This article by Steve Ellingford, Centre Manager at Bayfair Shopping Centre, New Zealand, forms part of a special feature published in the latest edition of SCN Magazine. Premium members can view the full digital edition here
Diversity, inclusion and community are words we use with pride at Bayfair Shopping Centre. For me, inclusivity has always been about providing equal access for people, a place in the community where everyone is welcome. The corollary, of course, is that by making a shopping centre a community hub that embraces everyone, there is a direct benefit to the local economy, which in turn contributes to the overall wellbeing of our region.
One-quarter of Kiwis have access needs, so with circa six million visits annually, the social challenge – and economic opportunity – faced by the centre is to be as inclusive as possible; to create a space where everyone feels welcome and can fully engage with and utilise everything the centre has to offer. By creating a space for everyone, we drive economic returns. We also drive conversation and knowledge: in raising our own accessibility and social standards, Bayfair aims to raise community awareness about differing needs and why businesses must meet them.
Six years ago, we started the work to create spaces for our community that are fully inclusive and took the opportunity offered by our major redevelopment to double down on inclusive and accessible features and services – far above the baseline typical of a shopping centre in Aotearoa.
Inclusion through accessibility
Inclusivity and customer accessibility was a primary focus of Bayfair’s development. We have proudly implemented a series of New Zealand firsts, such as the 2019 unveiling of a quiet room for visitors with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders.
Bayfair’s Quiet Room
We designed the quiet room to eliminate the bright lighting and noise that may usually cause sensory overload, meaning affected people and families can still go to a busy public place but have a space for retreat. We also added a second parents’ room and another set of mobility scooter charging stations to ensure short-to-no wait times.
The quiet room is just one part of a large accessibility framework. For people with hearing and visual impairments, we installed visual alerts throughout the centre, mounted braille wayfinding signage across all amenities, created sign language videos and added braille to the store directory, which is available in four languages, including te reo Maori. We have mobility scooters and mobility charging stations, a Caroline’s Cart – which is a shopping cart that can sit older children and adults, assistant dog-parking facilities, more diverse accessibility symbols – and accessibility pick-up and drop-off zones.
The centre’s shop fit-out manual for new tenants on fitting out their stores prioritises design for maximum inclusivity and accessibility.
Mobility charging stations
While designing store interiors, new tenants are asked to think about design for the diverse set of users who will interact with their products and services, both in-store and online; including accessible access points at the sales counter; accessible change facilities and amenities; and incorporating accessibility needs into the fit-out design so they don’t appear as an addition or afterthought.
For example, all dining establishments at Bayfair have on-grade access and accessible amenities to ensure everyone can come and enjoy the variety of dining options on offer.
We continue to support sensory and disability initiatives; every Wednesday, Bayfair’s Centre Management Team welcomes a young man with a strong passion for shopping centres and autism to gain work experience. The centre is also part of Autism Awareness Month along with Sensory School Holiday programs, promoting Sensory Mornings and Sensory Santa photos.
The power of an inclusive community
We also took the chance during Bayfair’s development to partner with Habitat for Humanity and gifted a home to a local family. The project brought together a diverse group of volunteers from the community, contractors, architects, the centre management team and engineers, who delivered a fully consented and compliant home for the family. It was incredible to see and shows the power of togetherness.
Bayfair Shopping Centre
‘All welcome’ – supporting our LGBTQIA+ whanau
We always think about the big picture when it comes to providing the best for the region, including embracing our LGBTQIA+ community. Bayfair recently partnered with Tauranga Art Gallery on a satellite installation by Shannon Novak, a New Zealand artist who explores challenges faced by this community, to which he belongs, and seeks to acknowledge, support and celebrate it through his work.
We love Shannon’s bright, colourful work, which aims to help reduce rates of anxiety, depression and suicide in the local LGBTQIA+ community, through being visibly supportive in a meaningful way.
Shannon’s installation amplified voices from the local/national LGBTQIA+ community and particularly BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) voices who may or may not identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, such as takatāpui (gender and sexual orientation diverse Maori who may or may not identify with the LGBTQIA+ acronym).
Using research and planning to turn inclusive strategy into economic value
Retail design is its own discipline, and Bayfair is guided by a combination of research and sustainability to be directive in our planning. We’re currently working with the local Council to create a better and more inclusive public transport hub. All these measures are in response to what customers are telling us they want – and this has to be the guide for all retail owners.
If we focus on making the centre best-in-class in inclusivity, I believe we will develop and retain a large, loyal customer base and set a standard for other large employers and retail businesses to meet.
