14 minute read
Reviving our CBD
COMING OF AGE
Tauranga city centre shakes off its recent reputation as a ghost town, with a redevelopment led by passion, determination and true entrepreneurial spirit.
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PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN
Alocal business owner rolls up his sleeves washing dishes in his favourite café, gifting hours to the owner who has too many staff away self-isolating. Across the street two entrepreneurs stack native plant extracts on the shelves of their start-up business that has a big vision to reforest New Zealand. A block away two new business owners are riding the crest of the boom in book sales, flying in the face of the digital age. Around the corner a new business owner opens for another day at Tauranga’s first dessert-only restaurant, across the street from the $200 million Farmers retail development, just opened. Down on the Strand an ambitious restauranteur looks at design plans for her third city centre restaurant, soon to open.
Where is all this entrepreneurial innovation, grit and investment coming from and why? Isn’t our city centre dying? Isn’t that what people have been saying?
Truth is, Tauranga city centre is far from dying. Ask the passionate CBD business owners and they’ll tell you the doomsday claims are misinformed and likely from people who haven’t visited in a while. Sure, it’s been tough. The city centre’s been taken to its knees in recent years, and there’s still work to do, but there’s newfound optimism, energy, growth, opportunity and real investment that’s making a difference. A significant one.
So, what’s pulling it all together? There’s the projected $1.5 billion of development planned or underway in the city, the new civic precinct development with an inspirational vision to create a more connected city with a strong sense of identity. There’s close to 20 new developments forecast for coming years – spanning office buildings and apartments, a new courthouse, council facilities and an expanding university. But there’s more than that too.
Alongside the developments springing to life there’s a growing mindset of people infiltrating and dominating the city centre. Progressive, innovative, passionate people opening or advancing boutique, unique stores, eateries and businesses that you can’t find elsewhere. People who see opportunity with excitement, obstacles as a challenge and community building as a way of life.
Our city centre is in revival.
Smile and inhale
That pretty much sums up what customers do when they walk into the Boho Store. Sitting pretty on Devonport Road, this little store is packed with goodness; from native plant extracts and wellness products to crystals. It’s not so much a store as an experience and that pleases co-owners Jess Elliot and Callum Armstrong. A lot.
“People say the vibe in this store is really awesome,” says Callum. “Instead of pretty pictures on the walls, we tell the stories behind all our products. It’s an uplifting place where you can be you and nurture your wellness.”
“It began as therapy,” explains Jess. “When my youngest was four months old I started Little Love Bugs; handmade wooden baby accessories. Then I drew on my health and beauty background and started making potions and lotions again and Boho was born. I met Callum, who was making and selling Manuka Essentials products and it was a perfect fit.”
Callum started Manuka Essentials to create demand for native plant extracts, knowing that if he could build consumer products out of the extracts he could make it more profitable for farmers to plant manuka and reap the benefits for the environment. “It works well with all our other products instore, they’re eco-friendly, handmade, high quality, featured brands. For me it’s an obligation to make a long-term difference. I didn’t help the environment by going into business. I went into business to help the environment.” Open just a few months, Boho has already had success stories of brands in store that have now outgrown them. They see that as a good thing. Endings are new beginnings.
“We thrive on seeing the brands that we stock instore become empowered, grow and evolve. The outcomes for both our suppliers and our customers are exciting and enriching to see,” says Jess.
As for their city centre location, they say it was about bringing the soul back into retail. “There are lots of cool, quirky, boutique stores here and more opening all the time. It’s turning into the place you want to go and it’s pretty cool being a part of that.”
BOHOSTORENZ BOHO.NZ
New chapters
When you’ve spent so much money in one bookshop and you figure you might as well buy it, you know you’re buying a passion. That’s exactly what Scott and Sheree Brown did when they purchased long-established Books A Plenty late last year.
But why buy a bookshop in a digital age and in the middle of COVID? Why not?
“We looked globally at what was happening in bookshops.” explains Sheree. “They’re bigger than ever! COVID reading has taken off and independent bookshops globally have taken on a second life.”
With e-book sales declining to around just seven percent, young readers growing daily and Book Tok and Bookstagram holding their own against Tik Tok and Instagram, Scott and Sheree are riding the crest of a growth wave.
