Media release
November 9, 2009

Capturing Wynyard Quarter’s character on camera

Elyse Childs never realised how fascinating the cement industry in Wynyard Quarter would be to photograph until she started her project titled ‘Set in Cement’. Her work is part of an ongoing partnership between Sea+City Projects Ltd and the Unitec School of Photography to create a visual archive of the area as a legacy for future generations.

The work of 24-year-old Childs, who completed her Diploma in Photography last year, and that of two other students, Mario Greller and Leigh Bell, are now available for viewing at the Sea+City Projects Ltd website, www.seacity.co.nz.

The partnership sees Unitec students each year take the opportunity to capture on camera the transformation of Wynyard Quarter. Each year Unitec students have the chance to capture images focusing on industries, events, changes and design. They also get the advantage of a real life learning experience by working in a commercial partnership. The top student each year is also awarded a contract to document change over time from ten points in the area.

Elyse Childs wanted to focus on the cement industry as it will be one of the first to move from Wynyard Quarter in 2010. “I took hundreds of photographs and it could have been endless because it told such a great story,” she says. “It was fantastic to see it through fresh eyes and I finished up thinking “this is amazing”. The images not only illustrate the location, but the enthusiastic staff and contractors who contribute to it.”

Leigh Bell’s project was called ‘Wynyard Workers’, which captured the essence of the individuals at work in their own surroundings across the wide range of industries in the area. Mario Greller’s project ‘Selections of Symmetry’ sees a sense of revelation emerging from the isolation of colour against a variety of neutral backgrounds of many common sights in Wynyard Quarter.

Sea+City Projects Ltd is charged with managing the revitalisation project of the area affectionately known as Tank Farm, for Auckland Regional Holdings, in conjunction with the Auckland City and Auckland Regional councils. Wynyard Quarter will be transformed in stages into a harbourside community with parks and plazas, apartments, shops and offices alongside the traditional marine and fishing industries.

Sea+City Projects Ltd Chief Executive and Project Director John Dalzell is delighted with the results of the partnership with Unitec:

“The students are creating a visual record of the Wynyard Quarter development for future generations, as well as being given the opportunity to explore completely different subject matter and get some experience of a commercial arrangement,” he says. “This year’s photographs capture the people, industries and the strong visual identity of the area.”

Editors’ note:
Over the next 25 years around 29 hectares of Auckland’s waterfront within Wynyard Quarter will be transformed in stages into a harbour side community with parks and plazas, apartments, shops and offices alongside the traditional marine and fishing industries. It is one of the largest urban renewal developments ever undertaken in New Zealand.

The regeneration project is a cooperative venture co-funded by Auckland Regional Holdings (ARH), the majority landowner, and Auckland City Council, which will own the roads, promenades, wharfs, parks and plazas. Auckland City Council will also share ownership of the large headland public space with Auckland Regional Council (ARC).

ARH established Sea City Projects Ltd (SCPL) to manage the revitalisation, and its commercial land north of Pakenham Street. Auckland City Council has appointed SCPL to project manage the design and construction of the public areas throughout Wynyard Quarter. ARH is the statutory investment management entity and part of the Auckland Regional Council Group.

ENDS

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