East Stand framing goes up at Yarrow Stadium

Will Johnston

Yarrow Stadium’s new east stand is starting to take shape with the installation of its framing.

Cranes have started to lift steel frames into place, which will eventually form the new 1800-seat grandstand.

The phase of the multi-million-dollar project has been called an “important new milestone” by Mike Nield, Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) director-corporate services. He's overseen the entirety of the project and rode many highs and lows that came with it since both grandstands were deemed earthquake prone in 2017 and 2018.

“We’re absolutely delighted to see the start of construction of the steel structure,” he said. “We’re on a journey to make the venue the best regional stadium in the country.”

The stadium partially re-opened last winter with the return of Taranaki’s domestic rugby side, which played at Inglewood’s TET Stadium and Pukekura Park while the venue was out of action. A strengthened west stand, new LED lights and a hybrid-turf greeted fans when the Bulls hosted Waikato in September 2021, the venue’s first game since 2019. Central Football has hosted many events since it re-opened including representative matches and finals.  

Since then, crews have been working on the stand’s new foundations – an area which forced the demolition of the original stand. They first started erecting the steel structure and columns for the southern stair well earlier this month and will add further beams that support the seating bleachers. Roof beams will follow with the frame due to be completed in September next year, Nield said.

While that will be during the heart of Taranaki’s provincial rugby defence, the grandstand won’t be completed until the 2025 winter sports season. Nield said the project is on time.

It was announced in July, the overall budget blew out to $79.7million. It came after TRC confirmed the cost had risen 40% from $50m to $70m a year before. 

While there was no update on its current budget, TRC chairperson Charlotte Littlewood said in July she had confidence it would not significantly increase again.

The project was topped up by a $30m injection from the then-Labour government’s shovel ready initiatives designed to boost the economy after Covid.