Community comes together to spruce up Cuba Street and Courtenay Place

Following on from two successful clean-ups in 2023, another round was organised to continue taking ownership and care of the areas, says Wellington City Council City Manager Prak Sritharan.

“We regularly hear how important a clean and well-maintained city centre is as it fosters a stronger sense of community ownership, boosts local morale, and reinforces Wellington’s reputation as a world-class capital.”

The clean-up saw a collaborative effort across local businesses, residents, partners, contractors and Council staff, with over 50 people joining us across both days.

“We're currently working with Cuba businesses and residents to build a precinct plan for the area, a process we've already done with Courtenay Place and it's great to have opportunities for people to come together to give these precincts some extra aroha,” says Prak.

“One person even came down specifically to clean a post box that he had eyed up and wanted cleaned! We love seeing the community get involved in caring for their city.”

Jobs completed during the clean-up: 

• Graffiti was removed from hotspots
• More than 20kgs of rubbish was picked up from Courtenay Place
• Around 25kgs of litter was removed from Cuba Street
• Bus stops and bus shelters were given a deep clean by Metlink
• Rubbish bins and street furniture were scrubbed clean.

City Revitalisation Activation Lead Clara Breitenmoser says that these events allow people to become kaitiaki of the areas they know and love. 

“Council is only one piece of the puzzle, and we want to empower people to see the central city as their neighbourhood.

“We want to keep working towards the same long-term vision as our partners, stakeholders and businesses. We’ve really built some strong partnerships because we can’t do it alone. I think that’s why the clean-ups work because there’s no substitute for people power.”

These clean-ups are part of the precinct-based approach we are taking to revitalise the central city. Find out more about the Courtenay Precinct Plan on our website.