Chey Ataria: The idea started about 15 years ago. While working at Amazon (Surf and Skate store), I wanted to recreate the feeling of the Oriental Markets Nationals (held at the Quay Street markets in the mid-to-late 1990s) for a skate comp! Over the years, I have been working on the concept. All things that originated from the street: skating, art and music. We also added food and pop-up stalls to the proposal.
I presented it to the Auckland Arts Festival around 2016- 2017, and they were keen to include it in their programme. But it required someone working on it almost full-time to line it all up. I was running DEF and had just opened the retail store, so I couldn’t spare the time.
In the last few years, I have been doing these smaller versions with just a car and a couple of kickers. PORK & Levi (Hawken) painted the cars, and we had them on Karangahape Road for the past two Matariki events. They were really popular and got some good crowds. One day, I asked someone at the council if I could do one in Aotea to help promote the inner-city store we were opening. They said yes and asked if I could upscale it. I sent them the Street Fest prop that I have been working on for years. They were into it, but asked to downscale that version. (laughs)
So here we are with a “Proof of Concept”. If this one goes down well, next year’s will be bigger and better, and hopefully, we bring the mega one to life. Maybe even bring in some overseas pros for it. Make it a stop-off for pros to come to Aotearoa. Like what you see in Australia right now with SLS Sydney, Belco, etc. Adding Aotea Street Fest to the map.
Haimona Ngata: Chey has had this concept swirling for a few years, so it’s been great to pull the trigger and be involved. Obviously, Aotea Square has a rich history in skateboarding, but it also has a lot of BMX heritage from back in the day. I can’t even begin to try and list the amount of fucked up shit that’s gone down on the OG Aotea Square fountain, let alone all the stair sets that used to surround it prior to its renovation. So it’s great to be involved in an event with strong whakapapa to Aotea, and to acknowledge the past heroes and personalities who used to frequent it.
Chey and I have worked together on numerous projects over the years, too many to name, but people may remember XSTV from the early 2000s. I did some work on Skate to XS, and we’ve also done quite a few advertising and TV commercial projects. Not to mention working on Vic Park (current version) for a good 6 months or so, that was a big chunk of time and work to get that place across the line.
Chey Ataria, frontside 50-5o, at a Oriental Markets Nationals in the mid-to-late 1900s. Photo supplied.
What should someone expect when they come on Friday?
CA: Something fun and exciting, both for the riders and spectators / general public. The whole square will be licensed, so people can sip on a brew and watch some stunts go down.
HN: I think just a good time, and I think that’s the kaupapa of the event; for everyone to come together and have a good time. Obviously, it’s predominantly skate-focused, with a drizzle of a BMX event in there, but we’re aiming to just have a good old fun event. Not too worried about who got what place — just get people together and have a sesh — people pushing themselves and each other if they want to, or just try to get down with one trick and call it a day, kick back, have a few cold ones, and spectate. Throw into the mix a bunch of prizes, cash for tricks, and some pretty unique obstacles, and I think it’ll hit the right mark with what people may have been wanting to happen for a while. A grassroots jam in the Auckland CBD.
CA: For the city, breathing some fresh energy back into it! It’s been a ghost town since the underground rail product started and COVID hit. For Aotea, it’s been our street skating Mecca here in NZ. So, having it here makes sense; the council understands the kaupapa and what it means. For the skaters, something to get together!
HN: Obviously, it’s been in the press for a while about Auckland CBD, and people think it’s dying. With the CRL construction, stores shutting their doors because of the financial state of the economy, and people being fearful of coming into the CBD. This event basically throws all of that out the window! We all know how fun it is to mob down the street, and just find things to session. And we know all the golden gems in the Auckland CBD that have been plastered across magazines, websites, and videos over the past 10 years or so — the number of teams that come to NZ and head straight into the Auckland CBD for those iconic spots.
We need to facilitate our CBDs to be living, breathing spaces that invite people to come and interact with them, the kooky architecture, the random rails and out ledges, the odd bumps off of tree roots, and Auckland city has all of that. An event like Streetfest will highlight to those further up the chain of command (hopefully, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown attends!) that by enabling and investing in street and youth culture, you can bring new vitality and energy into the CBD, and create spaces and places for people to be creative and active at the same time. By making it easier to get around outside a car, you remove barriers for youth and rangatahi who rely on public transport or actively skate or ride into the city. Getting more people into the CBD and spending more money equals a healthy, vibrant city!
