Greater Wellington has been working with the Naenae community, Hutt City Council and Mana Whenua on a plan to make the Naenae subway area a safer and more usable space.

We're seeking your views on the draft plan to improve the subway. Please share your feedback on these plans by 5pm Tuesday 17 May 2022. This feedback will inform the detailed design of the plans.

Tell us your views on the draft plan

You can either fill in the Naenae Subway Improvements: Feedback Form or come to one of the information sessions to chat to Greater Wellington staff and provide your feedback on a paper form. Information sessions will be held at:

Your feedback will be kept confidential. Please read our Privacy Statement for more about how we will use and manage your information.

Draft plan to improve Naenae Subway

The existing pedestrian access subway to Naenae Station has served the community for over fifty years. True to its time, the subway is plain and practical but in need of revitalization. An engineering report identified the structural improvements required to the subway and community engagement informed the industrial design and artistic brief.

We are pleased to share this draft plan and artists impressions of the proposed changes to the subway. These will improve the public's experience of the subway, uplift the quality of this important pedestrian linkage and support the revitalization of Naenae's town centre. Designs are inspired by Naenae’s strong cultural narrative and modern history.

Brighter and safer environment

Creating a brighter and safer environment is the main objective of the renovation. This will be achieved through the instillation of CCTV cameras, a public announcement system, improved lighting, better wayfinding and signage at the street and station platform entrances.

This image is an artists impression of the Naenae Subway entrance at night. It shows the proposed pavilion canopy signage and lighting to improve safety.

This image is an artists impression of the Naenae Subway entrance during the day. It shows the proposed pavilion canopy signage and bright natural lighting.

Inviting entryways

We propose adding pavilions at each entryway to the subway. These structures, which look like ‘floating’ roof forms, will be strongly lit from below to provide clear beacons guiding travellers to and from Naenae Station.

This image is an artists impression of the well lit pavilions that will guide travellers to and from Naenae Station at night.

An improved subway

We propose improving the subway by levelling surfaces, adding horizontal paneling along the tunnels, improving lighting, adding CCTV cameras and a public announcement system.

This image is an artists impression of how the subway tunnel can be improved with the addition of lighting behind the horizontal paneling and handrails.

Well defined pathways

The pathway will bind the subway system as a coloured ribbon running down the stairs, ramps and through the tunnels. It could also run into the surrounding streetscapes as a guiding path. The surface will be finished with a high friction product to improve pedestrian safety.

This is an artists impression of what the coloured ribbon will look like running down the stairs and through the subway tunnels.

Cultural expression and public art

Naenae’s strong cultural narrative and modern history provided inspiration for the subway's design. Len Hetet created the cultural design while Kura Moeahu of Te Āti Awa provided the overarching cultural narrative:

The ancient and metaphysical beings The guardians summonsed by the Mountain Clan The battle that scarred our mother earth To fashion upon her skin the land known as Te Ngaengae (Naenae). The waters that feed, sustain and nourish the land be exhumed form the rivers Te Awamutu and Waiwhetu to this very day. Gifted by the ancient ones.

Naenae’s modern history as a model suburb is based on the ‘garden city movement’. Hillary Court was intended as the focus of community life. The buildings in Naenae are unapologetically modernist in character, being simple, elegant, and at a human scale.

These narratives are represented in the design by the Kaha - Bold architecture with strong lines, hard angles, and fractured shapes. This conveys the tectonic forces and fissures evoking the tupua who have the power to uplift the land and create waterways. The simple, modern, human scaled building is also reminiscent of the Modernist buildings, ensuring both the Māori and non-Māori history is celebrated.

The design also seeks to form Honohono - Connections, connects the sea, land and people, connects communities, connects people to stories, connects the building to the town-centre. The design creates Manaaki – Shared landscape, celebrating Mana Whenua values, celebrating modern history, inviting touch, wanting to be a part of something special and building future interaction.

This image is an artists impression of the cultural designs in the subway tunnel.

This image shows the Taniwha that inspired the cultural design elements of the Naenae Subway. On the left is Te Wai Tuku Kiri o Waiwhetu and on the right is Te Wai Inuinu o Te Awamutu.

Background

Naenae Subway redevelopment is one of a number of local revitalization projects in central Naenae. All of these projects share the same core values:

• Honohono – connection
• Kaha – bold and strong feeling through design
• Manaaki – inviting and shared landscapes.

These Naenae values were identified through the Hutt City Council ethnographic research, Voice of the Community, conducted in 2019 for the Naenae Pool and Hillary Court projects. This research identified what the community values and what they want to see in their public spaces.