Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports Club's new home under construction at Park Island.
One of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest sporting clubs is moving to a brand-new home after 50 years at its current home.
Napier Pirate Rugby and Sports Club was established in 1886 and has called the suburb of Tamatea home since 1975, based at Tamatea Park.
The club’s next chapterwill unfold 1km down the road in neighbouring Poraiti – where the club is building a brand-new clubroom and changing rooms for an undisclosed amount at Park Island, next to the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union headquarters.
Up to four new fields will also be constructed adjacent to the clubrooms.
The club’s existing clubroom and property at Tamatea Park (behind Pak’nSave Tamatea) is up for sale as part of the move, through real estate company Colliers.
The club is hopeful its new home could be ready in time for the 2025 rugby season, as well as one field, although that is best-case scenario and the club may rely on alternate facilities for next season.
The main reason for the shift has been the claustrophobic nature of Tamatea Park.
As well as 10 junior rugby teams and four senior rugby teams, the club boasts netball, indoor bowls, cricket and rugby league teams and wants a more adequate home and hub.
Atkins thanked the generous support of the Rodney Green Foundation, club sponsors, and long-term members who have helped fund the project.
The club’s existing home at Tamatea is freehold, while the new home will be leasehold.
That means the club will own the two new buildings and associated floodlights at Park Island, but the land and fields will be owned by Napier City Council.
There will be eight changing rooms and a gym in one building, including separate changing rooms to cater for women’s rugby, while the clubroom will be raised 1.5m to provide ideal viewing.
The club was based at Napier’s McLean Park prior to moving to Tamatea, and was formerly called Colenso Pirate Rugby and Sports Club for a period. The club last won the region’s premier men’s rugby title, the Maddison Trophy, in 2018.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.