Woods Bagot director and regional executive chair, Australia & New Zealand, Kate Frear said the return to Auckland had been planned for a while and was a natural progression in a strengthening market.
Partnering with local firms on major projects in Auckland, including the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) for SKYCITY, with Warren and Mahoney and Moller Architects, and the PwC Tower at Commercial Bay, also with Warren and Mahoney, Woods Bagot held a local studio in 2016 before consolidating in one city, Christchurch, in late 2017 to focus on the South Island pipeline.
Woods Bagot was on the ground and part of the orchestrated plan (known as the Blueprint) for the recovery of Christchurch central city after a catastrophic sequence of major earthquakes devastated the city in 2010 and 2011. The plan identified 17 anchor projects; the Te Pae Christchurch Convention & Exhibition Centre designed by Woods Bagot with Warren & Mahoney, is a key piece in the city’s rebuild and will complete in mid 2021.