Aotea Arts Quarter community hui
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Connecting and sharing in the spirit of partnership
Members of the Aotea Arts Quarter community met at RCP offices to align on the future vision for Aotea Arts Quarter and provide an update on their recent work and focus.
Updates were shared by Eke Panuku, Tataki Auckland Unlimited, and Link Alliance as well as developers of The Symphony Centre MRCB and RCP. Other invitees included Mana Whenua Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei | Auckland Live | The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi | Graham Tipene | Auckland Arts Festival | Civic Administration Building (The Cab) and the creative and comms team for The Symphony Centre Mosh Social Media | Gravitate | Hustle & Bustle | Studio South | Link - Ability and Ravel.
RCP's Jack Bourke, Head of Strategic Engagement, has been leading the charge of creating a cohesive community spirit with a call to action to work together, share knowledge and collaborate to elevate Aotea Arts Quarter.
Shaun Sutton from Link Alliance provided an overview of progress on Te Waihorotiu Station, including a newly unveiled virtual tour of the station - click to view here.
Part of the City Rail Link project, Te Waihorotiu Station is expected to become New Zealand’s busiest train station. The underground station has been built below Albert Street with three public entrances at Wellesley and Victoria Streets.
The Symphony Centre will be constructed above Te Waihorotiu Station, with a laneway restaurant and retail destination to be activated between the 21-storey tower and adjacent Bledisloe House - due to be restored as part of the wider development.
The project will be New Zealand's first transport-oriented development and is set to revitalise the surrounding Aotea Arts Quarter with a new vibrancy.
The Symphony Centre development is about much more than just a mixed-use tower and train station. It aims to adopt world-class principles of placemaking, connecting the existing and future community for the benefit of all.
Ahead of the hui, members of the community including MRCB International's Sales & Marketing Director Kevin Zhang took a tour through the Te Waihorotiu Station construction site to view progress first hand.
The Dame Whina Cooper
The underground tunnel boring for Te Waihorotiu Station, was completed by a machine named Dame Whina Cooper - a respected Māori elder famed for leading the 1975 Māori land march from Te Hāpua to Wellington, a distance of 1,100 km, at the age of 79.
The Dame Whina Cooper TBM is an earth pressure balance machine. It balances the pressure of the earth it excavates, which stabilises the tunnel face and reduces the possibility of settlement occurring.
Key facts about the tunnel boring phase:
- Completion of the tunnel boring phase of the City Rail Link project, comprising two 3.45km tunnels
- The TBM travelled more than 3.2km, placed 2,118 segment rings and removed 260,000t of spoil during the boring of the twin tunnels - each 1.6kms long from Maungawhau Station to Te Waihorotiu Station
- More than 64,200m3 of concrete was used to build the City Rail Link tunnels
- The Dame Whina Cooper TBM weighs 910t, is 130m long and has a diameter of 7.15m
- At peak operation, the TBM travelled 32m a day
Learn how to pronounce Te Waihorotiu and keep up to date with construction progress via the City Rail Link website here.
