Kmart Westgate: Auckland’s biggest new store to create 240 jobs, opening this winter
New Zealand’s biggest new Kmart will employ about 240 staff when it opens in this winter, with all those jobs created specifically for that operation, a chief at the Australian-headquartered retailer says.
Ben Smith, Kmart Group property general manager, spoke of how the under-construction Kmart Westgate would be a big employer.
“This new Kmart in Auckland’s northwest will help us better serve customers, create more than 200 local jobs, and support the area’s growth,” Smith said of the store.
In early February, Stats NZ said New Zealand’s unemployment rate had risen to 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter, up from 5.3% in the previous quarter.
It now sits at its highest level since 2015, when it hit 5.7%. This country has 165,000 people unemployed.
Kmart Westgate is on Maki Place, off Maki St.
It is due to open this winter and is 6700sq m, which is just over half the size of Costco Wholesale across the road.
Smith said Westgate was ideal for such a large-format, all-hours and seven-days-a-week shop.
“Westgate is a key investment in our store network and the communities we serve. As Kiwi families face rising costs, making everyday products more affordable and accessible matters more than ever,” he said.
Kmart has been advertising a number of roles lately, including for an overnight manager.
Kmart will offer its biggest range of affordable homeware, furniture, electronics, toys and clothing from the new store.
Kmart already has more than 300 Australasian outlets, serving millions of customers annually.
Kmart Westgate will be bigger than the almost half-hectare shop of just under 5000sq m, Kmart Manukau, which opened in 2023.
It will have wider aisles, bold graphics and extended product ranges.
The development site where Kmart is being built is directly opposite the Westgate Lifestyle Centre, which is anchored by Harvey Norman, Briscoes and Rebel Sport.
In 2023, that 28-store lifestyle centre sold for $85.7 million, the vendor being Kiwi Property Group.
Kmart New Zealand passed $1 billion in annual sales for the first time last year.
The Wesfarmers-owned retailer reported total revenue of $1.022b for the 12 months to June 30, 2025, up 2.3% from $999.5m in 2024.
But its bottom-line net profit fell 3.7% from $106m to $102.1m on the back of higher expenses.
Campbell Barbour, general manager of Westgate owner NZ Retail Property Group (NZRGP), said thousands of people now work at nearly 500 businesses at the fast-expanding town hub.
“I would estimate that this project and others we have completed recently have created over 1000 new jobs at Westgate in the last three years,” Barbour said.
“With the scale of the developments over the last five years at Westgate, it is now one of the dominant retail locations in Auckland,” Barbour added.
The construction project had also provided work for hundreds of local tradies and their businesses at a time when it’s been really needed.
Such a big project would create more local employment opportunities at Westgate.
The new Westgate bus station is also being built a block away on Gunton Drive.
A new discounting outlet has also opened in the first part of Westgate.
However, the town centre’s attempts to resolve traffic connections in 2023 failed, first in the High Court at Auckland then last year in the Court of Appeal.
Mark Gunton’s Westgate Town Centre, Westgate Properties and NZRPG Management did not have their claims upheld.
The case against Auckland Council and Auckland Transport ran for weeks three years ago, with Bruce Gray, KC, heading Gunton’s legal team and Richard Lange mounting the successful defence.
Gunton’s companies sought $87,775,175 in damages: $69,575,175 for property capital value loss and $18,200,000 for rental income loss plus interest and costs.
He claimed the contractual breaches meant the town centre development had not proceeded in the integrated, cohesive manner intended.
That rendered the town centre “dysfunctional” and meant property value and rent losses were suffered.
But the council and Auckland Transport challenged Gunton to prove his claims and also challenged the accuracy and reliability of aspects of his evidence.
Many of the documents presented were irrelevant to determining contractual breaches, Lange said.
Despite losing that battle, Gunton is continuing to expand Westgate quickly.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis saidlast yearthatCostco Wholesale Westgate had 250,000 members and employed hundreds of staff.
Costco Wholesale Westgate is a $100m+ investment.
Amazon has stalled development of its new datacentre at Westgate but the area set a record last year for having one of the largest retail projects after Sylvia Park’s Ikea.
The 18,000sq m Maki Centre at 33-47 Northside Drive was finished some time ago and prominent brands trade from there, including Tesla.
Early Settler leased a large-format space in the Maki Centre too.
Barbour said two further announcements were pending that would indicate further expansion at Westgate.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
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