High Street Improvements Project

About the project

High Street is one of the busiest laneways in the city centre. It’s a place people come to shop, dine, commute and meet friends. It also connects into a growing network of upgraded laneways like O’Connell Street, Jean Batten Place and Freyberg Place.

In 2020, we made some improvements to make the street more welcoming and easier to get around. These updates helped shape how people use High Street today. 

Now, as we plan for more people to live, work and visit the city centre, we’re building on that foundation to plan for High Street’s future.

Funded by the city centre targeted rate, this project is part of a wider transformation happening across midtown and supports the City Centre Masterplan vision of a vibrant, connected and people-focussed city centre.

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What we heard during initial engagement

View a summary of the July - October 2024 engagement here.

Download the engagement report here.

Engagement on design ideas now closed

Between July and August 2025, we shared and engaged on three design ideas for High Street’s future.

Engagement on the design ideas closed on 18 August 2025. 

Each idea:

• responded to the community aspirations - what we’ve heard from businesses, residents and visitors to High Street
• reflected different ways the street could support how people live, move, shop, dine and connect
• presented a different level of change – from a lighter upgrade to a larger transformation
• varied in cost and approach to construction

We asked:

• How well the three ideas supported the community aspirations
• What worked well and what needed more thought
• How well each idea balanced the community aspirations, construction impacts and cost

View the design ideas at AK Have Your Say or download the information pack. 

Thank you to everyone who provided their input. 

We’re currently reviewing the feedback to help shape a preferred future for High Street.

Later this year, we’ll share what we heard from the community and outline the next steps.

In early 2026, we’ll present a preferred direction to elected members, informed by the feedback from businesses, residents, and visitors throughout the engagement.

You can stay updated about how to have your say by signing up here. 

Partnering with mana whenua

We’re working in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Te Ākitai Waiohua and Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua.

They have provided a matawhānui (broad vision) and four uara (values) for the project that have informed the ideation process and continue to guide the project’s approach.

You can read more at AK have your say. 

Why are we doing this?

Guided by our City Centre Masterplan (CCMP), Auckland Council is investing in transformational projects to ensure that we have a thriving city centre well into the future. Determining how High Street will look and feel in the future is one of these important transformational projects.

What's happened and what's next

July to   October 2024	We engaged with the High Street community – including businesses, residents and visitors – to understand aspirations for the street’s future.
December 2024	We shared nine community aspirations from what we heard throughout the engagement. These helped shape our ideas for High Street.
January to  June 2025	We worked with mana whenua, design partners, technical experts, asset owners and operators to explore ideas that bring the community’s aspirations to life.
July to August 2025	We shared three design ideas for High Street’s future and invited feedback from the High Street community and the wider public.
End 2025	We’ll summarise and share what we heard across the three ideas.
Early 2026	We’ll identify and recommend a preferred direction to elected members, shaped by what we hear from the community. We’ll share how the community’s feedback has influenced this decision and begin preliminary design.

Delivered by

This project is being delivered by Auckland Council and is funded by the city centre targeted rate, a special rate which is paid by city centre commercial and residential property owners and used to help fund the development and revitalisation of the city centre. The programme of works funded by the rate aims to enhance the city centre as a place to work, live, visit and do business.