Events
Street Smarts: Central Auckland
🎯 From ideas to impact
🌱 Secure your place at Street Smarts: A two-part workshop exploring how good ideas become lasting change.
Transport shapes our daily lives, yet most of us have never been given the hidden playbook for why our communities look and function the way they do, or how we can help make them better. Street Smarts is a first-of-its-kind two-day workshop that teaches systems-thinking, where real influence sits, and how communities can shape the future.
🛠️ Whether you're a community leader, advocate or simply curious about building a better future, you'll leave with a new perspective on how and why we get around the way that we do, the tools to navigate complex challenges, and the confidence to turn good ideas into lasting outcomes.
🤝Facilitated by Transport Strategist Tim Adriaansen and urban planner Angie Lin, Street Smarts combines lived experience and collaborative approaches to help people imagine what’s possible for Aotearoa.
We'll be diving into:
Seeing the system – Understand how transport shapes our lives, why our communities look the way they do, and what drives the outcomes we see every day.
The Transport Toolkit – Explore co-benefits and compromises of different street designs elements and ways of getting around.
The barriers to change – Unpack why creating better transport outcomes can be challenging, even when the benefits seem obvious.
Finding the leverage – Discover where you can have the greatest influence and how lasting change happens.
Learn how to solve problems around:
Safety and community health
Universal access for children, elderly and disabled people
Pollution and climate adaptation
Cost and affordability
Traffic congestion and economic outcomes
👥 Who is Street Smarts for?
Street Smarts is for anyone who cares about creating better places and wants the inside knowledge of how change actually happens. You might be a local board member, community leader, rangatahi advocate, disability champion, climate professional, health professional, urbanist, or simply someone who wants to have a greater impact in your community.
🌏 But knowing what we want is only the beginning. Every community wants safer streets, better public transport and places where people can thrive. The challenge is understanding why change is difficult. This workshop hands you the playbook for where you can have the greatest influence.
Street Smarts: Central Auckland
🎯 From ideas to impact
🌱 Secure your place at Street Smarts: A two-part workshop exploring how good ideas become lasting change.
Transport shapes our daily lives, yet most of us have never been given the hidden playbook for why our communities look and function the way they do, or how we can help make them better. Street Smarts is a first-of-its-kind two-day workshop that teaches systems-thinking, where real influence sits, and how communities can shape the future.
🛠️ Whether you're a community leader, advocate or simply curious about building a better future, you'll leave with a new perspective on how and why we get around the way that we do, the tools to navigate complex challenges, and the confidence to turn good ideas into lasting outcomes.
🤝Facilitated by Transport Strategist Tim Adriaansen and urban planner Angie Lin, Street Smarts combines lived experience and collaborative approaches to help people imagine what’s possible for Aotearoa.
We'll be diving into:
Seeing the system – Understand how transport shapes our lives, why our communities look the way they do, and what drives the outcomes we see every day.
The Transport Toolkit – Explore co-benefits and compromises of different street designs elements and ways of getting around.
The barriers to change – Unpack why creating better transport outcomes can be challenging, even when the benefits seem obvious.
Finding the leverage – Discover where you can have the greatest influence and how lasting change happens.
Learn how to solve problems around:
Safety and community health
Universal access for children, elderly and disabled people
Pollution and climate adaptation
Cost and affordability
Traffic congestion and economic outcomes
👥 Who is Street Smarts for?
Street Smarts is for anyone who cares about creating better places and wants the inside knowledge of how change actually happens. You might be a local board member, community leader, rangatahi advocate, disability champion, climate professional, health professional, urbanist, or simply someone who wants to have a greater impact in your community.
🌏 But knowing what we want is only the beginning. Every community wants safer streets, better public transport and places where people can thrive. The challenge is understanding why change is difficult. This workshop hands you the playbook for where you can have the greatest influence.
Commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele
Join the Passchendaele Society to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the fateful Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.
An annual tradition, this ceremony in the World War Two Hall of Memories at the Auckland War Memorial Museum is regarded as the most impressive and moving in New Zealand.
The ceremony will feature a guest speaker, bugler, piper, vocalist, the Artillery Band and cadets. Guests are welcomed to lay floral tributes or poppies and medals may be worn. Please be seated by 10.45am.
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Kava – A taste of Pacific Heritage
Kava has been at the heart of Pacific culture for thousands of years. It was used in ceremony, community gatherings and celebrations across Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and beyond. In Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland (often called the largest Polynesian city in the world) kava heritage is part of the city's own living story.
At Four Shells Kava Lounge, Auckland's first dedicated kava bar, we invite you to experience it firsthand. Taste freshly prepared kava, hear the stories behind the shell and connect with the Pacific culture woven into Tāmaki Makaurau's heritage.
