AHI Summer Research Scholarships

 

Research Articles

 

After the Trial Mall: Queen Street’s Stagnated Development

After the Trial Mall: Queen Street’s Stagnated Development

by Nancy Mitchelson*
In August of 1979, things were still looking hopeful for a proposed pedestrian mall in Queen Street, following the carnival-like, week-long trial in May. Furthermore, the closing off of the Wellesley/Victoria street block was approved by the ACC policy and finance committee.

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“Yours Disgustedly”: Public Reactions to the Queen Street Mall Project

“Yours Disgustedly”: Public Reactions to the Queen Street Mall Project

by Nancy Mitchelson*
Deep in the Auckland City Council archives, direct democracy of a bygone era has been wholly preserved in fountain pen and typewriter ink. This takes the form of copious amounts of letters to the mayor and planning committee, reacting to one of the most controversial and, dare I say, tantalising issues of the time: the pedestrianisation of Queen Street.

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The Mall Gets Stalled: A Planning Timeline of the Queen Street Pedestrian Mall

The Mall Gets Stalled: A Planning Timeline of the Queen Street Pedestrian Mall

By Nancy Mitchelson*
The concept of closing part of Queen Street to cars and creating a pedestrian oasis in the middle of Auckland’s own ‘Golden Mile,’ is not a novel one. In fact, this idea has existed in some form since at least 1968, when Mayor Sir Dove-Myer Robinson made it the cornerstone of his mayoral campaign platform.

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Resilience

Resilience

By Nicolas Jones*
The Māori Community Centre, set up in 1947, was an important component in the reestablishment of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s community identity. During a period of significant upheaval and devastation for Ngāti Whātua, the Centre provided space for a temporary Marae and supported the process of rebuilding within the hapū.

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Māori Bards in the Community Centre

Māori Bards in the Community Centre

by Nicolas Jones*
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Māori Community Centre was at the heart of popular culture and nightlife leisure amongst Māori living in Auckland. Whether it was because of factors such as State encouragement in the wake of the Hunn Report (1961), economic opportunities, or the appeal of adventure in the city, Auckland’s Māori population grew at a remarkably fast rate in the post-war period.

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Auckland’s Māori Community Centre: 1947-1970

Auckland’s Māori Community Centre: 1947-1970

by Nicolas Jones*
For more than 50 years, the Māori Community Centre has stood as an iconic feature of Auckland’s urban landscape and an integral pan-tribal space for city-dwellers. While eventually demolished in 2002, for those that attended and benefitted from its many programmes and facilities, the Centre’s legacy is an important narrative in the history of Tāmaki Makaurau.

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The Limits to Progress: The Auckland Harbour Bridge, 1959-1969

The Limits to Progress: The Auckland Harbour Bridge, 1959-1969

by Nathan McLeay*
In the eyes of many Aucklanders, the bridge, Auckland’s soaring highway in the sky stood as proud testament to the city’s progress and to the vision and tenacity of its officials. Not only was the bridge a sign of how far Auckland had come, but also where Auckland was going.

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