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NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS DISTRICT BECOMES THE FIRST PURPLE FLAG DESTINATION IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Delight as Dominion Road joins the Family of Elite Night Time Place Management Schemes
10th February 2021
Dominion Road, in Auckland, New Zealand, is celebrating after confirmation that it becomes the first destination in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve Purple Flag status.
The commercial strip, known for being a melting pot of different cultures, has been given the thumbs up for its proactive partnership approach to management of night life in the area.
No different to other accredited destinations, the path for Dominion Road has been a long and challenging one with planning taking place for a year prior to a visit by the Purple Flag Programme Manager, Sarah Walker, and lead assessor, Jon Shipp, in October 2019. Sarah and Jon met with partners, carried out workshops and undertook assessor training.
Dominion Road had their overnight assessment in November last year and their submission and report went before the Purple Flag panel in January this year with all other applications for Round 29 for the final decisions.
Dominion Road Business Association Manager Gary Holmes says he is thrilled with the outcome and that having Purple Flag accreditation will help Dominion Road achieve its vision of being a “world within a street”.
Mr Holmes said:
“We are looking forward to working collaboratively to continue to improve our night- time economy, increase safety in the town centre at night and help put more money into the back pockets of our local businesses”.
“We want to thank everyone who helped us achieve this outcome including neighbours, Eden Park, New Zealand Police, Albert-Eden Local Board and local businesses who supported the Dominion Road Business Association on this bid.
Sarah Walker, Purple Flag Programme Manager said:
“It is really fantastic to have Dominion Road as part of the Purple Flag family. The assessors and panel were really impressed with the buy-in from the community which shows a real commitment to the accreditation. We really look forward to growing the accreditation in New Zealand and making a real change to areas through this process”.
Ojay McDonald, the CEO of ATCM, said:
“It is an extremely exciting time for Purple Flag. Its success has been built on partnership work and ensuring that each location has the tools and teamwork to ensure a safe, diverse, and vibrant evening and night-time offer. We are very proud that our programme has been picked up by Auckland, and we look forward to promoting and growing the Purple Flag accreditation in even more locations across New Zealand.”
The announcement comes as interest in Purple Flag in the Southern Hemisphere grows following the publication of the new 24-hour economic strategy for Sydney (Australia) that recognises Purple Flag as a key tool in the development of night-time economies in the UK and Ireland.
With over 100 destinations already awarded Purple Flag in Europe across the UK, Ireland and Sweden, this growth is testament to how it is regarded internationally for its excellence.