Seymour makes fleeting visit
In an emailed response, Nield said: ‘‘Since repair of the West Stand started, we have been targeting a midwinter reopening. We have worked hard towards that target in a challenging construction environment.’’
Further questions about the scheduling of matches at the stadium were to be sent to Taranaki Rugby.
Sandle said he believed the stadium’s new hybrid pitch – a blend of natural turf grown through and among artificial fibre laid on a sand base – would be available to the union by June.
He hoped the Taranaki Bulls squad would be able to train on it regularly in the buildup to the NPC, especially with the squad based full-time at the stadium.
There was also hope a match could be played on the surface before its ‘‘official’’ debut in the fourth or fifth week of the national competition.
Meanwhile, Sandle said a return to Pukekura Park for two matches would provide a nice transition for fans before they were allowed back at Yarrow Stadium for the first time in three years.
‘‘I’m sure everyone who attended the Hawke’s Bay match [at Pukekura Park] would have left feeling they had experienced a special event,’’ he said.
New Zealand Rugby is due to release the full national provincial championship schedule shortly.
Act Party leader David Seymour is a busy man – so busy he isn’t sure how many speaking engagements he has back-to-back at the moment.
But, he made sure to fit Taranaki – and multiple different meetings – into that schedule on Tuesday last week.
Seymour met with the region’s three district mayors, went around the streets to ask businesses about what 2022 had been like for them, and hosted an evening meeting – before flying to Christchurch for a similar day last Wednesday.
But, in between all of that, the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce hosted a lunch, which had about 40 people in attendance, with Seymour as the guest speaker.
The Auckland party leader talked big Taranaki topics, such as oil and gas, and farming, and his party’s policies – while throwing jokes in, often.
He thanked everyone for coming to the event, ‘‘especially if you knew I was the guest speaker and came along anyway’’.
While it wasn’t quite the Jacindamania of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits – there were still requests for photos and selfies after he spoke, including one from chamber chief executive Arun Chaudhari.