On its way to becoming the lively and eclectic precinct that is Made, 401 Grey Street was first known as the Arawa building and was home to the Waikato River Board following its establishment in 1907. By the early 50s the Waikato Valley Authority (WVA) had been formed and this new entity added the Edwardian riverside hotel, the “Grande Vue”, to their holdings, converting it to office spaces and residing there until 1978.

The classical architectural lines of the Grande Vue were lost to the riverside in 1978 when the building was demolished to make way for the new and the growing property portfolio of the WVA. The new B Block was opened in 1980, providing improved facilities for the authority but these would once again be outgrown by 1986 at which time C Block was born.

Through the late 80s and early 90s the changes would continue to roll through with the establishment of the Waikato Regional Council (WRC) in 1989, resulting from the amalgamation of various authorities in the central North Island. The WVA was subsequently absorbed and renamed the Waikato Catchment Board and a decision was made to centralise the council’s core services in Hamilton East and therefore the accommodation of a large number of staff became necessary.

In what would become a full circle journey, the WRC purchased the Arawa building in 1993 and erected a new building which would take advantage of the open space and a Grey Street frontage. This new building was rebranded as the “Environment Waikato” building when it officially opened for business in 1995.

In 2011, concerns arose regarding the building’s exterior cladding, as leaks were discovered, causing damage to some interior framing. To address the issue, modifications were made to the central front section of the roof. This rectified the leaks but attracted architectural criticism due to the altered roofline.

In 2018 the most recent chapter of the story of this site began when Stark Property purchased the building and relocated the WRC to a new premises in the Hamilton CBD.

2023 saw the opening of Made, an urban precinct, home to a bustling hub of retailers, foodies, creators and artisan vendors.