Suitable for all backgrounds – whether you're of Pacific Island descent or simply kava-curious.
He Hākari Kōrero: A Feast of Stories
This is an immersive, sensory-led storytelling experience facilitated by Cassius Makoare. Participants are invited to experience a free one-hour kōrero where heritage is something to be felt, shared, and explored through conversation, memory, and the senses.
Grounded in the whakapapa of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the session explores traditional and contemporary approaches to kai, including kūmara cultivation, seasonal rhythms, and relationships with the whenua. You'll engage with natural materials, listen, and reflect, culminating in the resonant sound of the pūkaea. Heritage is reframed as a living feast experienced through listening, sensing and exchange. Free and open to all, we welcome curiosity, connection and shared learning.
World Homeless Day 2026
Join the movement for change at Federal Square aka St Patricks Square, Auckland CBD – Saturday10 October
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Returning home: Writing the Filipino experience
Join Monica Macansantos, author of Returning to My Father's Kitchen and Love and Other Rituals, in conversation with award-winning journalist Camille Elemia. Monica will read from her new essay collection, Returning to My Father's Kitchen, followed by a discussion that will explore themes of loss, reckoning with family history, finding a sense of belonging and nourishing oneself in different places.
About the author:
Monica Macansantos was born and mostly raised in the Philippines, while spending much of her adulthood in the United States and Aotearoa.
She is the author of the essay collection, Returning to My Father’s Kitchen, and the story collection, Love and Other Rituals. She was recently a Shearing Fellow with the Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellow with the Carson McCullers Center in Columbus, Georgia. She earned her MFA in Writing from the University of Texas at Austin, Michener Center for Writers, and her PhD in Creative Writing from Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
Ngā Reka o te Kāinga - A Taste of Home
Celebrate Auckland Heritage Festival at our scrapbook/zine recipe event.
Bring a favourite family recipe and join our community recipe swap celebrating food traditions from around the world. Share treasured recipes, stories and memories passed down through generations while discovering new dishes from others.
Create a scrapbook-style recipe page using recipes from our collections, photos, drawings, stickers, family stories, and cultural touches. All pages will be compiled into a community cookbook that celebrates the connections food creates across cultures, generations and families.
Once complete, the cookbook will be available to borrow from our Zine collection.
Piringatahi: Heritage collections up close
This is a unique opportunity to get up close with heritage collections held at Auckland Council Libraries.
Explore an array of cookbooks dating from 1714 to the present, featuring iconic titles like Edmonds and Mrs Beeton’s alongside locally created fundraising books.
Handwritten recipe books provide a glimpse into past kitchens, while wartime resources show how rationing changed our eating habits.
You can also browse early vegetarian and nutrition books, striking Health Department posters and vintage menus from historic Tāmaki Makaurau restaurants.
King Pin: Dave Cameron’s Boxing and Wrestling Collection
King Pin: Dave Cameron’s Boxing and Wrestling Collection explores the extraordinary archive built by Auckland collector, athlete and historian Dave Cameron.
Over decades, he amassed photographs, scrapbooks and memorabilia documenting boxing and wrestling in New Zealand from the early 1900s onwards. This exhibition brings his collection to life, tracing the evolution of both sports through changing media, and highlighting the communities of athletes, fans and promoters who shaped them.
Visitors experience the scale of Cameron’s 'home museum', discovering personal stories, iconic moments and key figures. Celebrating collecting and community, the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on how everyday passions and how personal archives contribute to Auckland’s shared heritage.
Food Histories: A Community Conversation
Across generations and communities, recipes carry stories of tradition, migration, resilience and belonging. Join Auckland Museum for an evening of discussion around the connections between food, culture, history, and identity. Bringing together community voices and cultural perspectives from across Tāmaki Makaurau, this panel discussion will examine how food preserves heritage and keeps memories alive.
Panellists will share personal experiences and reflections on the role of cooking, family traditions, dining, and their importance in strengthening connections between people and place. Participants will also have the opportunity to join the conversation by sharing a recipe. Recipe cards will be provided as a keep sake.
Tickets for this event are ‘Pay What You Can’ – we’re inviting you to set the price for your ticket to attend. Te Taunga Recipe and Stories cookbook will also be available for purchase at Hokohoko Auckland Museum store for $29.50.
Reflections on Auckland's volcanic landscape
In the second of the Jeremy Salmond Memorial Lecture Series heritage landscape architect Stephen Brown explores the history and future of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland’s volcanic landscape.
