Sports Hub future decided this week

Will Johnston
Photo by: Andrew Moffatt - Sport Taranaki

Wednesday is D-Day for New Plymouth’s multi-sport hub.

New Plymouth district councillors will decide during a council meeting whether the $40 million staged hub will go ahead, but not for another five years.

The Sport Taranaki driven project is proposed to be built at the New Plymouth racecourse. It will include a six-court indoor stadium, sports fields, netball courts, and shared turfs.

Councillors listened to three-and-a-half days of hearings from submitters who were for or against the hub, and other items, in the 10-year plan a fortnight ago. Other projects include the installation of water meters and expansion of the coastal walkway, at a budget of $3 billion.

If approved, rates will increase by 12 per cent from July and an average of six per cent for the following nine years.

Sport Taranaki, along with thousands of others supported construction of the sports hub in year four of the plan.

Submissions and surveys driven by Sport Taranaki suggest nearly 50 per cent support the timeframe.

The support was backed up by Sport Taranaki’s needs analysis completed in 2019 to determine what is needed for sport in the district.

It identified indoor and turf space was urgently needed with significant participation increases in basketball and hockey.

During the council submission process, WITT was the latest organisation to back the hub.

Chief executive John Snook said the relationship between WITT and the sport hub will deliver opportunities to enhance the lifestyles and employment opportunities ‘like never before.’

“WITT will have early childhood, café, restaurant and education services to offer. The multi-sport hub will have sports services to offer. Students from WITT will be able to move between the two facilities and engage in educational opportunities at both,” he said.

New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom acknowledged WITT in his Mayoral recommendations for consideration ahead of this week’s meeting.

“WITT’s submission is crucial. It will partner with the hub to create further educational opportunities and increase its curriculum to better cater for our youth,” he said.

There is opposition to the sport hub.

During a submission, Vaughan Watson spoke on behalf of the Taranaki Racing Inc. and threatened legal action if the sports stadium was built in the middle of the racecourse.

Other locations touted for the hub included Sanders Park, Hickford Park and Yarrow Stadium.

It will be too late to look into the Yarrow Stadium because the repair and refurbishment project is well underway, and money allocated. 

The full council meeting starts at 9am on Wednesday.