Te Puke Community Board trialling solar-powered lighting

Te Puke Community Board member Tupaea Rolleston with one of the solar lights that is to be trialled around the town.

Te Puke Community Board is shining a light on dark places.

In a trial designed to illuminate areas not covered by street lighting, the board is assessing the effectiveness of solar-powered LED lights that can be retrofitted in, for example, bus shelters or on poles in walkways or parks.

Board member Tupaea Rolleston says after researching other councils' experiences, three types of solar lights will be put up in five places as a trial to see if they are effective and can stand up to a range of conditions.

''Basically, there's a few areas around the town where there is limited lighting, and some of those places are quite populated areas,'' he says.

Trenching and other work necessary to install a street light can be significant, and the board wants to explore low-cost options that enhance the safety of areas.

''If it proves to be successful, then we will roll them out to places like Fairhaven Park or bus shelters, where there is no lighting but people are using those spaces after hours,'' he says.