Let’s back new facility

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

I wish to express my support for an indoor sports centre to be built here in Tairāwhiti.

This facility would be incredibly beneficial for the wellbeing of our tamariki, allowing them more opportunities to improve skills and build interpersonal relations within the community.

As it stands, we do not have adequate indoor facilities to accommodate sports tournaments and functions, or the sheer court capacity needed to support teams throughout the district.

Sport is such a large part of Tairāwhiti’s cultural identity — we should have access to a facility that nurtures the talent we are producing year after year.

Being able to host bigger tournaments would make this a profitable investment for the community and local businesses.

A new indoor sports centre  would also be used as a place to hold events for schools and other organisations, utilising the large space to bring our people together.

We all have whānau, friends and acquaintances here in Tairāwhiti who would appreciate an indoor sports centre. We have to make it happen.

Eden Collier

An indoor sports centre is an absolute necessity for Gisborne. Built at the right scale, it would have a multitude of benefits — from sporting, cultural and music events to regional and national competitions, as well as boosting the Gisborne economy.

Paora

An indoor sports centre in Turanganui a Kiwa is long overdue. My children have been involved with basketball for over 10 years and it’s been challenging for our teams to even find enough court spaces for training. It’s also difficult to host tournaments with our limited court spaces — so our families are forking out extra funds to send our tamariki away to all their tournaments.

The facilities just aren’t keeping up with the demand from our community. Teams are having to be turned away from competitions and certain basketball programmes can’t be run.

Basketball is just one sport among many that is in desperate need of a new three-to-four-court facility. An investment in a local sports centre will have huge benefits for our community.

Vania

The need our community has for an indoor sports centre cannot be stressed enough! Our whānau deserve the opportunities almost all other small regional cities provide by having one.

Our sports codes are outgrowing the current facilities — the infrastructure we have cannot support the demand.

It is unacceptable that our tamariki, rangatahi and whānau may miss out on opportunities to participate in sports and activities that will contribute to improved health and wellbeing! And all because of a lack of resources . . . how can we be ok with that? The answer is we cannot . . . so please support this kaupapa and let’s see an indoor sports centre become a reality for Tairāwhiti.

Camille