Graeme Avery: 'Be the best you can be'

Sir Graeme Avery says the Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust is well behind the imminent world-class sports and wellbeing facility in Hastings. Photo / File

"Be the best you can be" is the driving notion behind what I hope will cement itself as a landmark project for Hawke's Bay; one that will soon see our region become home to a world-class facility that I am confident will contribute immensely towards improving the health, wellbeing and human performance of our communities.

On track for a public July opening, the EIT Institute of Sport and Health will serve as the hub from which we will work to help transform the lives of people in Hawke's Bay and beyond, through the programmes we will run and facilities we will have on offer.

This facility has been designed and built with the people of Hawke's Bay in mind. We all have our own goals, our own challenges and our own level of ability when it comes to health, wellbeing and sport and we have been determined all the way through this project to establish an environment that can support everyone as individuals, on their journey to be the best they can be.

As part of this project we have combined experts from the fields of physical literacy, nutrition, healthy lifestyles education, primary healthcare and health promotion to lead the development of our programmes – all of which will be underpinned by best practice evidence and research.

This will ensure we are supporting all age groups across the region in community health and fitness, school sports development, community sport performance and sport and health science research.

Hawke's Bay is a region with so much to offer so I see it as fitting that we should be doing our best to lead the charge in reducing obesity prevalence and other negative health-related trends.

Our overarching vision for this project is two-fold – in addition to our primary focus on promoting healthy lifestyles, this project will see us establish the capabilities to be able to support local sporting talent and grow future Olympians inside the region. We are seeing more and more talent come through the ranks here, and soon we will be in a position to nurture that all the way through to the podium, thus enabling us to retain our local talent here in the region until they move on to national systems.

From the outside it is easy to overlook the reality of what this facility will offer to the people of Hawke's Bay. It isn't until you walk through those doors and see for yourself that you are able to comprehend the sheer size, substance and magic of what's inside.

There really is something for everyone – there aren't many facilities like this in New Zealand and I am thrilled to see Hawke's Bay take a leading role in trying to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of its communities, as well as supporting local sports talent at the same time.

You could be a Hawke's Bay local looking for an environment to help you on your fitness journey, a more senior member of the community wanting to maintain mobility long into the future, an up and coming athlete looking for access to the facilities and coaching that'll help you take it all the way, or a school wanting to inspire your students towards a more active and healthy lifestyle. The EIT Institute of Sport and Health, and all that it encompasses, is for everyone in the region, from Wairoa to Waipukurau and beyond.

As a Trust, we have been steadfastly focused on getting this project off the ground and under way, and now it's time to bring the people of Hawke's Bay along on the journey as after all, that's who it's all about.

When we open the doors in July, it's important to note that is just the first stage of the project which will ultimately culminate in a community health and fitness centre and multi-sport training facility, and that includes a large indoor recreation and sports hall, a community health and fitness gym, health tutorial rooms, a strength and conditioning gym, tenanted offices, a sports science facility and sports medicine center, a café and an accommodation hostel – none of which would have been possible without the generous support of donors, sponsors and funders – all of whom share our vision for a healthier Hawke's Bay.

With that said, I welcome the people of Hawke's Bay to open days in late June where we will offer demonstrations and guided tours. The official opening will be July. All dates will be confirmed soon.

* Sir Graeme Avery is the chairman of Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Centre Trust