9 December 2008 Media Release: Top of Auckland icon lit up like Christmas star The distinctive 'six pack' of cement silos on Auckland's waterfront has been lit at the top like a Christmas star - but it doesn't use much energy. Each of the 400 recycled camera flashes used to create the randomly flashing artwork, called FlashStar by illumination artist Peter Stoneham, are re-used from one-time-use cameras. FlashStar connects well with other Christmas lighting projects nearby, including the Franklin Road street of lights, and the 26m tall Christmas tree in Victoria Park. Mr Stoneham says he was inspired by the Environmentally Sustainable Design principles for the whole of Wynyard Quarter. On the cement silo, the flash bulbs are in a 1.5m high waterproof polycarbonate cylinder on top of a 4.5m pole. The recycled bulbs will randomly flash for five minutes every half an hour. The artwork operates from 8.30pm until midnight until Anniversary Weekend in January.
Thanks to the assistance of the New Zealand Transport Agency, Golden Bay Cement and Auckland City Council, a different light show is planned each year to coincide with others around the city, and to celebrate the retention of the cement silos on the waterfront. Sea+City Projects Ltd Chief Executive, John Dalzell, says the lighting display will help highlight Wynyard Quarter and the sustainability principles behind the project. "This includes looking at all aspects of design, including energy optimisation, waste reduction, stormwater management and treatment, and the re-use of existing materials," he says. Editors' note: Over the next 25 years around 29 hectares of Auckland's waterfront within Wynyard Quarter will be transformed in stages into a harbourside community with parks and plazas, apartments, shops and offices alongside the traditional marine and fishing industries. It is one of the largest waterfront urban renewal developments ever undertaken in New Zealand. The regeneration project is a cooperative venture co-funded by Auckland Regional Holdings (ARH), the majority landowner, and Auckland City Council, which will own the roads, promenades, wharfs, parks and plazas. Auckland City Council will also share ownership of the large headland park with Auckland Regional Council (ARC). ARH established Sea City Projects Ltd (SCPL) to manage the revitalisation, and its commercial land north of Pakenham Street. Auckland City Council has appointed SCPL to project manage the design and construction of the public areas throughout Wynyard Quarter. ARH is a statutory investment management entity and part of the Auckland Regional Council group. Media inquiries to: John Dalzell Sea+City Projects Ltd Chief Executive 021 949 265

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