Te Pūmanawa o Onehunga

2024 - 2030

Onehunga
In Progress
Urban regeneration
Development

The heart and essence of Onehunga

A central community area for Onehunga, one that builds on and around the existing community facilities and library with the creation of new spaces and facilities.

We are currently working on plans for a new community area in Onehunga between Church Street and Princes Street called Te Pūmanawa o Onehunga, meaning 'The heart and essence of Onehunga’.

The area functions as the community hub for the town centre, accommodating the Library, Community Centre, Recreation Centre and Community Hall.

Te Pūmanawa o Onehunga presents a great opportunity to enhance the area, community spaces and facilities in Onehunga. The aim is to create a central place where all ages can meet and participate in a range of activities and events.

The area looks to include a new multi-purpose community hall, to replace the Pearce Street Hall, a new youth space, and a town square to tie it all together. The area will also further supporting the North-South connection from Maungakiekie down to the Manukau Harbour. There is also potential for a new indoor recreation facility to replace the Sir William Jordan Recreation Centre.

The work follows on from and connects to a recent Auckland Council assessment on the current and future community and indoor recreation needs in Onehunga. This assessment showed a clear need for greater facilities and spaces in Onehunga.

Community Facilities review

Onehunga has a range of community facilities and it is critical these facilities meet the needs of a growing and changing community.

In October 2019, a public survey and assessment was undertaken to gain insight into the range of activities undertaken, facilities used, and to identify future needs of Onehunga residents and visitors. The survey was completed by over 350 community members.

The work informs decisions for the future of council-owned community facilities in Onehunga - in particular the Sir William Jordan Recreation Centre and Pearce Street Hall.

The assessment and surveying found that Onehunga has the right types of community facilities, but the quality, capacity and configuration impacts the ability to fully meet community needs.

Pearce Street Hall

Peace Street Hall was built in the 1970s for the senior citizens club, with financial support from Rotary and the Onehunga Borough Council. It is not known when the building formally became a venue for hire, but it is presumed during the time of the 1989 local authority amalgamations.

Pearce Street Hall has the strongest use levels of the Council’s community venues in Onehunga.

Community feedback on Pearce Street Hall was positive about the layout and accessibility, but negative about the poor condition and the need for asset improvements if the facility is retained in its current location.

There is clear demand for ongoing provision of a large hall space potentially with a stage.

There was also desire for more indoor and outdoor connections and improved green space around the current site.

Community Engagement

We are currently conceptualising the area and are keen on feedback from the community to help shape the designs and layout for the precinct.

In 2025, we have been running several engagement activities to gather early feedback from the commuity at the 312 Day, Onehunga Festival, Music on the Mall, and with regular users of the Pearce Street Hall.

Coming up in early 2026 we will be coming to the community with a full draft concept of the precinct, showing the initial layout, the town square, the youth space and community hall designs.

We look forward to sharing these plans with you and getting your feedback on them, so we can make the designs the best ones possible for the community.