“There’s a real trend back to the tactile book.” explains Scott. “Maybe it’s because so many people are spending time on zoom meetings that they want to get away from their mobile devices. There’s massive growth in classic novels and young readers. It’s good for the industry. New writers are pushing the industry forward, broadening the offerings to meet demand from growing sectors.”
Having an established and loyal customer base helps. “The shop’s been here for over 40 years. It’s an iconic destination. I think that’s the same for a number of the local, family owned boutique stores in the city centre,” says Sheree.
“We had a new staff member start. She had the impression Tauranga’s CBD was dead. But she can’t get over the number of people coming in. People are quick to run the CBD down, but they should come and see for themselves. It’s very much alive and will only get better and better.”
Scott agrees. “If people want to appreciate the revitalisation of the CBD they need to come and support us and be part of it to help us grow.”
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SCOTT BROWN
The specialists in: pool consultation, commercial and residential construction, maintenance, & outdoor structures.
Nectar of the goddesses
Who doesn’t love Sundays? No one it seems as much as Jess Mackenzie, owner of the Sunday Group. The name penned for her growing line-up of hospitality venues in the city centre.
First there was Crown and Badger, bought five years ago once Jess returned from Europe with dreams of taking her hospitality experience to the next level. With 13 beers on tap and all food made from scratch it’s a little different from what you normally see in a pub. But that wasn’t enough for this young entrepreneur. Next she gobbled up Volare.
“Crown & Badger was a great place to start and get to know the community. Then I jumped on board next door at Volare. It’s a really special venue that’s been around since 2004. It’s another calibre of dining so we get to experience that different side of customers. They really treasure their time at Volare.”
Getting Volare bustling with a focus on fresh Italian ingredients matched with the finest New Zealand products has paid off. But Jess wasn’t ready to sit still.
Nectar will soon open on the Strand alongside her other venues. “Nectar is a new concept for Tauranga. An all-day eatery where people can come and hang out. From breakfast to an espresso martini in the evening. It will be fresh and funky with a Melbourne influence. It’s not a restaurant, bar or café. It’s a place to be, to connect. I’m calling it the unicorn in the hospitality industry. It’s exactly what Tauranga is missing. Freedom to choose what you want, when you want it.”
With sister Shelby returning from five years in Melbourne to join Jess in the Sunday Group there seems little stopping these visionary women.
“By establishing the Sunday Group we are providing career development to our staff. There’s more flexibility to move people around, train, upskill and empower them by keeping them as part of the team. They have a career rather than just a place to work before or during university.”
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JESS MACKENZIE
Save room for dessert
So, you’ve got a sweet tooth? Would you like wine with that? Welcome to the new way to treat yourself. But First Dessert was born over food.
Owner Adele De’Arth was out with friends and had enjoyed a main but the dessert, not so. From the spark of a conversation of what could be, came the birth of what is. Tauranga’s first dessert-only restaurant. “I wanted desserts that people would love and are familiar with, but with a twist, to make them exciting and different from anyone else. There’s no one else doing what we are doing.” In hospitality since 15, Adele knew getting the right team was critical. “We gave our head chef Kasper full creative freedom. He created and we tasted and chose what went on the menu. All desserts are prepped and made on site from scratch. We are licensed too, so customers can dine in and treat themselves to a cocktail, beer or wine with their dessert, or grab something to take home.”
Finding the ideal location came easily. “As soon as I walked in, I knew it was perfect for But First Dessert. It had everything I needed and, with all the developments happening around us, I knew it was the most perfect place to be. With the new Farmers Development opening across the street from us we are already seeing an increase in foot traffic. It’s created a real buzz around us. Yes, we opened in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, but we’re doing okay.
I’m loving seeing some regulars coming back in. It means we are definitely doing something right.”
“There’s a great sense of community up here. This city centre is definitely the new place to be. Lots of people bag it and I don’t get that. I say we are definitely on the rise up.”
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Marie, Makaia and Anna cook up a recipe for teen success.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Local food charity Kura Kai is bringing whānau and the wider community together.
WORDS NICKY ADAMS / PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN + ALIGN CREATIVE
Makaia Carr seems to be someone who sees an opportunity, an opening, or a need and gets in there and plugs that gap. A successful early social media influencer, in May 2020 she saw the opportunity to use her platform to make a difference. Now, together with Marie Paterson, Anna Watkins and a team of volunteers, she uses her position in the online space to spearhead social change in the form of charitable trust Kura Kai.
