You may not have heard of Kevin Harvey, but his vision is set to bring new life into old Parnell this year.
Unless you’re a long-term resident of Parnell, or part of the Auckland commercial property scene, you may not have heard of Kevin Harvey. He and his siblings (Nancy and Tom) are surprisingly under-the-radar for people who hold such fascinating snapshots of Auckland’s history in their memory. While Kevin and his siblings own a large portion of the tenancies in Parnell – and some in Ponsonby, too – it’s never just been about building an empire. Kevin Harvey is all about people, something he clearly learned from his dad, Les, affectionately known as the ‘founding father’ of Parnell.
You may have seen Les’s statue outside Paynes Tailors on Parnell Road. Even though he passed away nearly 30 years ago, he still beams bright-eyed at passers-by, immortalised welcoming visitors to the suburb. Real flowers sprout around his bronze knees in a burst of colour and sunshine – two of his favourite things. Kevin fondly remembers his dad’s poetic notes describing his passion for preserving the buildings and spaces in urban settings so “the sunshine could still dance on the ground”. He’s perhaps best known for buying and restoring an area of dilapidated houses in the 70s and converting them into shops, eateries, and boutiques run by artisans, sowing the seeds of today’s ‘Parnell Village’.
But this about Kevin, who’s always had a fascination with other countries and their cultures and is bringing this love to life in a project that promises to breathe vibrancy back into this sleepy suburb in 2024. In the 80s, Kevin backpacked through places like Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal where he spent one night in a hut with a “lovely” local family that shared “such a spirit of community that I’ll never forget”.
It wasn’t the first time he’d experienced this, though. Reflecting on his wonderful childhood growing up in Auckland he says: “Dad always became firm friends with his tenants so we would be invited into Greek, Croatian and Italian homes – some of the first wave of immigrants.
I loved that vitality. I’ve always thought us New Zealanders were a bit constipated really, but whenever I’ve been into immigrant homes – or Māori homes or Pacific communities – it always feels so warm and welcoming.”
It’s always been Kevin’s dream to transport something of that vibrancy and sense of community to Parnell. “We need a bit of livening up around here” he laughs. And it’s not just about people. Kevin has long been fascinated by food on his travels – from whole beasts cooked over open flames in the Middle East to anchovies fresh of the boats in the south of Italy. He loves the feeling of sharing simple, but incredible-tasting authentic food made by people who’ve been making it for years.
So that’s the plan – a market incorporated with a few permanent spaces like restaurants, shops and a Latino bar, at 269 Parnell Road Harvey envisages live music, dancing, live theatre, international festival movies, wine glasses clinking, and the smells of great food, cooked on barbecues or hibachis all served in small portions so people can grab simple tapas from all around the Mediterranean and eat them at long communal tables, catching up with old friends and making new ones.
“My main focus is that the food be authentic and made by producers who are truly passionate about what they do.
“People are intrinsically fabulous, and I want this to be a place where people feel good about themselves. I want it to have wild colour and not be sterile. Back in the 70s, Dad created a wonderful place filled with people and colour and it was so alive with hippies, street music and artists and people making beautiful things. My idea is a little different, but I want it to have that joyous feel too. People need this. We’ve all been through too much with Covid and everything. We need some fun, and I want to help bring some colour, life, and joy back to Parnell. And my siblings and I want to protect and continue what Dad began and created.”
And there’s no doubt he will. His passion for the project is clear, and the initial construction already reflects his love for non-conformist design: balconies adorned with wrought-iron set against a saffron-hued plaster facade, and small Gaudi-esque touches all over the place indicate the fun to come. The septuagenarian says: “I imagine it being filled with a lot of people who look the exact opposite to me, although the oldies will be welcome too.
“I know it’s all pure indulgence of my own dreams, but I really hope 269 is where everyone will feel welcome. If you’re a family coming for pizza, or young people drinking cocktails, or food lovers looking for something interesting from somewhere else in the world. I want other people to have that same feeling I had of community in Nepal and other places around the world. We all need other humans and to share good food and company. That’s what life is about – the simple things and connecting with other people.”
We’re sure Les would approve.
