St Therese Catholic Parish - Case Study
Venue Overview
Located in the heart of Māngere East, St Therese Catholic Parish serves a diverse and welcoming congregation, with services that place strong emphasis on spoken-word clarity and musical engagement.
As the parish continued to grow, the need for a reliable and easy-to-use audio solution became increasingly important. Working alongside integrator Paul Toilalo from Gourmet Pepper Ltd.
The church implemented a Quest Engineering system designed to deliver consistent coverage, improved intelligibility, and dependable day-to-day operation.
Teresa Ah Wa, one of the key members of the parish community, explains how confident the team now feels with the new system in place, noting that services now run smoothly and stress-free and most importantly, with a clear and remarkably improved audio system.
Integrator
With over 20 years of experience in the AV industry, Paul Toilalo specialises in delivering reliable audio solutions across houses of worship, schools, and hospitality venues. From system design through to installation and ongoing support, Paul is known for integrating practical, high-quality solutions tailored to each space. Having also performed across New Zealand for more than 20 years with his band Black Salt, production managed numerous shows and toured as a backing musician for a variety of artists, he brings a strong real-world understanding of both live sound and end-user needs. Quest Engineering remains one of his preferred brands thanks to its reliability, audio performance, and cost-effective approach.
Audio System Objectives
St Therese Catholic Parish required an audio solution focused on clear spoken-word intelligibility and high-quality musical reproduction, ensuring consistent coverage throughout the worship space for both services and community events.
Ease of use was also a key priority, with the system designed to be operated confidently by local volunteers and community members. To support smoother day-to-day operation, the parish also wanted a centralised control position that would allow services to be managed in a more professional and streamlined way.
System Architecture
Designed to support a worship space with a capacity of approximately 350-400 people, the system required smooth and even coverage across the entire main hall, while also accommodating regular live music performances and weekly live streamed services.
To achieve this, integrator Paul Toilalo specified a Quest Engineering system featuring 2 x HPI110 loudspeakers as the main front fills, complemented by 2 x HPI8 loudspeakers as side fills to maintain consistent coverage throughout the room.
Beyond the audio system itself, Livesound delivered several custom solutions to streamline the church’s workflow and day-to-day operation. A custom-built stage desk now acts as a centralised AV control position, incorporating secure equipment storage, sliding lockable rack drawers, and ample rack space for system peripherals and future proofing capabilities.
Livesound also designed and manufactured a custom wooden storage enclosure and dedicated wall plate system, allowing musicians to easily patch into the main PA while providing a secure home for wireless equipment and associated infrastructure.
