Invercargill City

The $180 million Invercargill Central redevelopment transformed an entire CBD block between Esk Street and Tay Street into a contemporary retail and hospitality destination — preserving three heritage building facades while delivering a modern, engaging centre at scale. Teltrac was engaged to deliver integrated security, wireless networking, and access control across multiple outlets with diverse and individual requirements, as well as a dedicated network infrastructure for the Building Management System.

The project was one of the most complex in Teltrac’s history. Covid-19 and labour shortages pushed Stage One construction back five months. Project scope grew during delivery — additional cameras, gate controls, and police-integrated external cameras were added as the project evolved. Teltrac’s team had to coordinate works around multiple other contractors and suppliers, manage supply chain timing issues, and deliver across a live construction site — all without compromising the quality of the finished installation.

Key Project Challenges

• Delivering integrated security, wireless, and access control across multiple tenancies with different requirements simultaneously
• Designing and implementing a dedicated permanent BMS network — replacing the temporary networks typically used during commissioning
• Coordinating works around multiple contractors, suppliers, and a live construction programme impacted by Covid-19 and labour shortages
• Managing scope growth including additional cameras, gate controls, and police-integrated external surveillance
• Preserving construction quality and delivery timelines across a multi-stage, multi-year project

Teltrac delivered a fully integrated technology infrastructure across Invercargill Central, covering structured cabling, CCTV, access control, and wireless networking throughout the development. A dedicated permanent network was also designed and built specifically for the Building Management System — a significant improvement over the temporary networks typically used during BMS commissioning, making ongoing management far simpler for the building operators.

Key Elements

• Panduit structured cabling throughout the development; CommScope cabling for the Farmers tenancy
• Hikvision CCTV system providing comprehensive surveillance coverage across the site
• Gallagher access control integrated across multiple entry points and tenancies
• Ubiquiti network infrastructure supporting wireless connectivity throughout the centre
• Dedicated permanent network infrastructure designed and built for the Building Management System
• External cameras integrated with the Invercargill Police system

• A multi-brand approach — Panduit, CommScope, Hikvision, Gallagher, and Ubiquiti — allowed each system to be specified to best-fit the requirements of each area and tenancy, rather than forcing a single platform across a diverse development
• Gallagher access control is a proven enterprise platform well suited to managing multiple tenancies and entry points from a single, centralised system
• Hikvision CCTV delivers high-definition surveillance at a commercial scale, with the flexibility to integrate external cameras into the police monitoring network
• A dedicated permanent BMS network — rather than the usual temporary solution — simplifies commissioning, reduces future maintenance complexity, and provides a more reliable operational foundation for the building long-term
• Teltrac’s local Invercargill presence and multi-discipline capability made it uniquely well-placed to coordinate all technology disciplines across a complex, multi-stage construction programme

Teltrac’s dedicated project team — Wes, Matt, Sri, Lloyd, James, Kerryn, Nick, Maurits, Brian, and Johnny — delivered the Stage One installation across the Invercargill Central development from project commencement through to the centre’s opening in July 2022, when Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt formally opened the new centre. Works were sequenced across a live construction site alongside Amalgamated Builders Ltd and a range of other trades, with Teltrac adapting to scope changes, supply challenges, and Covid-related delays throughout the programme.

Stage Two — adding a further 4,000 m² of retail and food outlets plus 350 additional car parks — followed later in 2022. Stage Three, including a link from the Reading Cinemas movie theatre into the development, extended Teltrac’s involvement further into 2023.

Invercargill Central opened as the city’s landmark retail and hospitality destination, anchored by major tenants including Farmers, Glassons, Pascoes the Jewellers, 2degrees, and Merchant 1948 — with 650 car parks in Stage One alone. The development is expected to attract more visitors to the region, increase local spend, and give both tourists and locals a compelling reason to spend time in Invercargill’s revitalised CBD.

Teltrac’s integrated technology infrastructure — security, CCTV, access control, wireless networking, and a dedicated BMS network — underpins the operation of the entire development. The police-integrated external camera network extends the project’s contribution beyond the building itself, supporting wider community safety in the CBD. Teltrac is proud to have been part of one of Invercargill’s most significant developments in a generation.

Project Partners