From isthmus cones and pā sites to 'The Sacred Footprints of Mataoho' in South Auckland, Stephen outlines the enduring fight to protect the city's volcanic viewshafts.
The talk covers the pivotal 1973 Planning Appeal Board decision over Maungawhau / Mt Eden, the formal protection of key sightlines to Tūpuna Maunga since 1975, and modern statutory challenges including the 2015 Unitary Plan, 2022's Plan Change 78, and the current PC120.
Discover why these sightlines remain critical to our city's identity.
Auckland Domain heritage walk: Māra Kai to Park
Explore Auckland Domain, New Zealand’s oldest park, nestled within the crater of one of Auckland’s earliest volcanoes.
Join long-time local guide Shelagh Coop on a walk through this historic landscape, uncovering its rich Māori and European heritage.
Learn how fertile volcanic slopes once supported thriving māra kai and discover how the area evolved into Auckland’s first public park in the 1840s.
Stroll through the Domain’s rolling grounds, visit the Wintergardens to explore stories of botanical exchange and journey through the museum precinct as a place of layered cultural memory.
A tour of Symonds Street Cemetery
Hidden beside the bustle of busy motorways and inner-city streets is Auckland city's oldest cemetery.
The setting of wild bush and streams is a significant heritage site and the final resting place of a who's who of Auckland's history - from famous early settlers and politicians to ordinary folks.
David Verran talks about the many communities represented here including Anglican, Catholic, Jewish, Methodist, Presbyterian and Māori.
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Takeaway lives: Food, memory and migration
Tāmaki Makaurau is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. When it comes to kai, this cultural richness provides us with endless cuisines and takeout options to explore.
Do you have a regular takeaway night each week? Maybe you’ve even got a favorite spot where you’re known by name?
Celebrate this year's Auckland Heritage Festival theme of kai with us as we host a discussion with Julie Zhu on her observational documentary series 'Takeout Kids'.
Archival anomalies: Edible heritage
These artist archives hold more than manuscript material.
Join the team from Auckland Art Gallery to explore how our archives portray food and hospitality, including the preservation of a gingerbread man.
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Field to Table: The Pukekohe Dehydration Factory
Step back into wartime Pukekohe and uncover the story of the Pukekohe Dehydration Factory, built under urgency during the Second World War to help feed United States forces fighting across the Pacific.
Equipped with cutting‑edge technology for vegetable dehydration, quick‑freezing, canning, and cool storage, the factory operated around the clock at its peak. It drew produce from state‑run gardens and local growers, with women forming the backbone of both field and factory work.
The story also extends to a network of interconnected places, including the nearby factory workers’ camp and supporting infrastructure.
Heritage specialist Cara Francesco presents a lecture on this fascinating chapter of Pukekohe’s history, including what became of the factory in the post‑war years.
Better Moves: A vision for transport in Aotearoa
Let's get Aotearoa moving!
Join us for the launch of Better Moves: Aotearoa's first ever national-scale vision for a better transport future.
One event. One moment. The start of New Zealand's transport transformation.
The decisions we make today will define how New Zealand moves tomorrow.
This celebration of Aotearoa's future brings together leaders, decision makers, advocates and innovators to connect around a shared opportunity: Creating a transport system that works for people, places and generations to come.
Don't miss your opportunity to be a part of the conversation.
Archival anomalies: Edible heritage
These artist archives hold more than manuscript material.
Join the team from Auckland Art Gallery to explore how our archives portray food and hospitality, including the preservation of a gingerbread man.
Kava – A taste of Pacific Heritage
Kava has been at the heart of Pacific culture for thousands of years. It was used in ceremony, community gatherings and celebrations across Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and beyond. In Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland (often called the largest Polynesian city in the world) kava heritage is part of the city's own living story.
At Four Shells Kava Lounge, Auckland's first dedicated kava bar, we invite you to experience it firsthand. Taste freshly prepared kava, hear the stories behind the shell and connect with the Pacific culture woven into Tāmaki Makaurau's heritage.
Suitable for all backgrounds – whether you're of Pacific Island descent or simply kava-curious.
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Volcano Fest: Auckland's fiery story
Calling all curious minds, from young explorers to the young at heart.
Have you ever found a rock and wondered what it is? Want to learn more about the unique volcanoes around Tāmaki Makaurau? Curious why some volcanoes erupt with lava flows and others with large explosions?
Join the DEVORA (DEtermining VOlcanic Risk in Auckland) team for fun, interactive volcano experiments.
See examples of explosive and flowing eruption styles, and explore a display of rocks and minerals from the Auckland Volcanic Field and beyond.
Chat with volcano scientists and geologists from the University of Auckland, and ask questions about volcanoes, earthquakes, rocks and the natural world.
