Kelvin Jones, general manager, Bay Oval. Photo / George Novak
One of Tauranga's most significant sporting venues has been given a nearly $2 million lifeline as it struggles to make ends meet.
At a Tauranga City Council meeting on Tuesday, commissioners agreed to loan $1,934,240 over 10 years to help Bay Oval Trust complete planned construction of a $6m pavilion at the Mount Maunganui cricket ground.
The move came after a plea from Bay Oval manager Kelvin Jones during submissions to the Long-term Plan Amendment and Annual Plan 2022/23 hearings on May 9.
Jones told the commission the Bay Oval had cemented its spot as one of Tauranga's premier event venues and had significant national and international events coverage that gave Tauranga "worldwide exposure in a way few other vehicles can".
There were five national tours booked for next summer and plans to become a training venue for the FIFA women's World Cup in 2023, host the 2028 T20 Men's World Cup and also expand into hosting festivals and other non-cricket events, Jones said.
But such aspirations could count for nought if the Bay Oval was unable to secure more funding to operate.
The Bay Oval project originated in 2005 when it was adopted as part of the Blake Park sporting precinct's future development policy. Since then, there has been ongoing work to develop the venue through a staged process.
The pavilion and potential indoor training facility were the last of the "big-ticket items" to be completed but efforts to do so have been hampered by rising construction costs.
"While we've worked hard to fund our original construction funding target, prices have moved away from us almost as quickly as we've been able to find the money. Never mind sourcing funding for the required design, engineering and consultation work," Jones said at the hearing.
The pavilion is expected to help provide shade and shelter with an indoor lounge venue during sporting matches. It would also be available for hire on non-match days.
The trust was also seeking help to fund the creation of an indoor training facility that "the community cricket clubs have been screaming out for, for some time".
Jones said the facility and pavilion could provide ongoing revenue to the Bay Oval, helping to remedy the situation the trust was in.
"As a community-driven amenity, we've always faced the challenge of sitting outside council. We are grateful for the funding support we've had from Tauranga City Council along the way but ... compared to other venues we are competing with it is certainly a challenge."
Jones said there were issues with machinery older than 10 years needing replacing or maintenance.
"We are seeking grants for completing capital projects or, in one specific case, buying a new tractor.
"We simply don't receive renewals or depreciation funding that, say, a Bay Venues would, for example."
Jones said the trust was working on a sponsorship package to directly fund some of its existing facilities.
"We are essentially not only burning the candles from both ends but the middle as well," Jones said.
"Even the one-third funding model (from the council), while not meaning to sound ungrateful, adds to this challenge because it becomes a race to raise money ... while trying to do everything else. Does it come from staff funding or do we risk a tractor breakdown in the middle of an international cricket match?"
The Bay Oval's operational costs were $1 million a year.
"I appreciate the council will always have competing requirements for funding, and as biased as I may be, compared to a new civic centre ... the bang for buck of a completed Bay Oval is hard to argue against."
In response, commission chairwoman Anne Tolley agreed that a community trust sat outside of "the normal machinery of council", which would typically cater for maintenance and depreciation costs.
"Originally, the trust was set up to raise the funds to create the Oval in the first place. It hasn't finished that job and you are 10 years down the track, those operations costs take over .... we do need to think very carefully about that [funding] model ... and the long-term effects on the organisations."
On Tuesday, Tolley and other commissioners decided to fund the trust $1.9m to help it complete the pavilion.
The decision came as part of another council meeting in which Tolley said the venue was a major drawcard for the region but was "struggling".
"As we saw, over half of the people that came to the Black Clash were from outside of the region," Tolley said.
"If we fund the pavilion, it's up to them [to fund] the indoor centre and raise money for that."
After the meeting, Jones told the Bay of Plenty Times the trust had already raised $4m of the $6m needed. The almost $2m from the council meant it could finally catch up to meet the soaring construction costs, he said.
Jones said he was delighted the council "recognised that" and "the pavilion has been in the plan from the very beginning".
Jones said he believed once the pavilion, and ultimately the indoor training facility, was built the revenue from it would make a "huge" impact on helping the trust manage ongoing costs.
Priority One chief executive Nigel Tutt said the Bay Oval was incredibly valuable to the region so helping it complete its plans made sense.
"Being able to showcase Tauranga to the world, we saw that, particularly with the Women's World Cup, helped with jobs, the economy and tourism in a way that you simply wouldn't get the opportunity today if you didn't have a venue like this," Tutt said.
"From our perspective, there is quite a large economic benefit from events there. But you don't get them without good facilities, and as such Bay Oval is a stand-out in New Zealand in terms of a dedicated cricket venue. It has a great atmosphere, great location and is thoroughly excellent to enjoy games at."
The trust was now waiting for final costings before going to market.
The indoor training facility and some landscaping and upgrade of the entranceway remain as future projects yet to be funded at Bay Oval.
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