People power needed to give Old Papatoetoe a makeover

Volunteers are needed to help clean up and makeover one of the Auckland region’s oldest town centres.

Old Papatoetoe is the second Manukau town centre to be part of the mainstreet makeover project. Volunteers are needed to help with the community clean up on Saturday 1 May. Starting at 8.30am, behind the old Papatoetoe council chambers on St George St, there will also be a free BBQ.

The aim is to help improve town centres by cleaning them up and painting buildings at the same time. A programme of maintenance and graffiti removal then continues to keep them looking good for years to come.

The initiative was developed by Manukau City Council and the Manukau Beautification Trust. They are working on the project with business improvement districts (BIDS) in each of the seven town centres that will get cleaned up and made over.

Manukau Deputy Mayor and long-time Papatoetoe resident Gary Troup says the project is a great community initiative.

“It’s fair to say Old Papatoetoe’s main street has seen better days. But we believe by getting the community involved in the clean up, with the council providing organisation and resources, we can get it back to its glory days.

“The aim of the mainstreet makeover is to help improve the overall presentation of town centres with a cost-effective, coordinated approach to painting, maintenance and graffiti removal.

“Businesses help pay for the initiative through a targeted rate each year. This spreads the cost for the businesses and makes it more affordable than having to pay for the whole cost of repainting immediately.

“It also means it is cheaper than each business doing their own painting and everyone gets the benefits of the whole town centre being repainted at once.

“This is the first long term programme of its type in New Zealand. We also think it may be the first in the world; ceratinly the council isn’t aware of any similar initiatives,” Mr Troup says.

Old Papatoetoe Business Improvement District Chairman Watchman River says the goal is a safe and friendly environment that encourages more people into the heart of Papatoetoe.

“We as a business community have committed money and energy to a seven year program to revitalise our shopping and business areas. Papatoetoe wants to buck the recent trend and recover their market position as a destination for friendly shopping.

“We want Papatoetoe people to roll up their sleeves and jump start the makeover at the clean up on 1 May,” he says.

The Dawson’s Rd shops in Otara has already been cleaned up and painted. The other town centres that will get a mainstreet makeover are Otara, Mangere town centre, Mangere Bridge, Manurewa and Hunters Corner.

The initiative is a seven year programme, with a community clean up and professional repaint in year one, followed by maintenance and ongoing graffiti removal over the seven years.

The makeovers are funded by a targeted rate of businesses in the town centres, which was agreed following consultation.