A $5 million refurbishment project is planned for Queens Arcade, which connects Customs St (the frontage pictured here) with Queen St. There are also renewed signs of life at the Strand Arcade on Queen St, which has emerged from an unloved, almost derelict state. Barbara Holloway says innovative projects in heritage arcades like the Strand can fill a growing demand for "experiential shopping". Since it opened, Queens Arcade has been owned by the Davis family, who have strong generational links to the city. According to what he’s gleaned, the lineage of the modern shopping arcade dates back to early 19th-century London, where Lord George Cavendish commissioned Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly in 1819.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 14, 2026 23:00 UTC