Speaker by Various Artists

Coco's Cantina and Flying Out records are both prime examples of new businesses that are wholeheartedly embraced by our community, and by their own cultural communities.

It's interesting that since the gentrification panic around St Kevin's Arcade, K Road has gained Rebel Soul Records and become the new home of the Hemp Store. They're both a good cultural fit for K Road.

Ben Howe at Flying Out has also embarked on a strategy of getting people into the shop by hosting events in the basement there. He's very much open to letting third parties use the space. And Tito at Rebel Soul is about to start running little events in the barely-used fale of Samoa House, right next to his shop. These are really good developments.

I worry about K Road. It's the only place in the Auckland CBD I'd feel good about recommending to, say, a visiting band. But its culture is tied up with older, undeveloped retail space. That's a hard thing to preserve.

Look at the retail dead zone created by the former Telecom (and now Fairfax) building up the west end. And then look across the road at the galleries and fashion shops side-by-side with the Prostitutes Collective in the old buildings. It's pretty clear which one works.

It's pretty clear which one works.

Why can't both work? I love both renovation man and grand designs. You don't have space for a grand design without removing something old but you also lose something if you destroy all the old. I personally want both kinds of space to work. But that doesn't seem to be easy.

Why can't both work? I love both renovation man and grand designs. You don't have space for a grand design without removing something old but you also lose something if you destroy all the old. I personally want both kinds of space to work. But that doesn't seem to be easy.

It's not. Different tenants tend to be sought for new developments – although the Telecom building didn't get them.

One of the problems with the Real Groovy development is the crappy retail space planned. Compare and contrast with the developers at the St James site, who are actively on board with preserving the theatre.

But if the "Chinatown" strip of eateries uphill from Real Groovy goes, where else would you have those kinds of restaurants? It's tricky.

They are sitting around tables making the decisions

I assume they are getting paid to exercise their brain muscle.
Baby boomers or not some people will take the path of least resistance
which explains some of the fucked up decisions made.
like pulling down those wonderful shops that had flats above them where that monstrosity on west K rd is now

Example of a development has has complemented K Road: Ironbank.

It has a dark, but public, courtyard a ground level, with a hireable event space opening onto it.

But more so, upstairs it has BizDojo, where a bunch of small ventures pay for shared office space. So you get all these creative, young, entrepreneurial people on K Road.

It was also the BizDojo people who first opened up the basement space across the road, where Neck of the Woods (another welcome arrival this year) is.

So yeah, there are ways to do this. But it needs thinking about, is all.

More often than not Not paid. My perception is these are the people are time and asst rich (can afford to use spare time not working or on family), and are not always off the immediate community, 'from auckland' seems to suffice.

I absolutely agree with that end and side of k rd. (we are talking old telecom building?) I'm not are why they aren't converted into 2nd level apartments as residential space along k is a premium, non street level and sometimes even street level, retail is not.

Yes! Tito has been another great example of new additions to K rd, and also 'Uncle Mans' if you are in for left great Malaysian street food.
When I stop and think of these places opening up I am heartened to know K rd keeps up the fight against becoming "the next Ponsonby Central" - said in quotation marks because that has been said so many times.
(not because I have anything against PC just that's their thing.)

One side has residential, one side doesn't. One side has expensive retail, one side doesn't (didn't), Cheap rent in K rd attracts the young creative an interesting, who sometimes with a lot of hard work turn into go to, established heart . The prostitute col and needle exchange has moved on, :( Urge bar has closed their doors. But there are some new interesting replacements.... on that side of the road at least.

Interestingly K Road doesn't seem to be attractive to corporates, they like to be in near Waterfront where everyone else is. They few left at the western end have all moved/moving out and apartments coming in their place. These natural dynamics will help K Road stay as place for creative people.
I don't share the same thoguhts about more apartments, or better transport links (such as CRL and cycleway). High housing prices have already pushed some of the community away, if people can easily make it to K Rd from areas with lower housing prices this will help keep K Road as a place for this community to congregate.

Yes! Tito has been another great example of new additions to K rd, and also 'Uncle Mans' if you are in for left great Malaysian street food.

They make an unabashedly pungent nasi lemak, I'll tell you that.

High housing prices have already pushed some of the community away, if people can easily make it to K Rd from areas with lower housing prices this will help keep K Road as a place for this community to congregate.

The CRL is certainly going to enable that.

Also the rents also will be what keeps the creatives, being that they aren't the highest earners in our fair country. Both Living and studio/retail/work spaces needing to be affordable

. My perception is these are the people are time and asst rich (can afford to use spare time

Luxury I'm sure thanks Tina. I'm time and asset poor so am subject to the whims of others. Not an enviable place to be.

It's a good discussion in itself . Have 'they' created a society/population in NZ that we are so busy fending for ourselves just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table that we no longer can afford the time to get involved?

I'm (ironically) lucky that doing the sole parent to only one I drag her along to these hui's often. And she does her homework/ watches a dv,d/ eats all the crackers originally there were 'looks' , but I've normalised it. Bring back the community hui's with a pile of kids in the corner I say!

Bring back the community hui’s with a pile of kids in the corner I say!

Well yes we all need to be involved to build a sense of community, kids especially, seeing their elders working together and the results can only be a good thing.
this segmented society with disconnected cliques making decisions behind closed doors with little or one sided discussion is just wrong.
What are the rest of us supposed to do?
oh Thats right, cheer on our thugby team.
I might care if it all wasnt so commercialized(ugly word)