WELCOME

2025

Dear New Business

Welcome to Birkenhead Village.

To assist you in settling in we have created a Welcome pack which provides useful information 
about the management marketing and promotion of the Village.  Please note specifically the security and rubbish arrangements. We have worked hard since 2009 to communicate and keep the area clean and secure so when we attract visitors into the area they wish to come back and visit us. This is a joint responsibility of all Landlords and Businesses operating in the area.

In 2008 The Birkenhead Town Centre Association adopted, with the vote of its members, to run a Business Improvement District.  In 2023 we signed a partnering agreement with Auckland City (Super City).  The key objectives of the programme are to;

1. Market and promote the centres assets to customers, visitors and new businesses (Events & Branding are the key projects in this first objective)
2. Improve the economic vitality and provision of services to the Centre
3. Enhance the physical environment in conjunction with the local board
4. Build a strong association to act as a single voice on issues for its stakeholders

Our website address is www.birkenhead.net.nz where we have over 50,000 visitors looking for businesses in the town centre a year and our Facebook page for Village News is Facebook; birkenheadvillagenz and Instagram; birkenheadvillage.  Please feel free to send us your promotions and events so we can share information from the Village page. It would be to our collective benefit if you also share our events and promotions for the Village on your social platforms. 

In addition we have provided our members with a Business Portal for which is confidential to new members and contains details of our unique security arrangements with Matrix for business members, commercial Rubbish, Business Tool Kit to assist in upskilling in the areas of business planning, free business resources and the new social media facts, as well as trends and key marketview information on customers and their spending habits in Birkenhead Village. In addition, the details of our Constitution, Business Partnering Agreement with council and financial statements.  We have completed a 5 year strategic plan (2024-29), having completed albeit slower than anticipated with Covid and extreme weather events of the last few years.  

Access is on the bottom right hand corner of the website home page through the login link. Once accessed the user name: VIP and the password: village.  Please keep this information confidential.

With Jude’s resignation, the chair for 2025 is currently Steve Simms.

We are an active association with a strong focus on the Community. The Executive is voluntary and we have a full Executive currently with 9 members led by Chair Steve Simms (Steve’s email address steve@bbc.kiwi and our Town Centre Manager is Kae Condon on kae@birkenhead.net.nz.  Her Town Centre standard contact days are Mon- Thursday and her phone number is 021 397014.   Executive Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each Calendar month from 4-6pm, at the Good Home, and any member is welcome to attend by sending a note to the Manager a week prior. We can confirm the date, time and location and agenda of the next meeting.  It is important that you complete the new membership form and sign it so that you have claimed your Birkenhead Town Centre Membership and can vote at the next AGM, and so we can keep you up to date with Village events, and security alerts when needed.  Your membership is covered by your landlord paid through a special targeted rate on their rates bill from Council.   The 2025 annual AGM is scheduled to be held in September and signing of this membership form entitles you to claim your membership.

At the AGM, you are entitled to vote in person as a landlord or as a business owner (further details please check our constitution). Our Annual Marketing and Promotional Calendar is also displayed on the website at the beginning of each calendar year.

In addition, once you have claimed your membership and registered  as a Town Centre member the following marketing and security support is available to you;

Marketing

• Free 300 listing on the Village website with Photograph and copy to 20 words and links to your website or Facebook page.
• Free inclusion for street front businesses in the over 300,000 unique fairylight activations we have created a sparkling evening brand image. Village Wide Retail Fairy Light evening promotion & Christmas Decorations (Each decoration has a $500 value so please take care of both the Fairy lights and the Swags and advise the Town Centre Manager immediately of any health & safety or maintenance issues- we have a joint responsibility for the health and safety of village customers, along with Council and AT who also manage the public assets.
• Free inclusion as appropriate in branded events and promotions
• Free inclusion in customer based direct marketing which happens 9 times per annum
• Free inclusion in social media campaigns (Facebook 8.4K followers, and Instagram 930 followers) as appropriate (Marketing of the Town Centre website is by the Manager who will offer members opportunities to participate around our Events in line with the themes of the four signature events we have created for the area during the last 5 years in addition to the retail and public celebrations;
• Free inclusion as appropriate in event promotions; Mid-Winter Event in June, Birkenhead Village Heritage Festival Event (Labour Weekend, Sat 25 Oct), and the Latin Chilli Festival (February-March.) Check out last year’s Facebook posts to get the lowdown on these free events for the Village. Our Christmas Festival runs from November 1 and includes Christmas street decorations, Christmas music for the month of December, and a family Christmas event.
• Free inclusion as appropriate in branded to-consumer promotions; Perfect Pamper Month of May Mother’s Day, and Santa’s Secret Stash November-December promotion.

Security

• Access to the Matrix security contract signed on behalf of the Village - $80 value for call outs.  You simply call the number on the Security briefing pages (09 579 1567) and identify yourself as calling from Birkenhead Town Centre Association identifying our business and your name and contact details (please send Kae an email at kae@birkenhead.net.nz just to notify us for our stats that you have done this).
• Access to our security network through the police VIGRID System if required, 31 camera network covering Mokoia Rd, Birkenhead Ave, Hinemoa St, Rawene Rd, Enterprise St, Hammonds Pl through the police and their Vigrid system (Safer Cities Network). Please call Kae for further instructions 021 397 014
• Please make sure you report any crime or petty issues to the police as we need to get any infringements on the police record to secure ongoing police support in the area. Report at 105.police.govt.nz or phone 105
• Crime stoppers is a good anonymous source to get issues recorded in the system simply call the number (0800 555-111)
• Please ensure any live graffiti damage is reported the police either on (09 571 2800) or if the graffiti has already occurred, you can report it at the 105 online reporting website 105.police.govt.nz 
• If you need to file a police report for a crime, you can now do this over the phone, this is a new service in 2019 call (09 477 5000) or download the new 105 police app.
• Did you know you can now report crime and suspicious activity online? 105.police.govt.nz 

Please go onto our Facebook page and Instagram pages, follow them, and share the events with your customers, family and friends to spread the word and encourage increased visitors to the Village. These can be accessed immediately by clicking on the Facebook icon or Instagram at the top of our website top right hand corner. 

Many customers initially visit Birkenhead Village to walk. We have enviably the best views on the Shore, hence our tagline Village With a View and offer 4 recognised walk routes on our website under walks. 

• Auckland City’s only inner city rainforest Māori Pipi Walk through Le Roy’s Bush, a diverse area of NZ native bush and birdlife now directly accessed from opposite the library in the heart of the village, with its own video story, share it with family, friends and visitors.
• Chelsea Sugar original sugar workers walk
• Highbury Heritage walk - accessed through the website
• Birkenhead’s oldest street- Hinemoa Street to the wharf. 

Find more information about them here

We encourage you to check out the walks on our website. Walk them yourselves and share them with friends and family.

We also have a parking map and identified parking spaces available on the Website.
Parking village wide is still free in Birkenhead Village and we are very proud of that. Parking under the mall, like most private malls is free for 3 hours. 

We are positive about the Birkenhead Village brand and its unique place in the Auckland retail & business landscape,

Should you have any enquiries or questions please feel free to contact Kae Condon Mon- Thursday on email kae@birkenhead.net.nz or text 021 397014.

Kind Regards

Kae Condon
021 397014