Hundreds of shoppers flocked to the opening of Mānawa Bay mall, near Auckland Airport, this morning.
With nearly 100 shops set to be on offer, the outlet shopping centre also includes 14 new eateries, and will have opening celebrations extend over its first month of operation.
More than 20 of the stores and outlet stores are firsts for New Zealand, which include shops such as Lindt, Ariat, Hoka, Guess and Timeless Watches.
The opening comes as GDP figures showed the economy has shrunk by 0.2%, while Kiwibank said the country has now "effectively" been in a recession for two years.
Mānawa Bay, a new mall located near Auckland Airport, has opened its doors for the first time to the public today. (Source: 1News)
"Activity in retail trade and wholesale trade has been in steady decline since 2022," said StatsNZ national accounts industry and production senior manager Ruvani Ratnayake.
Customers react to mall opening
At the opening of Mānawa Bay, customers were on the hunt for bargains.
One shopper said it would be interesting to see how many people are "actually shopping" at the new mall, rather than just coming in to browse. She added while she came in for a look herself, she ended up making the most of some deals on offer.
Shoppers at the mall. (Source: 1News)
Another shopper said they had bought "lots" of items during the opening.
"[I am] definitely looking for a deal.
"Lots of good discounts, so it was well worth the look."
"Everyone loves a bargain," she said, and added others will be in the same boat hunting for low prices as the cost of living continues to bite.
An outside play area for children at the mall. (Source: 1News)
Mānawa Bay centre manager Linh Luong said those who plan to come to the new shopping centre over the weekend should plan their journey ahead of time.
"We are preparing for the first weekend to be busy … over the first four opening days we'll have extra offsite car parking in place in case the main car park becomes full.
"Some car parks will allow people to park a short distance away and take a quick free bus trip to the centre, with buses running about every 10 or 15 minutes."
New Zealand's first Lindt store located inside Mānawa Bay mall. (Source: 1News)
"There will be some changes to the roads, so we do ask that shoppers allow extra time for getting here and to please be patient."
GDP: NZ's economy shrinks by 0.2%
Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said: "We've recorded a triple trough in economic activity. But it's effectively a recession that's lasted two years."
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According to Auckland Airport, the mall supported about 500 jobs during construction, and an estimated 750 jobs have been created after the opening of the mall.
Mānawa Bay is open from 10am to 7pm daily.
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