Central Wellington is finally coming back to life as workers return to the office and adjust to a new Covid normal.
Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Out on Lambton Quay, many were happy to have made the change - some not so much.
"I would've liked to work from home, that's my preference so I can be closer to my son," Api said.
Justine said she was excited to be back: "You've got access to more, rather than just your home office, in terms of getting a few things done."
For Mikaela, it was about the informal chats with her co-workers.
"The personal connection with working in the office is good, I've missed that a lot."
Aaron Matthews has been working in town since the second lockdown and said there were some perks to being one of the few people there.
"Good for coming into the city because it's quick and you know, you're 100ks all the way," he said.
"I noticed it today, it took a lot longer to come in, but better I suppose that more people are in the city for the businesses."
Frank's cafe manager Oisín Tegeler said he has noticed customers returning in the last couple of weeks. Photo: RNZ / Hamish Cardwell
Frank's Cafe and Eatery is on The Terrace, in the heart of city's business district. Manager Oisín Tegeler said things were getting busier.
"We've definitely noticed an uptake in customers. Daily takings have been up maybe 20 to 30 percent in the last couple of weeks," he said.
"I'm still hearing from a lot of people that we've got a lot of people still at home, so I don't think everybody's back yet."
Simon Arcus from the Chamber of Commerce said businesses began asking staff a month or two ago about coming back to the office or staying home, and most people wanted a mix of both.
He said while many of these arrangements had been ad hoc up until now, employers were starting to make them more formal.
"Are you going to work at home two days a week or three days a week, or are you going to have set choices, just so people know for health and safety reasons where everyone is," he said.
"We are seeing the policies probably formalising and at the same time more negotiation between employers and employees about their working arrangements."
Arcus said with critical labour shortages, employers were also having to think about making the office a nicer place to work.
"The other thing that we are hearing is happening is that office fitouts might change," he said.
"Employers are taking the opportunity to make offices more attractive places - more break-out spaces, more rest space, that kind of thing - and that might be a trend we see into the future."
He urged employers to listen to what their staff were asking for.