Opinion: The value of lived experience is unquestionable. Applying that lens to the city of Auckland, one could conclude it has yet to fulfil its potential and is struggling to progress beyond being an awkward teenager, writes Parnell Business Association General Manager Cheryl Adamson.
On an international scale, Auckland feels like a hesitant kid, lacking in confidence, and unclear on what direction to take in life.
Other comparable cities around the world have centuries of progress and development to lean on. Regrettably, Auckland is still finding its feet. Nowhere is this clearer than in the recently released State of the City report.
It shows the need for improvement in Auckland is pressing, especially if we’re to become a more prosperous, innovative, and knowledgeable city.
More importantly, it says Auckland’s business and investor brand “seems to be much less potent… as it tends to be absent from shortlists of preferred growth locations”.
That’s a clear indicator that more is needed to bring our city up to speed.
You might think there’s a steep hill to climb. Yet the companies register shows that in Auckland, nearly 10,000 businesses have been around for at least 30 years, with over 300 of them based in Parnell, making it one of few precincts with a swathe of long-standing businesses in our city.
To stand the test of time as a business takes guts, and most importantly, an understanding of how to both survive and thrive—so perhaps we can take some lessons from the past, to help inform our sense of what might be possible in future.
As well as having hundreds of mature businesses we can learn from, Parnell also serves as a representation of Auckland’s commercial past.
The many art galleries and cafes on the main strip in our suburb still showcase the basic principles of resilience and adaptation, which again, Auckland City can take inspiration from.
Parnell Gallery, founded by Sally Souness in 1976, is a longstanding Parnell business and a classic example of resilience.
With almost 50 years of running her gallery, Souness has bottled these principles to create long-term success. For her, several elements have made this possible: our local community and their support, consistently putting the needs of customers first and providing something good for the soul.
For Sutcliffe Jewellery, which has been in business since 1968, knowing when and how to cut back has made sure they’ve survived through the likes of the GFC, Covid, and now the current economy.
There’s no doubt we’re going to keep mourning the loss of businesses due to the current economic environment. Yet as we face closures, many more companies are keeping their books tight and customers happy.
These are the types of businesses leading by example, providing a template for those who want to play their part in making Auckland an exciting city to live in.
Even Smith & Caughey’s, one of our most well-established retail operators, has just found a way to pivot to a new way of trading and hopefully prosper, in the challenging environment we all find ourselves in.
In Auckland’s current economic state, the thought of a thriving business community feels like a borderline utopia.
Many core issues, such as public transport and public safety, are already being discussed, yet there’s so much more to be done.
Businesses across the city, in turn, have had to lower their expectations, often without any understanding of how they will be supported in their return to thriving—as opposed to merely surviving.
If Auckland is to forge a better path to deliver on the State of The City report, we also need to take encouragement and lessons from the companies and businesses that have stood the test of time.
The ones that keep showing up, trading their way through the tough times and the good, and putting people at the heart of their decision-making. The bureaucrats and planners tasked with finding a way forward for Auckland would benefit from their experience.
On their own, local stores serve their community; together, they serve and make up the wider fabric of our city. Neither scale can be ignored if we want a city we’re proud of.
This opinion piece was first written for NZ Herald. Click here to read the original article.
