Auckland 2050
Building the Future City - 2 April 2025
Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Time: 5.30pm – 7.30pm
Venue: WZ Building, 6 St. Paul Street, Auckland 1010.
Informative presentations and a lively discussion
- Cities as Ecosystems– Matt Wheeler (Beca) proposed viewing Auckland as an interconnected system where nature, infrastructure, and people thrive together. He emphasized “city shaping” as a shift toward deliberate, long-term, and community-aligned planning.
- Systems, Value &Equity – Adrienne Miller (UDINZ) challenged traditional valuation models in urban development, calling for more inclusive and long-term thinking. She stressed the importance of respecting housing choice, including multigenerational living and community-led design.
- Indigenising the Urban Fabric – Architect and academic Jade Kake shared a powerful vision for decolonizing and indigenising Auckland. Her call was clear: let’s build a city that reflects Aotearoa’s identity, cultural diversity, and indigenous knowledge systems—visibly and structurally.
- Challenging Projections – Economist Stuart Donovan (Motu) reminded us that the future is not fixed. Using the example of Auckland’s Unitary Plan, he showed how bold, intentional planning can shift housing supply, affordability, and equity. His pitch? Let’s aim to be a big, shining city on the Pacific—one that welcomes growth, diversity, and opportunity.
Contact the Panelists
Adrienne Miller
CEO of the Urban Development Institute of New Zealand (UDINZ).
Matt Wheeler
Business Director, Project Strategy and Delivery at Beca.
Stuart Donovan
Senior Fellow Motū Economic and Public Policy Research
