Mainstreet and business improvement district programmes

Features

The following content features articles written about the mainstreets programme.

Power to the precinct!
Mainstreets work, say members

Power to the precinct!

That was just one of the calls to action on mobile billboards seen around Newmarket, during the Newmarket Business Association's bid to extend its boundaries in November.

And the businesses and property owners showed their full powered support when the votes were counted. An incredible 91 per cent of the voters said 'Yes' - they did want to be part of the Newmarket business improvement district, agreeing to pay a levy on their Auckland City Council rates from 1 July 2009.

This fantastic success is the culmination of a six week electioneering campaign led by Cameron Brewer, general manager of the Newmarket Business Association. Over 350 tenants and property owners were sent ballot papers. For the boundary extension to take place a minimum of 25 per cent of voters needed to send their ballots back, with 51 per cent needing to vote 'yes'.

"Overall we got a great response with 50 per cent of all ballots posted back," says Mr Brewer who doubled as campaign manager. "This is not only about further cementing Newmarket as Auckland's leading retail area, but also securing Newmarket as the city's second commercial business district."

Within the next five years over $1 billion of public and private developments are scheduled in Newmarket, including the redevelopment of the Lion Breweries 5.2 hectare site and the motorway viaduct replacement project.

Geographically the extended boundary of the Newmarket Business Association will increase the business precinct by 50 per cent to include the area from the intersections of Carlton Gore Road and Park Road through to Khyber Pass and Mountain Road, north to George and Railway streets, and south to the intersection of Broadway and Great South Road. Newmarket is one of 17 business areas that partner with Auckland City Council in the Mainstreet and business improvement district programme.

"The new precinct boundary better represents modern-day Newmarket and this 'yes' vote shows real confidence in the area's long term future," says Mr Brewer.

Go to Maps to view the Newmarket Mainstreet area map.

Mainstreets work, say members

The Mainstreet associations have been given a big tick - once again - by the businesses in their area, according to a survey of business members.

Mainstreet programmes were initiated by Auckland City Council in 1991. Effectively, they catalysed the formation of business associations in key areas of the city such as Newmarket, Ellerslie, Otahuhu and the CBD. There are now 17 Mainstreet associations in Auckland city.

Auckland City Council levies a targeted rate on commercial properties in each Mainstreet association area, and then provides these funds back to the association for spending on promotion of the area, security, street improvements and so on.

The one in every-three-year satisfaction survey of Mainstreet associations, which Auckland City Council conducts, this year fielded responses from 1400 members out of a total of almost 6800.

Most Mainstreet business members responding (44 per cent) rated the overall performance of their local association as either very good or excellent.

"Members liked the way Mainstreets communicated with them," says Councillor Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, chair of the City Development committee. "They liked the way they organised events and responded to issues. They demonstrate Mainstreets has been an innovative, 'ground up' programme to encourage businesses to help themselves to get better returns."

Five areas were consistently rated more positively than other Mainstreet associations: Newmarket, Ellerslie, St Heliers, Parnell and Remuera. These were the same areas that experienced increases in sales in the past year to May 2008, and were more likely to feel they got good value for money from Mainstreets.

To balance the positives, there were criticisms. The survey pointed to improvements needed by Mainstreets in the future.

For the first time, the survey asked about which factors drove businesses' overall satisfaction with Mainstreet association's performance and investigated how these correlated with the levels of satisfaction measured overall. The results showed room for improvement. Local businesses said that Mainstreet associations needed to work harder to help businesses support each other (through networking, for example); to improve the way town centres looked; and to lobby council to ensure issues were acted upon.

"For those Mainstreet associations who were not so focused on these drivers, the survey offers prioritised guidance on how to improve their performance for their members," says Councillor Lotu-Iiga.

Updated February 2009