Updates on sport, recreation facilities

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

Opinion

Planning for a regional indoor recreation centre is one of the next focus areas for partners in the Tairāwhiti Sport and Recreation Facilities Programme, while the location of proposed waka ama facilities is being reconsidered in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
An update on the programme in the latest council activities report says construction of storage facilities at Anzac Park for river codes/clubs is being reconsidered due to significant damage to the reserve in the cyclone.
This is one of the “early-win” projects — along with the skatepark redevelopment and pump track — that Trust Tairāwhiti announced funding of up to $15 million for, over five to 10 years, two years ago.
The Tairāwhiti Sports Facilities Business Case, combining the aspirations of the council, Trust Tairāwhiti and Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti, was submitted to central government a year ago seeking an investment of about $90m. It serves as a master plan and investment proposal to source funding for the sport and recreation facilities projects required throughout the region.
The activities report update says the need for a regional-level indoor recreation centre, identified in the business case, makes it “a priority to get this project initiated and planned (shovel ready) as one of the first major projects in this programme of work”. A next step is to “initiate pre-construction planning for a regional indoor recreation centre and engage consultants to deliver this work”.
Regarding the river code facilities update, it said the project must focus on protecting waka and consider the impact of severe weather events.
“The onshore facilities will need to be designed to be more resilient and adaptable to future environmental challenges. This project is being led by Mareikura Waka Ama Club and planning discussions are under way with the support of Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti, Trust Tairāwhiti and GDC staff.”
The council’s Road to Recovery plan sent to ministers in May, requesting $555m for immediate rebuild costs in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and a further $613m to build resilience into the future, included a proposal for a new waka ama, kayaking and rowing facility, away from flood-prone Anzac Park, at a cost of $8.4m.
Updates on other early-win projects include the installation of heating systems and covers for multiple school pools along the East Coast being “in the early stages of initiation”.
On resurfacing and developments at Victoria Domain Courts: “The Victoria Sports & Recreation Hub entity is driving the planning around the court redevelopment project to bring the courts up to a safe standard and to allow for multipurpose use.”