Queensgate Shopping Centre, New Zealand facts for kids
The centre from the Queens Drive/Bunny Street intersection, December 2016.
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| Location | Lower Hutt, New Zealand |
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| Coordinates | 41°12′37″S 174°54′24″E / 41.210228°S 174.906775°E |
| Opening date | 1986; 39 years ago |
| Owner | Stride Property (current) |
| No. of stores and services | 134 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 45,467 m2 (489,400 sq ft) |
Queensgate Shopping Centre is a popular shopping mall in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It used to be called Westfield Queensgate. This centre first opened its doors in 1986. It has grown a lot since then, with a big upgrade finished in 2006. Today, Queensgate is home to over 130 different shops.
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History and Growth of Queensgate
The land where Queensgate now stands was once a neighbourhood with houses. These homes were removed in the 1960s and 1970s. This made space for a new transport hub. The shopping centre officially opened in 1986.
Queensgate was updated and made bigger in 1991. In 1999, a company called Westfield bought the mall. Between 2004 and 2006, the centre had a huge expansion. Its size doubled, adding more shops and a new Event Cinemas movie theatre. The Countdown supermarket also moved to a new spot.
Many people visit Queensgate every year. More than 8 million people walk through its doors annually. The centre covers a large area of about 45,467 square metres. It also makes a lot of money, around NZ$202.5 million each year.
Earthquake Challenges and Rebuilding
Queensgate is made up of thirteen separate buildings. In 2016, a big earthquake hit the Kaikōura area. This earthquake caused the entire shopping centre to close. Engineers needed to check if it was safe.
After eleven days, parts of the mall reopened. However, one building in the northeast corner was badly damaged. This building held the Event Cinema and part of the car park. It was too unsafe and had to be taken down. While this building was being demolished, many shops stayed closed. The whole mall finally reopened on April 6, 2017.
In 2019, work began to rebuild the car park and cinema. Event Cinemas was confirmed as the new cinema operator. It was announced that the area's first VMAX movie theatre would open there. The new cinema and car park officially reopened in December 2022.
Main Shops at Queensgate
Queensgate has four main stores that are very popular. These are called anchor tenants.
- Farmers: This department store has two floors. You can find it in the middle of the mall.
- Countdown: This supermarket is on the ground floor. It used to be called Woolworths when the mall was first redeveloped.
- H&M: This popular clothing store opened in October 2017. It has two floors and was the first H&M in Wellington.
- Event Cinemas: The movie theatre reopened in December 2022. It was rebuilt after the 2016 earthquake.
Getting to Queensgate
Queensgate Shopping Centre is easy to find in central Lower Hutt. It is located at the corner of Queens Drive and Bunny Street.
The centre is also a major bus stop for the area. Buses go to places like Upper Hutt, Waterloo, Petone, Wainuiomata, and Wellington City. If you prefer trains, Melling railway station is a short walk away. From there, you can catch a train to Wellington City.
Queensgate has plenty of parking spaces for cars. There are over 1,855 spots available.
