Tawa Town Centre Improvement Project

In March 2019, the Tawa community gathered to celebrate the completion of its Town Centre Improvement Project. The celebration was as colourful and vibrant as the new town centre, an initiative of the Wellington City Council.

The Council had a vision for an attractive, inviting and safe place for residents, and Urban Effects was thrilled to play a role in making this happen. The project included the development of green spaces, improved pedestrian access between the main street and the shopping district, and additional lighting to make getting around in Tawa far easier and a more enjoyable experience.

We worked alongside the Council from the design stages of the project through an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) Process. This enabled us to gain a very clear understanding of the Council’s aims and ensured we could deliver the best solution possible to suit the concept and the budget.

The versatility and flexibility of our product range, and our ability to customise many of our products, meant there was no need to head down the path of bespoke design which can add cost and result in longer lead times. Items in our ever-popular Liffiton Outdoor Seating Range were completely customised to match the unique vibe the Council was seeking to create.

Liffiton benches and platforms were chosen for their modern, straight lines and their functionality. We then added bright touches, including coloured armrests and laser cut squared frames for the ground-mounted bases, as well as hidden LED lights. The timber ends on some of the benches were also swapped out for powdercoated steel ends to facilitate access to three-phase power points.

If you are heading to Tawa, make sure you check out the fabulous mural that runs the length of the laneway to the south of the town plaza. It was painted by Poihakena Ngawati Ngati Hine (Poi) of Ngapuhi, Tainui.