The charity is making such a big impact in the Bay that it caught the attention of Farmer Autovillage. The car dealership, based in Mount Maunganui, recently celebrated 30 years in business, and to thank the community for its support in achieving this milestone, chose a number of local charities to invest in, one of which is Kura Kai. Farmer Autovillage generously donated a long-lease Nissan Qashqai, which allows staff to stay mobile and connected. As managing director Mike Farmer says, “Kura Kai is an organisation that has all the values that we support, that works within our community as well as the wider community, so is very valid and worthwhile getting behind.”
Kura Kai is a volunteer-driven service designed to support whānau across New Zealand. Funds are raised to donate chest freezers to high schools, which are then filled with food that can be accessed by the students. With social needs putting added pressure on our youth, Kura Kai sees this as a multifaceted way to help our teenagers. Makaia herself is passionate about keeping our kids in school. “My drive has always been helping rangatahi and getting in at that age of teenagers and high schools. Purely because I left high school early. I was a teenage mum and I understand the struggle to get through education.” This backdrop drew Makaia into a space of promoting female self-belief and empowerment. As her public profile grew as an influencer, along with her thousands of followers came an increased desire to find ways in which her influencing could be used for greater good. “I was asking myself how we could all be better using our platforms – something that came with age and self-assessment.”
It was the first lockdown of March 2020 that bought things into focus. “People were losing jobs, whānau were struggling – students were being sent home from school to look after kids, leaving school to get jobs to support their whānau – all that stuff was really coming to the forefront. I was open to looking at ways I could use my social media to help.” At this stage Makaia and her family were living in Auckland when Gemma, a follower from Tauranga, messaged asking if Makaia could put a shout out to her followers for meal contributions to the compassion freezer at Otumoetai Primary School. This Makaia did, and within a week 80 meals had arrived.
The more Makaia found out about the system, the more she liked what she heard. “I loved how it was really grassroots, that it was direct with kai going straight to the whānau. I think there’s such a beauty in that way to help. Especially in a Maori whānau, where showing up with kai is such a beautiful way to show love
and manaakitanga.” She looked for a way that she could develop her support into a more cohesive concept. Via her social media she was able to, not only raise awareness, but also fundraise. Buying more freezers for more schools was a start point, followed by accruing volunteers to cook and coordinators to organise. Quickly the dots were joined, and Kura Kai was born. Makaia and her family moved to Pāpāmoa, and the Bay became the heart of the national charity.
Then Makaia’s personal life nose-dived. Her marriage fell apart, and she was floored. During this time what she found was that all she wanted to do was cook, cook and cook some more, so it made sense to reach out and find a team who could take over the other operational aspects of the charity. In June 2021, Marie Paterson joined initially as admin/fundraising manager, then general manager. “I’ve worked with volunteers for over 20 years, and I love this sort of mahi.” With fresh eyes Marie could see the vast opportunities that could grow from the amazing seed Makaia had planted. “I wanted to focus on making Kura Kai more sustainable, relying less on volunteers.” With Anna then joining as brand manager, the focus is now the future. Marie and Makaia identified it was important for the charity to become more student led. The pilot programme being rolled out sees the students cook to provide the meals for the charity.
The beauty of this concept is that the rangatahi themselves become empowered by being a part of it. As Makaia says, “one of the messages we want to push to our rangatahi who are teenagers is that they can contribute to society and do something positive, looking out for whānau or neighbours. It’s a resource they can pull from.” Marie’s focus has been how to make Kura Kai more sustainable by relying less on the volunteers, and importantly, Marie says “youth help youth”.
Of course, there is still a drive for additional help to meet the need. Along with more volunteer coordinators, the next step is to encourage businesses to engage in ‘corporate cook ups.’ The ultimate goal is to fund a commercial kitchen, which would allow groups to come in and create, but importantly volunteers could cook and distribute to the areas where the communities themselves are unable to afford to fill the freezers. Now, with the help of the new team and Farmer Autovillage, increased brand awareness will hopefully bring volunteers flooding to the table.
KURAKAI.CO.NZ KURAKAI_NZ KURAKAINZ
Kura Kai supports There are over In the last year,
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high schools across Aotearoa. volunteers. meals were delivered.
