From forgotten wastelands to gleaming towers of consumerism, this is the definitive list of malls in Wellington.

This is the third in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the malls in major centres.

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Firstly, because apparently every story I write now needs to include a public transport itinerary, here’s how I got to every mall in Wellington in one day: starting at Wellington Railway Station, I took the Kāpiti line to Paraparaumu, the Kāpiti line back to Porirua, the number 60 bus from Porirua to Tawa and again to Johnsonville. Then, the Johnsonville line to Wellington Railway Station, the Hutt Valley line to Upper Hutt, the Hutt Valley line to Waterloo, the number 160 bus to the Hutt CBD, and the Melling line back to Wellington.

For the purposes of this mall ranking, I am bound by the criteria outlined by Joseph Harper in his ranking of Christchurch malls, which are:

• must be a shared indoor space for food and retail, where one might put a Christmas tree
• must have toilets
• must have a car park
• must have a food court (or “multiple food options”)

My urbanist principles winced at the insistence upon car-dependent malls. Thankfully, they also made my job a lot easier by eliminating a lot of so-called “malls” from the list. In comparison to 14 in Christchurch and 33 in Auckland, Wellington boasts just six malls that meet the definition.

Cuba Mall, despite its name, is a pedestrianised outdoor street. Karori, Tawa, and Newtown all claim to have “malls”, but they are really just supermarkets with some adjacent retail. In the city centre, several food courts offer some retail, but they miss out because they don’t have car parks. Most of them wouldn’t rank very high, with one exception: Old Bank Arcade, which is connected via an underground tunnel to Willis Lane. Does that make it count as one mall? If so, there is a potential winning combination of international food, activities, and retail, though all of it is on the pricey end, and once again, there are no car parks provided.

So without further ado, these are the best malls in Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui.

6. Johnsonville Shopping Centre (Johnsonville)

The Johnsonville Mall is a testament to the cold, heartless power of capitalism. It’s a sad, half-empty building, neglected by its owner and largest investor. The retailers are fighting the good fight, but they’re being forgotten, too.

People still come here – not enough to fill the space or make it look any less pathetic, but some fulfil their daily or weekly ritual of walking through the soulless white cavern towards the Countdown supermarket with its red-lettered sign. Then they sit outside Muffin Break, staring glumly at the empty stores, in despair or possible denial.

It makes me wonder about the last people who used Stonehenge for its original purpose. When everyone else had moved on and it was falling out of the collective conscience, there must have been some small group of elderly folks who stubbornly continued their rituals, refusing to give up.  Johnsonville Shopping Centre went from being an essential part of life in this community to a sad reminder of what once was – and could still be

I could write thousands of words about this mall. In fact, I already have, for my cover story: Who Killed the Johnsonville Mall? I spent a day at the mall talking to retailers until management kicked me out. I hadn’t been back in four months since that story. I knew it was unlikely that anything would have changed – after all, nothing ever changes behind the automatic doors of this suburban purgatory. And yet, out of journalistic ego, I still hoped my article might have made some small impact. How delusional I was.

There are thick, goopy stains running down the sign over the front entrance, which I tried to embarrass the owner, Stride Property, into cleaning. Four months later? Yeah, nah, the stains are still there. Don’t go into journalism because you think you’ll make a difference; you won’t. If anything, the stain seems to have grown.

The tinsel on the roof was the most half-arsed attempt at Christmas of any mall on the list. Meanwhile, management seems to be just as pointlessly strict as ever: I saw a staff member tell off an elderly man for taking photos in the mall. He explained, in broken English, that he was using Google Translate to read a sign. “You’re still not allowed to do that,” he was told.

There are no big chains left, though a couple of mid-level brands are still holding on amid the empty spaces. But even the remaining chains feel forgotten by their corporate overlords. The stores are smaller and don’t always follow the same layouts and systems as their larger counterpart. The big bosses don’t seem too interested in checking on this ghost town.

The highlight of the Johnsonville mall is Zampelles (pronounced with a flourish, Zampellé’s), still doing what it does best: outdated but hearty comfort food. I had a filled sausage – a plain beef snag, split in half, loaded with an enormous pile of mashed potato and cheese. It tasted like sausage, potato and cheese.

The most significant change since my last visit was at The Creativity Space – an ironic name for one of the most soul-crushingly uncreative environments imaginable. It’s an unrented store filled with overflow food court tables and no wall decorations, and pile of six board games on a shelf. On this visit, however, The Creativity Space was boarded up with an orange cone against the door and two signs declaring it “Out of Order.” One might ask how an empty room with tables could be out of order, especially since the tables and chairs were still clearly inside. My investigations revealed that the six board games were missing from their usual place. Evidently, they were the source of the creativity all along.

