Nelson City Council is upgrading the lights inside the main arena at the Trafalgar Centre to attract more high-level sports, and wants to offer the existing lights to the community.

“The existing lights were no longer adequate for new technology, such as slow-motion replays for some top-level TV broadcasts. Some sporting codes had to rent lights that were up to standard for televised matches at a cost of $15,000 per game,” says Nelson Mayor Nick Smith.

“Upgrading the lights is great news for the Nelson Giants basketball team. The Giants have sold out every home match two years in a row at the stadium, affectionately known by the team and fans as ‘The Hangar,’ and better lighting will only improve the experience for their die-hard fans.”

Trafalgar Centre Manager Mark Mekalick, of CLM, says about 65% of the lights in the main arena were upgraded in 2015. 
“There are patches of the centre that are brighter than others. Nearly 10 years later, technology, especially in terms of slow-motion replays, has evolved and these lights were no longer fit for purpose.”

The upgrade started in June, when 20 new broadcast lights were installed. In August, a further 96 lights will be replaced. These replacement lights are higher spec and will provide more illumination than the original house lights.

“Over the years, we have built a reputation as a great venue to host regional, national and international sports, but unfortunately the old lighting design didn't reach the broadcasting standards for some codes,” Mekalick says.

“The new lighting system will reach broadcasting standards and remove a barrier to bringing large sporting events to our venue. Now that the lights are in, we look forward to working with regional and national-level sporting organisations to help attract more high-quality sports events to Nelson.”

The Nelson Giants are looking forward to playing under the new lights.

“The upgraded lighting system at the Trafalgar Centre will be a fantastic addition for our 10 home games in 2025 and beyond,” says Nelson Giants General Manager and Head Coach Mike Fitchett.

“They allow us to present a much-improved experience for both the fans in the crowd, and our loyal fans watching on TV. The improvements also bring the lighting up to spec to host international matches in the future, so we may be able to attract the Tall Blacks back to Nelson. We haven’t seen them play locally since 2000.”

While the existing lights are no longer fit for purpose at the Trafalgar Centre, the majority still have life in them. Rather than sending them to landfill or dismantling them, Council would like to gift them to the Nelson community.

“We’re looking for a club, school or other organisation that could use them,” Mayor Nick says. “It would be great if they went to a new home.”

Council has created a page on Shape Nelson where groups can apply to repurpose the lights.

Electrical contractor GRE Services Company Director Josh Roberts says his team will inspect the lights once they have been removed to determine how many can be reused.

“We will also be available to any organisations that repurpose the lights for a chat about costs and fees of installation at their location.”

Conversations with sporting codes for 2025 have already begun.

“The replacement lights, costing $152,000 will bring more sport to Nelson.” says Mayor Nick.

“I’m delighted to hear that there are potential hirers already putting dates on hold for their next visit to Nelson and cannot wait to see what the future holds for one of Nelson’s premier venues.”
 

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