Ethnic Precincts in Auckland: Understanding the role and function of the Balmoral Shops

Ethnic precincts are a relatively new addition to Auckland’s retail landscape and there has to date been little research devoted to better understanding their function and role. Increased knowledge about these new centres will improve Auckland Council’s understanding and support of the business owners who work in them and the communities they serve. This report describes the results of a research project that investigated a specific ethnic precinct in Auckland – the Balmoral shops, located halfway down Dominion Road. The purpose of the research was to better understand the social, spatial, and economic role of the precinct and we
achieved these objectives using four different but interconnected methodologies: an intercept survey with 297 participants; in-depth interviews with 30 shoppers; an analysis of shopper spend using electronic transactions data (Eftpos, credit and debit cards) and in-depth interviews with 31 business owners in the area. Key findings from the research are described below.