5. Outlet City (Tawa)

After making the rookie mistake of getting off the bus at a stop named Tawa Mall, I quickly realised my error. The so-called Tawa Mall is, in fact, a pedestrian plaza. There’s a New World with a gym attached on one side and a strip mall on the other, but nothing that counts for my research. So I went on a frustratingly long walk to Tawa’s other mall: Outlet City.

Outlet City opened in 2002 as Dress Smart, back when going to an outlet mall was still a fresh and exciting concept. The idea of a dedicated place, just a short drive or train ride from town, where you could find mountains of big-brand clothes at shockingly low prices felt revolutionary. It was worth a day trip – a novel outing, especially for big purchases like a winter jacket or running shoes. A good outlet mall should be as much about the experience as the practicality, like visiting a great op shop. You might have one item in mind, but the real magic is keeping your eyes open for the unexpected deals that leap out at you.

Not this mall. Outlet City somehow manages to drain all the fun out of discount shopping. It’s not the fault of the stores themselves–there’s still a decent selection of brands and worthwhile bargains. The problem is the mall itself. It’s as dire as they come. The main issue is the layout. There’s no illusion of wandering through a maze of consumerist delight. Instead, the mall is one straight, functional line, more like a factory floor than a shopping mecca. The seating is no better: a series of metal benches positioned directly in front of the shops. There’s no pretence here of being a “third place,” somewhere to linger and spend time. These chairs exist for one purpose: to let a tired partner collapse while their companion keeps flicking through racks.

The vibe is cold and uninviting, amplified by the bizarre decision to feature a giant photo of The Rock at the entrance. It’s as if Dwayne Johnson himself is silently judging you for coming here.

The most disconcerting part of the experience is the fake Thomas the Tank Engine children’s ride. It’s clearly the correct dimensions for Thomas, but it has been repainted in yellow and dubbed “Jasper the Steam Engine.” Jasper has a terrifying train face with a gold monocle and a Stalin-esque moustache. I do not trust Jasper. 

4. The Mall (Upper Hutt)

From the outside, The Mall looks like a strong contender for the best mall. Architecturally, it’s the most appealing building on this list. The facade is layered with slate and timber, framing a big, bold sign declaring “The Mall” – a singular name that is confident and, some might argue, a little arrogant. It has a vaguely alpine style; it wouldn’t look out of place in a resort town like Queenstown, filled with tourist activities, luxury fashion and an international food court. Instead, it’s in Upper Hutt, the spiritual anti-Queenstown, and its highlight is Number One Shoes.

The selection of clothing stores is decent: Farmers, The Warehouse, Postie and Hallensteins. There is a store called The Vogue Store, not to be confused with anything remotely related to Vogue. One highlight is the escalator over Lincraft. The store is separated from the rest of the mall by a divider that doesn’t quite reach the ceiling. As you ascend, you’re gradually exposed to a wonderland of fabrics and craft supplies that is somehow larger on the inside.

A few stores were shuttered, but most appeared functional. The food court stretches the definition of the term. There’s a Muffin Break, another similar café, and a kiosk selling boba tea and bao buns. A trio of retirement-aged patrons was camped at a square table with cosy brown leather chairs. They looked like they’d arrived at 9am and had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

The Mall is undeniably pleasant. It’s nice to look at from the outside, and it’s a comfortable space to be inside. When I visited around 4pm staff at several stores were already closing up, which speaks to its Achilles heel: the lack of variety. There’s no supermarket, no cinema, no standout eateries and few services. It’s almost exclusively a shopping centre for clothes, which leaves it feeling sterile and lifeless. Variety is vibrancy, and in that regard The Mall is sorely lacking.

The entire mall feels like the retail area of a mid-sized airport – or perhaps a sleek European train station. It is a little too polished, too impersonal. The Mall doesn’t feel essential to its community. It’s not a hub, not a mixed-use gathering space where everything comes together. It’s just retail space. Upper Hutt could have been equally well-served by scattering these shops along a street rather than clustering them inside a mall. I had high hopes for The Mall but left disappointed.

3. Coastlands (Paraparaumu)

Coastlands understands its community. It’s the perfect size with the right feel, reflecting the character of Paraparaumu – a small coastal town of about 30,000 residents, family-friendly but increasingly popular with retirees. When it opened in 1969, Coastlands Shopping Town (as it was then known) became New Zealand’s first enclosed shopping centre. Both the mall and Paraparaumu have grown significantly since then – together, in harmony. If Coastlands were too big or garish, it would feel out of step with the town’s character. But if it were any smaller or less ambitious, it might risk dragging the town down, as the Johnsonville Shopping Centre has done to Johnsonville. Coastlands, however, strikes the perfect balance: humble yet purposeful, staying true to itself and breathing life into the community.  Even on a Tuesday morning, it was bustling – proof it is doing something right.

For its size, Coastlands offers a surprisingly broad range of shops and eateries. There is the Event Cinemas complex, a good food court with a view of the Wharemauku Stream, and an impressive variety of stores. Almost every retail space is occupied, and, importantly, there are multiple competing shops in most subcategories, which means more choices for shoppers. The Muffin Break featured a sign indicating their staff to be “Master Muffin Makers since 1987”. None of the other Muffin Breaks I visited had the same sign. Perhaps they let their certification lapse?

