Samoan Language Week, a bowel cancer warning and a sense of 'lawlessness' after shootings

[If you are unable to view this message correctly, click here]( [stuff header]( Hi {NAME}, On any given Friday during May, between 500 and 600 [Auckland Council staff]( were at desks in the city centre headquarters. It may seem an unremarkable statistic, but it is just one pointer as to why Auckland’s city centre, especially the “golden mile” Queen St, [is a shadow of its former self](. Dozens of shopfronts are empty after two pandemic years which closed the door on tourists, cruise ship visits and foreign students. Reviving the “beating heart” of Auckland will not be easy, [but there is a chorus of calls]( to restore a sense of [vibrancy, safety and lure](. Waiting for the world to return to the way it was pre-Covid is not even a medium-term option. That includes [the call for office workers to end or reduce their work-from-home ways and spend downtown](. The 500-600 in the council’s Albert St HQ is relevant because the 28-storey building is “home” to 3500 and there are (mostly hot) desks for 2500. [That means on the traditionally quiet working Fridays]( as few as 22% of the council HQ staff are actually in the city centre all day. It peaks at 1000 or 40% mid-week. This is not to point the finger at the council. It is the only employer obliged to make public such information and anecdotally, [similar work patterns exist in the private sector.]( The call to come back to the office and spend is problematic. [Partial or complete working from home suits many employees and employers]( and in a [tight job market,]( compulsory office could be a risky call. Quickly reviving the city centre is the kind of challenge the council has not faced before and it needs to find a lever it has not pulled in the past. It will require a sense of fun, simplicity and daring, led by those elected by Aucklanders to do the best for the city and its residents. [user profile pic] Todd Niall Senior Stuff Journalist [See more Auckland news]( [Privacy Info]( [Privacy Info]( [Watch this video now] 'Phenomenally warm' mum dies in 'freak accident' A businesswoman who died at a West Auckland quarry was [the victim of a "freak accident"]( , her grieving partner says. Amanda Kidd, a 50-year-old mum of two, had been unloading a skip filled with soil at Urban Quarry in Henderson when she died. Her partner Stephen May says her death has left a lot of people “devastated” . “She had a lot of plans for her future and was really excited about renovating her house, which now has had to be put back on the market.” [Read More]( [Privacy Info]( More Auckland stories you might have missed [Article Image] 'Trust your gut': Bowel cancer hits young people, diagnosed Kiwis say [Read more button]( [Article Image] Mt Albert murder-accused 'acutely unwell', court hears [Read more button]( [Article Image] Samoan language weeks starts, 60 years after independence from NZ [Read more button]( [Article Image] Sense of 'lawlessness' in Auckland after ramraids and shootings across city [Read more button]( [Support Stuff]( [Discover more Auckland news at Stuf]( You are receiving this email because you are opted in to receive the Your Auckland newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage your profile]( [Privacy Policy]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up to get Your Auckland in your inbox]( Stuff, 4 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand