Kia ora koutou,
With the beautiful weather Tāmaki Makaurau has been enjoying this past month, it’s hard to believe that winter is just around the corner. We hope you’ve had the opportunity to get out and make the most of the sunshine before the colder months kick in.
May’s been another busy month down on the Waterfront. We’ve seen live music, skateboarding festivals, Radio Controlled Yacht racing and works at Te Ara Tukutuku hitting an exciting new milestone (read more about this below).
If you’re a fan of theatre, you won’t want to miss out on the chance to see the smash hit solo play RBG: Of Many, One at the ASB Waterfront Theatre. Read on to see how you can score half-price tickets to the production until it closes on 7 June.
Ngā mihi nui,
Your Waterfront Team
The Karanga Plaza Harbour Pool and Jump Platform won the “highly commended” award in the below $10 million infrastructure category at the 2026 Engineering New Zealand Awards
Te Ara Tukutuku works ramp up ahead of winter shutdown period
You may have noticed the arrival of some impressive machinery on site this month, as work to install the Low Permeability Barrier (LPB) gets underway.
The LPB will create an in-ground barrier of around nine metres and is expected to help prevent contamination leaching out into the harbour with each tidal cycle.
Drilling has been completed on a small section of the site, and we’re now pausing work for a month to test and monitor the effects of the barrier on water quality. Work will then resume along the western edge of the site until late July.
Drilling for the Low Permeability Barrier began on site in May
A new space to gather and engage
It has been a busy time for the Te Ara Tukutuku team, with the new Project Hub recently arriving on the waterfront.
Once installation is complete, the Hub will be a dedicated project space for Te Ara Tukutuku - information, engagement, workshops and activities.
If you have any ideas for the space or know of an opportunity to collaborate, contact the team at yourwaterfront@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
The new Te Ara Tukutuku Project Hub arrived on site this month
Restoring the mauri of Te Waitematā
A key outcome of Te Ara Tukutuku is restoring the marine environment around Wynyard Point. We want to improve the moana of Te Waitematā and see thriving habitats supporting healthy marine ecosystems.
As part of our regeneration programme, seaweed blades containing reproductive tissue were harvested from site and taken to a hatchery facility. There, the seaweed tissue undergoes a spore release to establish a local seaweed biobank. The spores can then be used to trial different seeding methods onto a range of materials before being taken back and replanted into the harbour. These marine trials aim to identify the best conditions and substrates for establishing healthy and resilient seaweed habitats.
Earlier this month, members of the project team visited the hatchery to find out how things were progressing, ahead of the seaweed being returned to the harbour.
Seaweed grown as part of Te Ara Tukutuku marine trials
Radio Controlled Yachts take to Jellicoe Harbour
Visitors to the waterfront were entertained by some high-octane racing this month, when members of the Westhaven Radio Sailing and North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron put their vessels to the test down at Jellicoe Harbour.
In the first of three planned waterfront regattas, around 20 members from the clubs took part in a series of short races - all in the name of good old fashioned friendly competition.
Make sure to come down and show your support for the yachties when they take to the water again next month.
Members of the Westhaven Radio Sailing and North Shore Radio Yacht Squadron race their yachts at Jellicoe Harbour
Auckland Women’s Skateboarding Festival: How two teens rolled out a movement
“I love how open and alive the waterfront feels – it’s not hidden away. When we skate there, people can see us; and that visibility matters because it helps challenge the idea that skateboarding only belongs to certain people or certain places.”
Those are the words of 18-year-old Xinyu Jiang, who along with her friend Angela Fang, founded the Auckland Women’s Skateboarding Festival so that wāhine of all ages and abilities had somewhere they could learn to skate without feeling intimidated or judged.
With big ideas but no budget, they wrote a business plan, chased sponsors, and with support from the council’s Auckland Urban Development Office’s placemaking team, the pair turned their idea into reality - and into a growing community.
Read more about the entrepreneurial pair and their hopes for the future of the festival, here.
Future skater in the making 🛹✨ Over 130 wāhine of all ages attended this year's Auckland Women's Skateboarding Festival at Silo Park
If you or someone you know would like to be considered for a future ‘local profile’ please drop us an email at yourwaterfront@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – the show is on
‘RBG: Of Many, One’ is a smash hit and Rush Tickets are now live! This solo show tracing the life of former US Supreme Court Justice. RBG is played by actor Heather Mitchell, from ages 13 to 87 and 30 other characters such as Presidents Clinton, Obama and Trump.
Having sold out across Australia, tickets are selling fast but you can bag a deal with Rush Tickets available at 50% off the usual adult ticket price. Rush Tickets can only be purchased in person at the ASB Waterfront Theatre Box Office, 90 minutes before the show starts. If you’re in the Wynyard Quarter area, pop in and enjoy a night at the theatre for less. But be quick, the play run ends on Sunday 7 June.
Congratulations to two of our iconic eateries
Congratulations to our friends at Baduzzi and 16 Tun for having dishes recognised at this year’s Iconic Auckland Eats!
We may be biased, but we think our waterfront is home to some of the best eateries in the region – and it appears we aren’t the only ones.
You can find out what other dishes made this year’s list here.
Auckland Festival of Photography returns to the Waterfront
The Auckland Festival of Photography is New Zealand’s premium international photographic festival, providing a diverse and inclusive platform for the exchange of ideas, artistic expression, and engagement with photography and visual culture.
The contemporary art and cultural event is held across the city’s major galleries, project spaces, non-gallery venues and public sites during June each year. The programme includes a mix of emerging and established artists and comprises existing works and creation of new work.
Find out more about the exhibitions that will be on display at various locations around the Waterfront, as well as the full programme, on the festival website.
Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
It was a record turnout for the 15th Annual Auckland Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, which returned to the Waterfront on Sunday 17 May.
More than 400 riders, dressed in their finery, rolled into Halsey Wharf before heading off on a ride around the city; raising over $64,000 for Prostate Cancer Research, and awareness for Men’s Mental Health.
Over 400 well-dressed riders attended this year's Distinguished Gentleman's Ride
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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