Listening to Place: community engagement in Victoria Quarter

Our community-led development and placemaking work begins with listening -  not just to people, but to the subtle voice of place.

We walk through laneways and along streets with open eyes, ears, and hearts. What do we see and feel here? Where is life already thriving? What stories are told in the cracks of the pavement, the quiet of a tucked-away bench, or the smell of fresh baking drifting from a side door?

These gentle observations - often whispered rather than shouted -  become the foundation of everything that follows. Back at our desks, we return to them, sifting them through the values we carry: respect, aroha, generosity, togetherness, and equity.

This is where our mission takes root: to uncover what matters most to the people of this place - and to help uplift it.

Victoria Quarter South is one of Aotearoa’s most densely populated urban neighbourhoods - a vibrant hub home to thousands of people living in apartment communities along Nelson, Cook, and Union Streets. 

Among them are long-term locals, students, families with young children, renters, and owner-occupiers - many deeply invested in the wellbeing of their neighbourhood.

The Victoria Quarter Programme, led by Auckland Council, supports the transformation of this unique inner-city area - strategically located between the central city, Freemans Bay, and Ponsonby.

Catalyse is privileged to be leading the community engagement, placemaking, and capacity-building mahi in this area. Our co-design approach ensures that the voices of those who live here help shape the neighbourhood’s future.

Change, when guided by care and community, can leave a legacy for generations.