The Franklin Local Board is proposing upgrades to Franklin: The Centre and the Pukekohe War Memorial Town Hall. Once upgraded, these facilities will become the Pukekohe Community Civic Hub.

We have created a visionary, long-term, draft concept plan that focuses on preparing our community facilities for the future. We want to make much better use of the facilities we already have by:

• better integrating and connecting existing buildings
• turning poorly used spaces, like the courtyard in Franklin: The Centre, into places people enjoy using.

We want to hear from the community to better understand if the the proposed upgrades should be progressed to create a community civic hub for Pukekohe.

By 2052, Franklin’s population is expected to be around 187,700 – about double what it is today. We need to prepare our community facilities for the growing population. We need to upgrade these facilities so they continue to meet community needs and are well-used by lots of people.

The council believes that the current layouts of Franklin: The Centre, the Pukekohe War Memorial Town Hall and the RSA do not make the most of these public spaces. For example, the Pukekohe War Memorial Town Hall does not have enough toilets or kitchen and storage facilities for events of around 800 people – its maximum capacity.

The Pukekohe Community Civic Hub will be the heart of Pukekohe. It will be a central space where people of all ages, abilities and cultures connect, learn and thrive. It will also support Pukekohe’s role as a vital sub-regional centre.

A focal point for the community, the community civic hub will unite the library, community, arts, events and council customer services. The hub will be a home of cultural expression and contribute to economic development in Pukekohe.

• Additional community spaces created by adapting under-used areas such as creating a covered courtyard and covered walkways.
• A new community event and kai space for catering and hospitality, cooking classes and food education, community events and social gatherings.
• Infrastructure to support events such as state-of-the-art audio-visual gear, new lighting, improved storage and additional toilets.
• Māra kai gardens (community food gardens) to promote and celebrate Pukekohe’s important local food culture and mana whenua identity.
• Redeveloping the RSA clubrooms to create a flexible, multi-user community facility that continues to support and house the Franklin RSA.
• A new play space for tamariki next to a new wellness area, providing a dedicated space for parents, caregivers and young families.
• Solar panels, stormwater upgrades, landscaping and charging stations for electric vehicles.
• Planting more trees and using surfaces that soak up water to reduce the heat as the temperatures rise.
• Improved safety and comfort for pedestrians.

We want to know:

• your thoughts about the draft concept plan
• if you think the proposed changes will deliver our vision for a community civic hub
• if you have any other comments about the draft concept plan.

We also want to know about your preferred option for the delivery of these proposed changes. You can choose from three options.

• Option 1: Complete the project within the next six years, ahead of other projects in Pukekohe.
• Option 2: Explore different funding options to deliver the project in the next 10 years.
• Option 3: Deliver the project within the next 20 years as funding becomes available.

You can have your say from 12pm Wednesday 4 February to 12pm Wednesday 4 March 2026.

To have your say, you can:

• complete the online feedback survey
• download and complete a paper feedback form - scan and email your completed form to pukekohehubconcept@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, or post your completed form to:

Franklin Local Board
Pukekohe Community Civic Hub
Private Bag 92300
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142.

• talk to us at one of our drop-in sessions:
  • Tuesday 24 February from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at Franklin: The Centre, 12 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe
  • Sunday 1 March from 9am to 12.30pm at the Pukekohe Farmers Market, Pukekohe Town Square

We will review your feedback and update the draft concept plan.

We will present the updated draft concept plan to Franklin Local Board for approval.

Ngaati Tamaoho, Te Aakitai Waiohua and and Ngaati Te Ata Waiohua are iwi with a strong connection to and interest in Pukekohe.

Our mana whenua partners support the draft concept plan and have advised on:

• design ideas related to culture, identity and environmental values
• how to deliver the plan
• the economic opportunities it can create.

We have regular update sessions with mana whenua through the ‘Unlock Pukekohe’ programme meetings and workshops.

Our draft design also includes stormwater upgrades to manage the effects of stormwater run-off during heavy rain events. This is a top priority for mana whenua.

• Maintaining and servicing buildings is expensive and time-consuming.
• Improving and making better use of existing public buildings reduces costs, especially when they are under-used.
• The existing buildings are well-built and in a good location.
• The location connects with other urban regeneration projects and improvements in the area such as the town square.
• By making use of the existing buildings and the spaces between, we can create a community civic hub that supports more activities and a wider range of people.

The proposed upgrades would result in the removal of around ten car parks to make space for:

• new walkways
• new trees
• other environmental improvements in the car parking area.

We will focus on environmentally friendly practices to ensure buildings are more resilient over the long term. This will include:

• designs and plans that reduce pollution and prepare for climate change
• making better use of existing buildings by fixing and updating them, with lower carbon costs compared with new construction
• making the buildings more energy efficient through eco-friendly technologies
• electric vehicle charging stations and solar panels.

Adaptation and resilience measures will help us respond to increasing climate risks such as flooding and higher temperatures. This includes:

• adding more plants and trees
• better shading between buildings
• a new canopy cover in the car park
• stormwater upgrades to improve water quality and control rainwater flow
• collecting and storing rainwater.

Currently, we do not have a plan or dates for starting construction. We may start building some smaller features in the next two to five years. However, the full project could take more than 20 years to complete.

We will continue to design and develop the draft concept plan. We will make sure the final concept plan is available for people to see before starting any work.

The estimated cost of construction is between $15 to $19 million but this may change over time. We will have a better idea of the cost as planning progresses.

The council’s ‘Unlock Pukekohe’ programme may provide up to $3.2m to support the delivery of some features. However, this is not confirmed and will depend on the detailed project plan.

We have funding to update and finalise the concept plan after the public consultation. However, there is currently no confirmed funding for detailed design work or construction.

The local board will need to find funding sources to deliver the plan.