Invercargill is the first council in the country to have shimmer panels, and they have been getting plenty of attention along Esk Street.
Group manager of Infrastructure Services Erin Moogan told the Infrastructure Committee meeting on Tuesday, the panels cost $15,000 and they were in the process of working out if they added value to the city.
The council engaged a Melbourne-based company with Invercargill connections to design and create the panels in the CBD.
The company has done a large amount of work for councils in Australia with neons and shimmer panels, and walls for a number of different events.
Erin said since Christmas falls in the summer months and it doesn’t get dark at till late, the shimmer panels were a way of bringing some colour to Esk Street during the day.
“These seem to be well received by the public with a lot of selfie photos being taken with them and the positive feedback on social media.”
The committee decided on Tuesday that it would be nice for council to update its Christmas lights and perhaps have some on buildings around the city, as well as Bluff.
Erin said that council hoped to update its Christmas decorations and add to them each year, with many coming to the end of their life.
Staff currently put up the decorations in early December along Dee Street, but because many of the fixings were unable to be used, they couldn’t put them up in Tay like they used to.
There was currently no co-ordinated approach on how to deal with the decorations each year, and Erin said some assistance was required to help with the planning each year.
whatsoninvers.nz founder Mike Sanford said the Christmas lights have been a cluster “and the councillors who went with the last lot should hang their heads in shame.”
He said after the beautiful Corbert lights that doubled as fabulous Christmas lights at night and decorations by day, the replacement they chose are insepid by day and average by night and look cheap.
“And they need to go up days before the Santa Parade on Saturday 30th November, not 10th December.”