1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: Thomas Coglan will wrap the political week that wasn't Gavin 2 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:04,840 Speaker 1: Grays with us out of the UK at seven past six. Now, 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: not everyone is down about the future of Auckland CBD. 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,239 Speaker 1: Well known Taylor Crane Brothers has been a fixture on 5 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: High Street for twenty six years and so committed they've 6 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: just signed for another twenty five years now. Murray Crane 7 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: is the man behind Crane Brothers. 8 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 2: Hi Murray, Hi head, how are you this evening? 9 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: I'm very well, thank you. So what is it that 10 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: you're seeing in the CBD that others may be arn't. 11 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 2: Well? I think it definitely helps that I'm pretty close 12 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 2: to being here every day, so that is my daily 13 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 2: kind of mute to get here in the morning and 14 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 2: be here most of the day. So I definitely see 15 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 2: a lot of people with businesses who are seeing positive 16 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 2: growth and are trying new things and there's a return 17 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 2: to people coming back. I think, you know, COVID really 18 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 2: did knock the CBD for six and on top of that, 19 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 2: we had a lot of people working from home and 20 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 2: the numbers of the number of people coming into the 21 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 2: city reduced dramatically. But we're definitely seeing that tide turning 22 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,559 Speaker 2: reasonably slowly, but it is turning that all the numbers 23 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 2: seem to be pointing in the right direction, which is great. 24 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,759 Speaker 2: And in particularly where we are in High Street, we're 25 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 2: seeing tendencies being refilled and lease is being signed and 26 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 2: people looking for space. So it feels like we're definitely 27 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:30,680 Speaker 2: on the front flop, right. 28 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: That's good to hear. And I know you've been pretty 29 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: positive actually because you you I've been getting text on 30 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: the show from you a fair bit actually calling us 31 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: out for being too negative about the CBD. So all 32 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: of that, do you think that the stuff that the 33 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: kind of the general narrative about there being too much 34 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: crime and too many too many you know, I guess 35 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: troublemakers in the CBD, and and too many road cones 36 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: not enough for traffic. All of that is kind of 37 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: is not true story, is that what you're saying. 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: Wouldn't say it's not a true story, but I would 39 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 2: say that I don't think it's any worse than any 40 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 2: other anywhere else in the world, and probably not as 41 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 2: bad as any other part of New Zealand, given if 42 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 2: you look at the spread of crime, I mean it 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 2: is a large, bustling CBD and I think some of 44 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: that narrative is kind of a selfish something prophecy, you know, 45 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 2: keep saying that things are bad, you just believe that 46 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: they are bad. I mean, it's not perfect, but I 47 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: think there's definitely been a large reduction in crime and 48 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 2: a large reduction in just general kind of unrest in 49 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,119 Speaker 2: the city as parts of the city begin to kind 50 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 2: of flourish and become active again. What we tend to 51 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 2: find with rough leapers and vagrancy is that they really 52 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 2: don't want to be around areas where there's lots of people. 53 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 2: They tend to want to go to parts of the 54 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 2: city that very quiet so they can kind of be. 55 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: Left alone, basically pushes them out. 56 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, so as the city becomes busy, we're seeing we're 57 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 2: seeing that move, which is why we're having these issues. 58 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 2: We've also had a big clamp down on retail crime 59 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 2: and new market which has kind of pushed that element 60 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 2: to other places as it's become as I've become more 61 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 2: aware of what's happening there. So it's a bit of 62 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 2: a moving target, but I don't think it's ever going 63 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,080 Speaker 2: to go away. However, well, it's placed in however busy 64 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 2: or quiet when you go to a city like London, 65 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 2: which is incredibly busy and incredibly bustling, and there's just 66 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 2: as much crime because because of the scare volume of people. 67 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 2: So you kind of damned if you do, and you're 68 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 2: damn if you don't. 69 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: Really, you guys have a store on Ponsby Road, don't you? 70 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 2: Yes, we do. 71 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: So did you see that piece that was around earlier 72 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: this week suggesting Ponsonby Road is possibly dying? What do 73 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: you think of that? 74 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 2: I think there's some there's definitely some truths and that 75 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: having been up there now for a few years and 76 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 2: then having had stores there in the past as well, 77 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 2: and I think I think that's partly symptomatic of just 78 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 2: a changing demographic of Ponsonby as well house prices, the 79 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 2: age of people living there. It's it's definitely feels like 80 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 2: it's lost some of its edge and I think. 81 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: Is it becoming a bit bas. 82 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 2: There's a lot of empty spaces, that's a land I 83 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 2: think there's a disconnection there with with what what the 84 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 2: people that live there wanting and what's available. Right, there's 85 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 2: still some great stores. 86 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: Is the is the empty space is not a landlord problem? 87 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 2: Uh? Well, our land has been incredibly proactive with us so, 88 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 2: but he is I mean they are quite a large 89 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 2: land landowner on Ponsonby Road, so they may be in 90 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 2: a slightly different position to some other ones. I mean 91 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 2: there's definitely pressure on landlords the same way there has 92 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 2: been on house house buyers and house owners. They have 93 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 2: the same challenges the business owners as well, and they 94 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 2: have challenges that if they've got borrowing on their buildings, 95 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 2: they need to be meeting their covenants I guess with 96 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 2: the banks. So yes, it's challenging for everyone. 97 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: Murray listen, good to talk to you, thank you and 98 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: best of luck for the next twenty five years. It's 99 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: Murray Crane of Crane Brothers. For more from Heather Duplessy 100 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: Alan Drive, Listen live to news Talks. It'd be from 101 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 1: four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.