New columns light up revamped facility for Netball Taranaki

Sport and recreation plays a key part in the lives of Kiwis with close to three-quarters of adults taking part in some sort of sport and recreation activity each week - one of the highest rates in the world. With Kiwi kids also some of the most active in the world, councils and sports clubs across the country are constantly budgeting for and working on the up keep, maintenance and development of sports fields and grounds to accommodate their users.

To future proof their facilities for the next few decades; Netball Taranaki signed a 25-year lease on the Waiwhakaiho New Plymouth netball courts earlier in the year allowing the sport to stay at the ground. This paved the way for the implementation of a much needed make over – before the beginning of the 2017 netball season.

The funds allocated to be spent on the facility would see the installation of 18 new floodlights, all 13 courts covered in a new non-slip surface and development of new practice courts. However there wasn't much time after receiving the green light on the improvements before 2000 kids would descend on the facility for their first game of the season.

“We tendered and won the contract for the work on the courts with a lighting design from Corys electrical,” explains Ross Kronfeld, Contract Manager for NPE Tech Ltd. “Once we had been awarded the work it was a bit of a scramble to get the project up and running and keep to the very tight schedule.”

Orders were placed for new lighting units from Italy and new columns, which would be sourced through Cory’s Electrical. The resurfacing of the courts was booked in.

“CSP are a well known supplier for us so we requested a quote and lead times for the 18 lighting columns from them,” explains Scott Brown, Manager of Corys Electrical New Plymouth. “Because CSP manufacture their columns in New Zealand they could supply the 18 x Flanged Based 11.6m Oclyte® Floodlight Columns in the timeframes we were working to. The cages were supplied first which allowed Ross and his team to get those installed and continue with other work at the facility until the columns arrived.”

While Ross waited on the delivery of the lighting units and the columns the NPE Tech team completed all the repairs and civil works at the facility. They also developed a brand new warm up court that was finished in asphalt.