One of McKay’s recent projects involved the Te Papa and Taranaki Promenades for Wellington City Council – two of the city’s most vibrant public spaces. The project aimed to create a safer, more inviting environment, making the waterfront a more enjoyable place to explore and walk after sunset. The council’s goal was to have the new lighting installed and operational in time for the Pride Parade and the final Homegrown Festival in March 2025. The system needed to enhance safety across the area, provide programmable lighting for special events and occasions, and incorporate integrated Māori artwork.
Project deliverables
The project brought together McKay staff from Wellington, Hamilton, and Whangārei.
- Decorative lighting poles: Installed 19 decorative lighting poles, each weighing 500kg and featuring both RGB and white lighting, along the two main waterfront promenades.
- Pole removal: Removed 21 existing poles.
- Power and fibre circuits: Installed 3.6km of new power and lighting circuits and 2km of fibre, running beneath the wharf and above the water to supply the new lighting poles.
- Switchboard installations: Installed two new switchboards.
- Marine containment: Designed, built, and installed custom marine containment to protect the power and lighting circuits along the full length of the wharf.
- Marine construction work: Completed a range of marine construction activities, including installing under-wharf footings with support from Underwater Solutions, upgrading under-wharf walers to accommodate the new installations, and installing and commissioning the specialist lighting control system.
The nature of the site meant that much of the work took place over water, requiring a specialist approach and strong collaboration with a marine construction company to provide access via a floating platform and boat.
Our approach
One of the project’s more unusual challenges was the requirement to keep the wharf open to the public throughout construction. With restaurants and bars lining the area, night work was not an option. This meant carrying out complex electrical work in full view of the public through the peak summer period.
Adding to the pressure, the project’s original start date of 1 November 2024 was delayed until 6 January 2025 because of setbacks in the council’s engineering consent process. Despite the delayed start, the early March deadline remained unchanged. Through dedication and teamwork, McKay completed all work by 7 March 2025. This included the full commissioning of both white and RGB lighting, completed in time to illuminate the waterfront for the Pride Parade and the Homegrown Festival.
