Te Puke Sports gains council funding for grandstand

Te Puke Sports officials celebrate the arrival of seating from the old Lancaster Park in November 2017. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media

The Western Bay of Plenty District Council will contribute $100,000 toward the new covered grandstand for Te Puke Sports.

The council agreed to fund $40,000, topping up the $60,000 previously put forward by the Te Puke Community Board.

The grandstand project was part of the Te Puke Sports and Recreation Club's vision to become a major sporting and cultural centre for the Te Puke and surrounding eastern region.

Project coordinator Rick Hannay requested $40,000 from the council to add to what was already pledged by the community board.

The club bought 350 seats from Christchurch's former Lancaster Park stadium for use in the new grandstand at the club's Atuaroa Avenue grounds in Te Puke.

The seats were shipped to the Port of Tauranga and were sold in a sponsorship fundraiser to kick-start the grandstand project.

Hannay told the council the club was a major organisation in Te Puke positioning to cater for schools and community groups – including starting discussions with an Indian community group that was keen to use the facilities for tournaments.

"The inclusive culture of the club is a new direction aimed at expanding the diversity of the club for other community groups so that we can become a diverse sport, cultural and community facility," he said.

Hannay said the club had been self-funding since it was established at the Atuaroa Avenue grounds in 1978.

Grant applications have been made to Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust and Lotteries to help toward the total grandstand cost of $574,000 and Sport Bay of Plenty will also be approached for funding.

Councillors commended the club for gaining support from organisations in the wider community for the grandstand project and said it deserved the council's support.

The $40,000 from the council will be funded from the General Rate Reserve and the $60,000 from the community board will come from the board's Reserve Fund.