Ambassadors

Auckland city launched its ambassador's programme in 1999, to add a sense of welcome for locals, tourists and businesses in Auckland city.

The programme is loosely based on a project from New York, where previously unemployed city dwellers were assigned individual street 'blocks' to look after.

Each employee was tasked with keeping his or her patch free of litter and graffiti. They also reported crime, and generally put on a friendly face for fellow New Yorkers. The scheme was a big success, and the team became known as the 'Bob's' - after one of the best known and best liked of its members.

Our team of ambassadors patrol the central business district (CBD) seven days a week, particularly focusing on the pedestrian hotspots, such as Britomart, Queen Street, Sky City, and the Viaduct. They bring the face of Auckland City Council to the streets and are actively involved in improving our reputation through visibility (in their bright red shirts) and face-to-face interaction with the public.

Their job is to offer assistance to local residents and businesses, tourists, and other visitors to the CBD. While a majority of their job involves giving directions and advice on transport and tourism, they also help to keep the CBD streets safe and tidy by reporting graffiti and other faults or issues they observe while on patrol. As well as this, the ambassadors assist with council and Heart of the City promotions and events in a number of ways, including the distribution of information throughout the CBD.

They act as the liaison between Heart of the City and its' retailers in the CBD to ensure that any information they require is received accurately and efficiently, as well as providing assistance in dealing with, or escalating any city issues as they arise.

Other cities in New Zealand have introduced similar programmes, with Wellington and Hamilton introducing Walkwise and City Safe respectively to their streets.

Ambassadors are a mobile source of information, accessible to people on the go, and can be found around the CBD 363 days a year- everyday apart from Christmas Day and Easter Friday.

We aim to provide visitors to Auckland with valuable, accurate, and independent information real-time, so come on and put us to the test!

If you would like to comment about an experience you have had with the ambassadors, or would like further information, email city_ambassadors@aucklandcity.govt.nz

Visit the Tourism Auckland website for more information about Auckland.

Auckland City ambassadors are sponsored by:

Heart of the City and Stagecoach Auckland.