Skating, Sisterhood & Silo Park

“The Wynyard Quarter feels like a space  where the city can be shared, reimagined, and made more playful.”

Those are the words of 18-year-old Xinyu Jiang, one of the driving forces behind the Auckland Women’s Skateboarding Festival which recently saw  over 130 women and girls, aged between 5 to 50 plus, turning up to the  waterfront to give skating a go.

The festival was dreamed up two years ago by Xinyu and her friend Angela Fang – back when they were still in high school. With big ideas but no budget, they wrote a business plan, chased sponsors, and discovered a game-changer: the Base Spaces at Silo Park - a venue that is free, flexible, and perfect for beginners.

Their first event in 2024 drew about 50 people. This year? It more than doubled. “We wanted something open to everyone,” says Angela. “No pressure, no cost - just come along and try.”

“It’s also not as intimidating as a traditional skatepark and for beginners, especially girls and women, that makes a huge difference".  She continues -

“I love how open and alive the waterfront feels – it’s not hidden away. When we skate there, people can see us; and that visibility matters because it helps challenge the idea that skateboarding only belongs to certain people or certain places”.

With support from the Auckland Urban Development Office’s (AUDO) placemaking team, the pair turned their idea into reality - and into a growing community.

“The guidance from the team at the council made a huge difference when it came to turning our ideas into something practical and achievable, and their support with advertising and promotion was incredibly valuable.

“As young people organising an event like this, having the council believe in us means so much. We are genuinely grateful for all the time and encouragement we are given, because this event would have been much harder to make happen without them,” says Xinyu.

Connecting people with places has always been a key outcome of the council’s regeneration work.  Senior Placemaker, Ariane Craig-Smith said the festival is exactly the sort of initiative her team looks to support through the AUDO’s placemaking programme.

“Although the skate community is generally very supportive and welcoming, it is still seen as a largely male-dominated activity. Girls, women and gender diverse people can find it intimidating to get started and can also struggle to find others to skate with, so an overtly gender inclusive, or gender-specific, invitation can make a big difference. Supporting a community and youth-led activity such as this festival aligns perfectly with our goal of ensuring our Waterfront public spaces are welcoming for everyone.”

When sharing their hopes for the future of the festival, the sky is the limit for the pair.

There’s talk of monthly women’s skate meet ups to help keep the community growing, beginner workshops to ensure there’s always space for people to learn in a low-pressure environment and hopes that one day the festival will be self-sustaining – there’s even talk of merch!

Their message to anyone thinking about trying skating: Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it. Just show up and have a go.