Coastlands struck a partnership with Ngahina Trust in 1982, which is still evident today. A statue of Hinepoupou greets visitors at one entrance, a meaningful nod to local history. The entrance has imagery of native ferns and a cheery “Nau mai haere mai” over the door. The food court offers an open view of Wharemauku Stream, framed by idyllic grass banks – another feature of the ongoing partnership.

While its Christmas decorations might not be the biggest or flashiest, Coastlands gets an A for effort. Each entrance features unique, charming tree displays, a friendly photo station and a mailbox for kids to send letters to Santa when he’s not in residence. Oh, and there’s still an unclaimed $200,000 prize on offer at the Lotto shop.

2. North City Shopping Centre (Porirua)

Now this is a mall. North City isn’t just a community mall; it’s a heavyweight contender. It demands attention. This is a place where teens in cool clothes still come to hang out – a rare and increasingly endangered phenomenon, but alive and thriving in Porirua.

The retail spaces are expansive and stylish, attracting sought-after chains. That said, some stores – like Footlocker and Platypus – seem to be struggling to fill their oversized spaces, with stock looking a bit thinly spread. The Muffin Break here may not have updated its “Master Muffin Maker” certification, but it did display a “hiring now” sign – a promising signal for the local labour market.

The playlist is cool without being alienating. There’s a lot of L.A.B and Six60, which may not be cutting-edge stuff but it is a big step up from the crooner-heavy playlists at Coastlands or Johnsonville, which seem tailored exclusively for the over-70 crowd. The Reading Cinema adds some evening appeal without dominating the mall. Tucked discreetly upstairs, it avoids the sensory takeover of flashing screens and overpowering popcorn smells that cinemas often bring.

North City also gets full marks for its Christmas spirit, going all out with a giant tree that takes full advantage of the height offered by its mezzanine.

However, Santa let the side down. On my visit, he was on break – beard off, leaning over a table and chatting with a coworker. This should be illegal. If you’re privileged enough to don the red suit, you carry a responsibility. Breaking character before you’re out of costume shatters the illusion, and that illusion is sacred.

When I was in primary school, my teacher played Santa in the local parade. I was so proud. It was a mark of prestige – a role that signified the mana he held in the community. Being Santa wasn’t just a job; it was like receiving a knighthood, but better.

The whole concept of Santa is one of the most elaborate practical jokes in history. It’s a global conspiracy where every adult in the Western world tricks children into believing that a magical Arctic industrialist, aided by a captive species of intelligent beings, makes and delivers their toys. Children are easy to trick because they still experience feelings of hope and wonderment, and we all get a big laugh out of it.

But do you know what ruins the joke? Seeing Santa out of character at the mall. That’s often the first moment kids start to suspect the truth that it all might be a lie, that Santa might just be some guy at the mall. Santas of the world: I beg you – commit to the bit.

1. Queensgate Shopping Centre (Lower Hutt)

It’s everything a mall should be. Walking through its doors feels like stepping into a mythical world of delights. For a moment, I felt the childlike awe I hadn’t experienced since I was 13, walking into Westfield Riccarton for the first time. These days, malls rarely evoke that magic – they’re no longer the hot new thing, and I’ve grown a little jaded. But Queensgate? It still has it.

Queensgate is the undisputed winner simply by virtue of its scale. As the largest mall in Wellington, it delivers the diversity of options that defines a truly great mall. It doesn’t just meet expectations, it exceeds them, offering stores and experiences you won’t find anywhere else in the region. This is the only place in Wellington with an H&M and a Mecca Maxima, two destinations shoppers actively seek out. Its range of clothing stores spans target markets, from Hallensteins to Rodd & Gunn, and Max to Decjuba. It even has those cool ride-along shopping trolleys for kids.

Queensgate even has two separate food courts, each of which could independently claim the title of best mall food court in the region. That’s how stacked it is. What sets Queensgate apart isn’t just its size or variety, it’s the atmosphere. The mall feels vibrant and alive, with a steady hum of activity that never veers into chaos. It has Shaver Shore – a store that exclusively sells shavers. That it exists and thrives here is a testament to the mall’s critical mass. To sustain such a niche business, you need a certain scale and breadth, which Queensgate has achieved effortlessly.

It’s big, bright and well-lit. It’s the only mall in Wellington that has gone to the extra Christmas effort of putting hanging lights on every ceiling, not just tinsel. It lacks the heartfelt community feel of Coastlands, but as a testament to Christmas as a gaudy celebration of consumerism, Queensgate is a step ahead of the pack.

Queensgate isn’t just a mall. It’s the mall.

This is the third in the Malls of New Zealand series, where we rank the malls in major centres. Next week: Hamilton.