Places and spaces

Two children and a pukeko watch some fish in a water feature. the water feature is actually a piece of infrastructure designed to control flooding in their neighbourhood. In the back ground is a parked digger surrounded by road cones for safety, and trees with the Auckland skyline are in the background.

From climate resilience to Māori design, spatial and centre planning to parks, open spaces, and public art, this section shows you how your project can contribute to Tāmaki Makaurau’s sense of place and identity, community cohesion, and mental wellbeing.

  • Māori design

    This is the world’s leading resource on Māori design where you’ll find insights, resources and examples of Māori design best practice. The bedrock of the guidance provided here is the seven outcomes-focused around the Te Aranga Principles. These principles express the thinking, input and tikanga of numerous iwi throughout Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.

  • Parks, open spaces and the public realm

    This section provides best practice guidance for our parks, spaces and public realm so that they can support the mental and physical health of our communities by providing places for activities, recreation, interaction and connection.

  • Centres

    This section provides information on how to continue to strengthen our centres so that they are strong, vibrant and successful places where our people choose to live and work, as well as to visit and enjoy.

  • Public art

    Public art is an important aspect of city building. It enriches a city, brings to life, and transforms how people experience the public realm. It contributes to the beautification of cities and is essential to creating a sense of place, helping us to achieve streets and public spaces that are unique to Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland.

  • Climate resilience and sustainability

    Links to the Auckland Council sustainability and eco design, and to the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), where NZGBC showcase the best of design guides, and other aspects which are being developed