The development of the Dress-Smart retail mall is welcomed by the Onehunga businesses in the town centre following the recent sale of 3 Waller Street to Lendlease Investment Management.

Dress-Smart opened in 1995 and has seen Onehunga develop as New Zealand’s destination for outlet shopping alongside quality hospitality and services. The thriving town centre continues to bounce back quickly after lockdowns thanks to its supportive local community and Dress-Smart’s unique offering.

Onehunga Business Association Town Manager Amanda Wellgreen believes that the Dress-Smart development is positive for the businesses in the Onehunga retail centre.

“Dress-Smart brings visitors from across the Auckland region and is a top destination for tourists from across New Zealand. Our data shows that when Dress-Smart is successful then our other businesses benefit from that success.”

Any development that includes car parking is welcome in Onehunga particularly with recent changes to the Onehunga train line and the impact of recent announcements of infrastructure upgrades of train lines.

“Dress-Smart car park is under huge pressure each weekend with over 10,000 visitors each Saturday and Sunday. With a reduction of services to Onehunga, and plans by Eke Panuku to develop other public car parking into residential, it is critical that Dress-Smart enhances its parking to compete with sites like Sylvia Park with 4,000 free car parks.”

The Onehunga Business Association has been engaged with Eke Panuku since Onehunga was announced as a transform project area in 2017 to ensure that any development flows seamlessly with businesses on Onehunga Mall and beyond. Linkages between the retail is critical for the future of our businesses.

“We look forward to the progress of Eke Panuku’s masterplan for Onehunga which includes a coordinated range of public facilities and an integrated transport centre.”