Umrao Jaan, Empire and Identity
The rich artistic traditions of 19-century Lucknow, India with a special screening of the classic film Umrao Jaan (1981).
This celebrated cinematic masterpiece, winner of four Indian National Film Awards, offers a poignant look at a turning point in history and the impact of British colonialism on traditional South Asian heritage.
The film describes the kotha as a sophisticated space of poetry, dance and refined etiquette. It reveals how women preserved artistic practices and language despite social stigma and exploitation.
Through this shared heritage experience, audiences are invited to reflect on deep themes of memory, gender, resistance and the gradual erasure of pre-colonial culture.
This screening of the selected scenes creates a space for Auckland communities to engage with powerful histories of resilience, artistry and cultural survival. Come along to discover a visually stunning and thought-provoking chapter of global heritage.
Kava – A taste of Pacific Heritage
Kava has been at the heart of Pacific culture for thousands of years. It was used in ceremony, community gatherings and celebrations across Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and beyond. In Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland (often called the largest Polynesian city in the world) kava heritage is part of the city's own living story.
At Four Shells Kava Lounge, Auckland's first dedicated kava bar, we invite you to experience it firsthand. Taste freshly prepared kava, hear the stories behind the shell and connect with the Pacific culture woven into Tāmaki Makaurau's heritage.
Suitable for all backgrounds – whether you're of Pacific Island descent or simply kava-curious.
Visit Heritage Pubs
Join Civic Trust Auckland at a city centre heritage hotel for an illustrated talk on the fascinating history of our early neighbourhood pubs.
Auckland's early pubs and hotels were the vibrant social hubs of a growing city, yet many of these architectural treasures have sadly been demolished over the decades.
This special heritage event offers a unique opportunity to gather inside a surviving inner-city gem and discover the stories woven into the walls of our local drinking establishments.
Presented by Allan Matson, President of Civic Trust Auckland, the illustrated talk will bring the history of these historic neighbourhood pubs to life.
Guests will receive a brochure complete with a map and brief descriptions of local heritage buildings. With this guide in hand, you can continue the journey after the talk, perhaps alongside new acquaintances, to explore and support other heritage pubs operating nearby.
🔓 CIVICS UNLOCKED 🔓
🔓 CIVICS UNLOCKED 🔓
Ready to understand politics, elections, and your role in shaping the future? ❤️🩶
Join us for an evening of civic learning, connection, and good vibes designed by and for young people!
💡 What to expect:
A clear understanding of how elections work
Connect and meet with other young people
A safe space to ask questions no question is too basic!
Your one-stop-shop for political information made for youth
Discover why your voice matters and how you can create change
🍕 FREE catering
🗣 Political Panel + good vibes!
📍 GridAKL
🗓️ September 26
⏰ 1:00 PM–8:45 PM
GOOGLE FORM TO RSVP
https://forms.gle/bqsa92RxE2N8rnh3A
Be informed. Be involved. Be the change. 🔓🗳️
Come curious. Leave empowered. ❤️🩶
LEADING TODAY, TOWARDS TOMORROW, TOGETHER
❤️🩶
Engineering New Zealand Heritage Walks
Join one or both of these fascinating walks for history, architecture, and engineering enthusiasts!
Walk A:
(Saturday 26 September, Sunday 4 October, Saturday 10 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Graving Dock, Tepid Baths, electric tramways, Sky Tower, Vector tunnel, Refuse Destructor, Freemans Bay, Victoria Park tunnel and Viaduct, Gasworks, Wynyard Wharf, Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Basin, and Wynyard Crossing lift bridge.
Walk B:
(Sunday 27 September, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 11 October, 10am - 12.30pm)
Ferry Building, Queens Wharf, Britomart Transport Centre and Central Post Office, Dilworth Building, Dingwall Building, NZ Guardian Trust Building, Ligar Canal, Civic Theatre, Queen Street fires and water supply, Auckland Town Hall, Albert Park barracks and tunnels, University of Auckland old arts building, Synagogue and old Government House, Auckland High Court, Parnell railway bridge, Grafton Bridge Auckland Railway Station Building, Point Britomart.
Open Circle On Tour - Uptown
This September, the Open Circle Tour is setting up at Basque Park for a free community food truck night right in the heart of Uptown.
Local food trucks, a great green space, and a Saturday evening with your community. No catch. Just great food and a reason to stick around a little longer.
📍Basque Park, Newmarket
📅Saturday 19 September 2026 | 5pm – 8pm
Free entry
Uptown is Stop 08 on the Open Circle Tour — a series of 17 free food truck nights running across Auckland from August to November. (Supported by Waitemata Local Board)