety resources. There is limited availably for this event, so please email mailto:ariane.craig-smith@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz to register your interest:
When – 19 January, 4 -5 pm and 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Where – Karanga Plaza and Harbour Pool
Thanks to Drowning Prevention Aotearoa for leading this event.
Sail GP
Work is well underway for the anticipated return of Sail GP. Scheduled for the weekend of 14 and 15 February 2026 on Wynyard Point and the Waitematā Harbour, tickets for grandstand and BYOB (bring your own boat) options are on sale now (that’s Valentine’s sorted!) Thanks to Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, a big screen for free and live public viewing will be at the Eastern Viaduct.
You may notice the removal of Whakariri, the big wheel, which will be relocated to our Hamer St yard for a three-month staycation before being reinstated. At over 16 tonnes, it’s not a simple job! There will also be some streetlight poles removed and marking up of the grandstand area as part of the preparations before the big pack-in job starts.
We’ll bring you more information in the new year, but in the meantime, the image below shows the plan for vehicle movements starting on 27 December 2025 for pack in.
Mark your calendar now, it’ll be a great event.
Wynyard Quarter: Discover more with every visit.
A very merry Christmas to everyone.
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Auckland Urban Development Office
135 Albert Street, Auckland 1010
PO Box 90343, Victoria Street West,
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Ph: 09 336 8820
