Wellingtonians have told us they want a city that is vibrant, resilient, and creative, so we’re investing in the improvements that our city needs to flourish.

Right now, Wellington is in a period of transition, as we upgrade our infrastructure to create a city where people and nature thrive.

One of the most important projects is the revitalisation of the heart of our city, the precinct around Te Ngākau Civic Square. Te Ngākau Civic Precinct is a large area of land near the waterfront in central Wellington, approximately 3.36 hectares (33,600sqm). The precinct is home to some of our most important cultural, creative, and civic functions such as Te Matapihi Central Library, Wellington Town Hall and City Gallery.

When all the work in Te Ngākau is finished, it will be a place that we can all be proud of – full of creativity, culture, and excitement, both day and night.

Te Ngākau Civic Precinct Framework was adopted in October 2021 after consulting with Wellingtonians on their priorities for the area.

This Framework set the broader vision and objectives to guide the redevelopment of Te Ngākau over the next 20 years. The vision for Te Ngākau from the Framework is:

Te Ngākau is the beating heart of our capital city: A thriving neighbourhood where creativity, culture, democracy, discovery and arts experiences collide on the edge of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Over the next few years, there are some key decisions that need to be made about the remaining buildings and spaces in Te Ngākau, including the City to Sea Bridge, Michael Fowler Centre, Jack Ilott Green and City Gallery.

This consultation is a chance for Wellingtonians to have their say on the City to Sea Bridge replacement and the direction of future development in the precinct, which will be guided by the final Te Ngākau Development Plan.

The consultation document highlights the key decisions that still need to be made about Te Ngākau Civic Precinct and provides further information on the options and scenarios we are proposing in this consultation.

Submissions opened on 21 October and closed on 13 November at 5pm.

You can ask us questions here. Please scroll through the questions to see if yours has already been asked by someone else. We have also uploaded questions here that were asked during the live panel discussion event on 6 November. The team will respond to new questions as soon as we can.

To reach out to the team, please email tengakau@wcc.govt.nz.