 During the opening speech of the mayor, the crowd was entertained by a person from the crowd warning of a man with a sword, reference to the de Groot incident that happened at the Sydney Harbour Bridge two weeks earlier where a protester cut the ribbon prior to the official ceremony.The opening happened during the depth of the Great Depression, and it was one of only a few larger projects undertaken in the South Island at the time.Whilst Manson claimed in his speech at the opening that half the shops had been let, only three shops were actually occupied.