Historical Projects

Part of the excitement of being in the scaffolding industry is playing a part of the growth and evolution of Auckland City and her neighbouring regions.

Since our start in the early 1980's, North Shore Scaffolding has witnessed, and been a part of, some significant projects that forever changed the city. Below are a few examples, from older to newer, that showcase the breadth of our portfolio, and some of the projects that we are proud to have been a part of. 

 

Victoria Park Markets Chimney

       
The Chimney at Victoria Markets, standing 38m tall, was built in 1905. 

The site of the Victoria Park Market buildings was originally part headland and part foreshore of Freemans Bay. In the late 1870s the bay began to be reclaimed, and from 1905 to 1918 a series of brickwork buildings was constructed on the site, initially to deal with the disposal of rubbish from the city. These included the 38m tall chimney. In 1907 work began on a power generator building to use the heat produced. Although this was finished in 1908, it was found to be inadequate for the city's power demands, and was shut down in 1913 after a new coal fired power station was constructed on the city's waterfront at Kings Wharf.

Further additions were made from 1914 to 1918, including double storey stabling for the 94 horses used to pull the city's rubbish carts, and council administration offices. From 1952 the stables were no longer used for their original purpose, and the 'Destructor' as it was called, ceased operation in 1972. The complex continued to act as a rubbish collection depot until 1981.

The Auckland City Council originally planned to demolish the complex, but relented following a public campaign. It was converted into a market and retail complex, and alterations were made for this purpose in 1983 and 1990.

In 1983, North Shore Scaffolding erected scaffolding around the 38m tall chimney for the restoration - not an easy task! 

The Victoria Market complex is a Category I Historic Places under the Historic Places Act 1993.

 

Pope John Paul visit in 1986 & Commonwealth Games 1990

   

North Shore Scaffolding have been tasked to erect temporary seating for many different types of events.

Some of the most notable historic ones include Pope John Paul II's open-air Mass at Auckland's Domain in November 1986,
and at the Velodrome arena at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990.

 

Auckland Town Hall

   
Auckland Town Hall, one of New Zealand’s premier heritage buildings, was constructed around 1911 to provide Auckland with a world class concert venue and Civic Centre. Located at the junction of Queen Street and Greys Avenue, adjacent to Aotea Square, it shares an ‘entertainment precinct’ with the Aotea Centre and the historic Civic Theatre.

Constructed of unreinforced masonry the building did not meet current seismic protection standards, particularly as a place of assembly. The building’s exterior had also been deteriorating at increasing rates and much of the interior was tired, obsolete and no longer adequately met with the requirements of its intended function. The owner of the building, Auckland City Council, therefore determined that the building should be strengthened as part of an overall restoration programme and upgraded to be made suitable to serve the community into the 21st century. The upgrade included structural strengthening, architectural retrofitting, modern building services and fire protection, heritage conservation and halting the external deterioration.

In 1994 a team of consultants was appointed to design the restoration works and to supervise construction. North Shore Scaffolding was chosen as scaffolder partner for this project, and we erected scaffolding all around the City Hall, for the reinforcement work to commence in January 1996. 

  

Santa - an Auckland City Icon

For 30 years, North Shore Scaffolding had the enjoyable task of getting Auckland’s iconic Santa set up for the Christmas season.
Santa was first attached on the front of the Farmers building on the corner of Hobson Street and Wyndham Street in Auckland all the way back in 1960.

The fibreglass and steel tubing structure weighed almost five tons and stood at a height of about 18 metres. It featured a winking eye and beckoning finger, which were intended to tempt customers into the store below, but with time gave him the nickname "creepy Santa".

The giant Santa was erected on the Farmers' Hobson Street store each Christmas for 30 years. When the building was sold in 1990, Santa was moved to Manakau, where he graced the Farmers building there for a few years before he was retired in 1996, mainly because of his tatty appearance.

After years of neglect Santa was in need of a serious refit. In 1998, following two years of negotiations, Santa was purchased from Farmers and favours were called in from friends, companies and business associates to have Santa restored and returned to the people of Auckland.

Santa took his new stage on the Queen Streets Whitcoulls building at the corner of Queen and Victoria Streets, and this building then changed into Farmers in a poetic symmetry of history. In 2009 Santa underwent a restoration, and unveiled a more friendly appearance
- with his ‘creepy' beckoning finger replaced with a static one.

After nearly six decades, Santa was finally retired in January 2020. 
North Shore Scaffolding is proud to have worked on this project for many years and Santa will surely be missed.

Read more here.

 

The Stone Store Restoration

The Stone Store at Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands, erected between 1832 and 1836, is part of the Kerikeri Mission Station, and is New Zealand’s oldest surviving stone building. 

Established in 1819, the Kerikeri Mission Station is one of the first places in New Zealand where Māori invited visitors to live among them. Built under the protection of local chiefs who were keen to harness the trade and technology of Europe, Kerikeri Mission Station grew amidst a backdrop of tribal warfare and ever-increasing visits from foreign ships.

