Collective guiding principles

The long list of principles have been distilled into a set of emerging project principles. These are in draft form only and require review, validation and refinement with mana whenua.

Mana whenua led, shaped by place

The city centre should be shaped by mana whenua values, narratives, relationships and leadership. Tairāwhiti identity, pūrākau, history and aspirations should be expressed and celebrated in streets and urban spaces.

Manaakitanga in everyday life

The city centre should feel welcoming, safe, and easy to move through, a place that expresses care, hospitality, and respect in the texture of daily life. This means spaces that work for everyone, infrastructure that is well maintained and invested in, and an environment that earns the confidence and pride of the people who use it every day.

Connected to te taiao

The city centre should strengthen its relationship with the Taruheru, Tūranganui, and Waimatā, awa that are the lifelines of the region and central to mana whenua identity. Trees, shade, planting, biodiversity, and nature-based systems should be woven into the heart of the city, making it cooler, greener, and more alive.

Great streets, places to gather, a city to live in

The city centre should offer streets and public spaces that invite people to meet, rest, share kai, play, celebrate, and connect. Beyond visits, it should support more people to live in and around it, with the amenity, activity, and sense of belonging needed for everyday life across generations.

The civic and economic heart of Tairāwhiti

The city centre should serve as the civic and economic heart of the whole region, as a place for commerce, governance, culture, and community life. A city centre supported by clear processes, strong coordination, practical partnerships and visible early action that makes positive change easier to sustain over time.

Stakeholder groups were asked to place green dots next to the principles that resonated with them most.

Greening the city

Bring more trees, shade, planting, gardens and nature-based systems into the city centre to improve comfort, identity and environmental performance.

An economic attractor

Draw people and talent back to the centre, stimulate investment and provide a broad range of benefits.

A city centre for living

Support more people living in and around the centre, with the amenities, activity, services and walkability needed to make city-centre living work.

A place to gather

Support spaces for meeting, resting, sharing kai, celebrating, performing, playing and being together in everyday life.

Manaaki – people first

Create a city centre that feels welcoming, safe, accessible and respectful, with comfort and dignity in everyday use.

Mana whenua led

Ground the future of the city centre in mana whenua values, narratives and relationships.

A multi-generational city centre

Make the city centre work better for tamariki, rangatahi, whānau, older people and people of all abilities.

For locals first – others will follow

Shape the city centre around the needs, routines and aspirations of Gisborne and Tairāwhiti communities first.

Accessible by design

Make it easier for everyone to reach, move through and use the city centre, regardless of age, stage or ability.

Resilient by nature

Design the city centre to respond to climate, water, environmental risk and long-term change.

Great streets to live in

Streets that feel comfortable, attractive and social, not just routes for cars and passing through.

Connected to our rivers

Strengthen physical and visual connections between the city centre, the Taruheru, Tūranganui and Waimatā, the river’s edge and surrounding public spaces.

Whenua and awa first

Let the Taruheru, Tūranganui and Waimatā, the wider whenua, and natural systems shape how the city centre grows, connects and performs.

Restore and reconnect

Reconnect the city centre to the Taruheru, Tūranganui and Waimatā, renew the river’s edge, and restore pride, care and belonging in the heart of the city.

From transactional to destinational

Shift the city centre from a place people pass through for errands and services to a place where people want to stay, spend time and return.

Strong heart of the region

Strengthen the city centre as the civic, social and economic heart of Tairāwhiti.

A place to land and launch

Strengthen connections from the city centre to surrounding neighbourhoods, the coast, the hinterland and the wider region.

Emerging actions from feedback

The suggestions and actions discussed during these conversations are summarised through the following themes:

Movement and access

Safer, slower, people-first streets

• Pedestrian-priority Lowe Street
• Shared / event street on Peel Street + Reads Quay
• Safer, more consistent crossings (zebra + courtesy)
• One-way / slow street approaches (including Gladstone Road)

Better connections + walkability

• Stronger mid-block links to the river
• Improve CBD ↔ beach / gardens / Kaiti connections
• Increase pedestrian space on Peel Street Bridge

Support active modes

• Cycle parking (including covered options)

Shift parking to the edges and strengthen walking routes into the core.

Family, youth and everyday life

A city for all ages

• Play and informal recreation in the centre
• Teen-friendly hangout spaces (free and flexible)

Indoor + all-weather options

• Recreation anchors (arcade, climbing, bowling, flexible youth spaces)
• Increase pedestrian space on Peel Street Bridge

Inclusive and safe spaces

• Safer environments for girls and young people
• More shade, seating and family-friendly amenities

Identity

Embedding place narratives

• Partner with mana whenua to embed pūrākau throughout the city centre
• Integrate cultural narratives into streets, public spaces and the river edge, expressing connections to Te Awa

Creativity and local expression

• Public art, murals and installations that reflect local identity
• Support temporary and evolving creative use of vacant spaces

A true civic heart

• A central civic square (Peel Street, Treble Court, or McDonald’s site)
• Upgrade Treble Court as an active community space
• A central performance space for events and music

River edge and ecology

Reconnect the city to the river

• Improve access, visibility and destinations along the river edge
• Strengthen key river-edge nodes (Lowe Street, Bright Street, Reads Quay)

Greening the centre

• Increase shade and tree canopy
• Shift toward native, locally resonant planting

Water + ecology made visible

• Rain gardens, stormwater treatment and green roofs
• Ecological storytelling and biodiversity markers
• Edible planting and pātaka kai

Amenities

• Drinking water and refill stations
• Riverside seating, toilets and stopping places

Activation and adaptive reuse

Activate what already exists

• Temporary use of vacant shops (arts, retail, community)
• Identify priority sites for adaptive reuse

Support a mixed-use centre

• Upper-floor residential conversion
• Boutique accommodation and hotel opportunities

Lift baseline quality

• Verandah upgrades and improved building presentation with painting etc.

Flexible, event-ready places

• Spaces with power, shade, toilets and seating
• A central performance space for events and music

Night-time activation

• Expanded lighting for streets, bridges and the river edge

Must dos

Immediate public realm improvements

• Better lighting, including under verandahs
• Safer, non-slip paving
• Improved cleanliness, rubbish collection and drainage
• Streetscape refresh (furniture, finishes)
• Clearer wayfinding and stronger internal connections to river