When asked if it was necessary for the re-turfing to go ahead at the start of this summer,
Napier City Council infrastructure director Jon Kingsford said there would be risk with whichever option council chose.
Weather conditions would be better at the start of the summer, while a busy cricket programme next year meant the re-turf timeframe would always be condensed.
He said not laying the turf as suggested at the end of this year could risk losing the Under 19s Cricket World Cup, and the two ODIs.
"Putting those off, eventually the reputational risk around that would be great enough that we'd then have the three year wait to secure international cricket again," he said.
Around $850,000 was set aside for the re-turf, however the cost of the operation was not yet known.
When asked, Mr Kingsford said they had chosen the MOTZ Eclipse turf as it was international standard, and a "tried and tested" turf by other venues.
Council chief executive Wayne Jack added this turf had longevity, sustainability and could be changed out in future if damaged.
A paper before the committee - written by council team leader parks, reserves, and sport grounds Debra Stewart - said the funding set aside for the project in the 2017/2018 annual plan would be "inadequate" to complete the combined project with a total cost of $2m plus.
Work to be undertaken this financial year would be funded through the Sports Grounds Renewals - however this was $330,000 short of the expected spend.
So the committee yesterday approved this additional amount be transferred to the McLean Park Returf Project from the Sportsground Renewal fund to be spent in the
2016/2017 financial year.
A report commissioned earlier this year by the council and New Zealand Cricket into the abandonment of a February ODI found the park's ground was not fit for purpose, and highlighted a need for urgent remedial work on the venue's turf, drainage and irrigation system.
In her report, Ms Stewart noted if the re-turf was not completed, "McLean Park could be considered unfit in terms of its ability to host international cricket games".
As the park was the only Hawke's Bay facility capable of hosting international cricket, not completing the re-turf would mean no cricket games would be allocated to Hawke's Bay.