The Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre is celebrating its first year with an estimated half a million visits and a free swim day on Sunday. Photo /Paul Taylor
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre is celebrating its first year with an estimated half a million visits and a free swim day on Sunday. Photo /Paul Taylor
Free swimming open day Sunday as Regional Aquatic Centre turns 1 year old
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre powered by PAK’nSAVE Hastings is celebrating its first year in operation with an estimated half a million user visits.
To celebrate the centre’s first year an open day is being held on Sunday, September 3, between 10.30am-2.30pm with free lane swimming, free water babies swim lessons (babies 3-36 months), have-a-go Junior-Water Polo and water safety activities.
Free public lane swimming and water safety activities between 10.30am-2.30pm.
Free Water Babies swim lessons (babies 3-36 months) at 10.30am and 11.30am.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre general manager Nate Manu said the facility has been incredibly popular with the public.
There has been higher than expected casual pool use, “an explosion of participation in water polo - a new sport introduced to the region and the huge numbers in the delivery of learn to swim and water safety programmes”.
The centre has also hosted three New Zealand Swimming national events with back-to-back New Zealand Swimming Championships and New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships also confirmed for April 2024.
Two discharged from hospital after Hastings assault
Two men were discharged from Hawke’s Bay hospital on Friday following a disorder incident in Hastings on Thursday night.
Police responded to reports of a disorder where two people were assaulted near Kauri Pl and Ngaio St at around 7.30pm on Thursday.
Two males, one in their teens and one in their 20′s, were found at a residential address and taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital in moderate and serious conditions.
Police said scene examinations were conducted on Thursday and that they were continuing to speak with witnesses.
“Enquiries are ongoing to determine what has occurred.”
Onelucky Lotto player from Napier is now a millionaire after winning $1 million with Lotto First Division in Wednesday night’s live Lotto draw.
The winning ticket was sold at Napier City Pak N Save. While Lotto First Division was snapped up, Powerball was not struck and has rolled over to Saturday night when the jackpot will be $10 million.
Anyone who bought their ticket from Napier City Pak N Save or on MyLotto is advised to check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, on MyLotto, or through the MyLotto App.
Taekwondo success
Coach and ITF Hawke’s Bay president Ben Evans recently returned to Hawke’s Bay with two bronze medals after competing at the ITF World Championships in Kazakhstan. Representing New Zealand, he was one of 2000 competitors from 78 countries. Evans won Bronze in 5 Dan Patterns and Power Breaking. During the event, Evans was also graded and passed his 6 Dan certification. He said DPR Korea won 65 gold medals at the tournament.
Ben Evans has returned to Hawke's bay after winning Bronze at the ITF World Championships in Kazakhstan.
Some competitors needed medical attention during the August 8-12 championships, with some attendees reporting burning eyes and skin, nose and throat irritation, and an apology was issued by Swimming New Zealand through its website.
A WorkSafe New Zealand spokesperson said that Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre had conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident and had proposed fixes to their satisfaction.
A statement from facilities management earlier said a sensor that measures air quality within an air conditioning unit had failed, meaning airflow into the hall was not adequate for the number of people present. Technical experts recommended installing a second air probe as a backup and suggested several other measures in the statement.
Unison recognised
Unison and Transpower received the Network Initiative of the Year award at the Energy Excellence Awards on Wednesday night, which recognised the innovative and collaborative efforts taken to restore power in Hawke’s Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Unison Group Chief Executive Jaun Park said restoring power as quickly and safely as possible was its key priority after the cyclone, which often meant going beyond traditional approaches to do so.
“Each step of the way our teams put our communities at the heart of every decision and worked relentlessly to get the job done, for this I am immensely proud.”
As they plan permanent repairs in the Hawke’s Bay region, Unison and Transpower said they were developing strategies for building more resilient assets. With three substations needing replacement following Cyclone Gabrielle, Unison is developing a replacement plan.
