AAF Partners With The Symphony Centre To Secure A Place For The Arts In The Heart Of Tāmaki Makaurau

Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival Partners With The Symphony Centre To Reinforce Auckland’s Position As A Leading Cultural City With A Creative Heart

Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival and The Symphony Centre development, a world-class urban regeneration project in the heart of Aotea Arts Quarter, have confirmed a three-year strategic partnership commencing this month.

The development team behind The Symphony Centre - a mixed-use vertical village to be built above Te Waihorotiu Station - local firm RCP and international developers MRCB, are deeply vested in preserving the identity and legacy of Aotea Arts Quarter as a place of culture, connection and creativity. It is this commitment to the arts sector that underscores RCP and MRCB’s support of Auckland Arts Festival and the celebration of diversity, culture and artistic innovation it brings to Tāmaki Makaurau’s preeminent arts precinct.

Auckland Arts Festival CEO Robbie Macrae says, “As reductions in arts funding continue to have far reaching impact around the world, private sector support for the arts has become increasingly important. This investment by RCP and MRCB is key to the sustainability of the arts sector across Auckland and New Zealand and has huge benefits to the wellbeing of our society through participation in and experience of the arts.

“Festivals are critical in providing local communities access to the arts. They also stimulate economic activity and provide employment opportunities for artists, arts industry workers, and support the broader arts and entertainment infrastructure. Partnerships with Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki are an exciting way to get closer to Festival audiences and artists, and an opportunity to make Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland a more vibrant city to live, work and play in. We look forward to working collaboratively with RCP and MRCB to achieve our mutual goal of building vibrant central city full of art, culture, music, Ngā Toi Māori, Toi Pasifika, and storytelling,” Macrae says.

Cristean Monreal, Director at RCP, says, “The Symphony Centre, Bledisloe House, and The Lanes development will incorporate arts and culture into daily living, heralding a revitalisation of Aotea Arts Quarter and usher in a revived cultural heartbeat to the city. Partnering with Auckland Arts Festival means we can tangibly support arts experiences and to continue to connect people and communities in the heart of the city.”

Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival is the region’s largest multi-genre celebration of arts and culture and has been an annual event since 2015. Founded in 1948, it was was the first large-scale festival in the Asia Pacific. The 2024 festival is the 16th staged by the Auckland Festival Trust following its re-establishment in 2003 after a hiatus. More than 2.2 million people have attended AAF events since then.

Every Auckland Arts Festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Auckland through the arts, supports the presentation of New Zealand and international artists and companies, the employment, training and retention of arts industry workers, and supports Auckland’s arts venues and wider arts infrastructure.

Ravi Krishnan, MRCB CEO, says, “Auckland Arts Festival is a globally recognised celebration of art and culture, one that has a deep history, and a prosperous future with Aotea Arts Quarter. By partnering with Auckland Arts Festival, we can ensure that as we develop this precinct, and revive one of the city's most unique inner city neighbourhoods, it continues to be a place of creativity and entertainment.”

About The Symphony Centre development team:

The development team behind this world class project is Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and development management firm RCP New Zealand.

About MRCB

Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) is an international leader in property development and construction, recognised globally as a pioneer of Transit Oriented Developments (TOD). Harnessing their expertise in TOD’s, MRCB is the developer behind the Symphony Centre, the visionary mixed-use building to be integrated with Te Waihorotiu Station, alongside Bledisloe House and The Lanes delivering Tāmaki Makaurau a new urban precinct grounded in connectivity.

About RCP New Zealand

RCP New Zealand is a full-service advisory and management firm. With eight offices throughout Aotearoa, RCP is a national, multi-disciplinary consultancy providing strategic advice and leadership for public and private sector clients across various property and infrastructure projects. In partnership with MRCB, RCP is leading the on-the-ground development management of Symphony Centre, Bledisloe House and The Lanes.

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