Background and aims
Wellington City Council made the decision to demolish the earthquake prone underground carpark in the south-west corner of Frank Kitts Park. The Fale Malae Trust is proposing to build a Fale Malae which would, subject to landowner approval and resource consent, replace the car park structure with a smaller footprint and include multi-purpose spaces with Pasifika inspired architecture, as well as public facilities and a café. The design for a national Fale Malae at Frank Kitts Park has been drawn up, and the community was consulted with in April 2023 to ascertain their thoughts on the proposal.
Artist’s rendition of the proposed Fale malae (JASMAX)
Our role
We collated more than 2,000 responses and supplementary demographic information and sought to present the responses in a way that would effectively advise WCC about the public’s needs and wants for this central and valued location. To achieve this, analysis was divided into the value and concerns sections, within which thematic analysis summaries were written up headed by topic.
Design and method
In addition to presenting the responses and submissions thematically, we ‘cut’ the data in order to examine the perspectives of submitters with different demographic characteristics. This enabled us to see who supported the Fale Malae development, or on what grounds aspects of its construction were questioned. This type of analysis provided a deeper understanding of different groups who submitted on this issue.
Result
Results were analysed according to ‘Frequency of use’ (of Frank Kitts Park), ‘Ethnicity’, and of the submitter/respondent’s ‘Location’ (place of residence) to delve deeper into the ways in which the public think about and use the area. While it was generally agreed that a Fale Malae would add a striking and welcome cultural element to the waterfront, concerns were raised about existing users, greenspace, and construction disruption.
Outcome
The full engagement report was delivered to the Wellington City Council on time, and was used in their deliberations and strategic planning as one of the tools upon which to base decisions. No decisions have been announced yet about the proposed Fale Malae, and, in the meantime, the Frank Kitts Park retains its place as a key feature of Wellington’s waterfront.