Part of the second Church Missionary Society station in New Zealand, the store was designed by John Hobbs to replace an earlier wooden storehouse. The Georgian-style Stone Store was originally a Missionary Society warehouse but assumed various roles including a trading post, library, barracks and boys’ school. 

Conservation work was done to the Stone Store in the 1990s. North Shore Scaffolding partnered with a local scaffolding company to carry out the work on this unique heritage building, shrink-wrapping the whole facade while restoration work was being done, ensuring its survival for many more years to come.

Read more about this project here.

 

Office to Apartment Conversions (Hopetoun Residences)

   
Tawera Group have successfully converted several commercial buildings into sought-after Auckland apartments, repurposing these buildings while at the same time improving living in the city. The Hopetoun Residences project, situated on 15 Hopetoun Street, converting the old Baycorp Offices, was no exception; and all of the 91 apartments sold six months before the completion date.

This was an extensive renovation involving a complete strip out, strengthen and re-clad. The project also added three new floors; as well as balconies at every level. Summit Construction, the lead contractor, selected North Shore Scaffolding for this remarkable and challenging project.

Begun in 2014 and completed in 2015, the project has received many awards:

Hopetoun Residences was named Multi-Unit Residential Property of the year and was a finalist in the Adaptive and Reuse category at the 2016 Property Council New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards.

It won New Zealand Property Council award of excellence best in the Adaptive and Reuse category for the newly refurbished Hopetoun Residences.

Read more about this project here.

 

Waterview Connection Tunnel

    
The Waterview Connection Tunnel project is one of the largest and most important civil engineering projects New Zealand has ever seen. The finished project completed a motorway circuit around the city, which has helped to overcome traffic congestion and provide a direct link between the airport and the CBD.

North Shore Scaffolding was involved with two elements essential for the completion of the tunnel:

First up were the design and implementation of an innovative mobile roof that allowed the cutter head of ‘Alice’ (the tunnel boring machine) to be assembled under shelter. 

North Shore Scaffolding was then asked to supply 24/7 labour for scaffold requirements during the initial four months it took to get Alice operational. We then went on to supply scaffolders and materials for the duration of the project, having upwards of 45 men on-site on any given working day. Our health and safety systems, labour and gear stock management expertise ensured the project always had the men and materials required.

This unique project, by its very nature, created many situations never seen in New Zealand. North Shore Scaffolding met every challenge with positive workable solutions.

Read more about this project here.

 

City Rail Link (CRL) & Britomart

 
North Shore Scaffolding has been employed as the principal scaffolding supplier on all stages of Auckland’s City Rail Link (CRL) Project. This includes providing all scaffolding services for the mammoth task of gutting and rebuilding the inside of the historic Central Post Office, along with the extension of the tunnels from Britomart station, under the Central Post Office and lower Queen Street and all the way up along Albert Street.

After the company in charge of stage two of the CRL was let down by the original scaffolding company, North Shore Scaffolding was recommended to replace them, due to our efficient and impressive work during stage one. We went on to successfully complete stage two and were then invited to continue on the next two stages as well.

These massive civil works have provided many challenging, technical and unique tasks, which North Shore Scaffolding continually solves to the satisfaction of our clients.

Civil works are labour intensive, time-sensitive and potentially very dangerous. North Shore Scaffolding always looks for the safest way to complete any task without compromising on quality. This attitude is one reason why we are continually invited to provide ongoing scaffolding services to the biggest civil projects in New Zealand.

Read more about this project here.

 

Hobsonville Point

 
North Shore Scaffolding has been providing scaffolding for Universal Homes projects for over 30 years. The relationship with our client plays a vital part in the success of homes such as the ones at Hobsonville Point being completed in a safe and efficient manner, and on time.

Due to the tight building schedules allocated in the residential sector, there are huge demands on scaffolding being completed on time. As residential builds like these are progressing, we are always one step ahead of other trades to have the scaffold built before there is any risk of a fall.

With the use of North Shore Scaffolding’s Layher All Round System, we provide safe access to all trades on-site; supplying heavy-duty loading bays, access platforms over retaining walls, bridges over trench work, aluminium mobile scaffolds, internal stair scaffolds, lower roof scaffolds, and roof edge protection to name just a few.

All scaffolds are built with the use of advanced guardrails, which means that not even the scaffolders are on a live edge during install and dismantling, lowering the risk for all involved.

Due to these building sites being residential, and thus often close to roadsides and the public, debris netting and/or gantry walkways are also often provided.

Residential projects like the one at Hobsonville Point are ongoing all around the Auckland region and North Shore Scaffolding's detailed planning ensures that all site workers' wellbeing comes first, while high productivity is continuously achieved.

Read more about this project here.