Athletics track nearing finish line
The first stage of the multimillion-dollar athletics track at Christchurch’s Nga¯ Puna Wai sports hub will open in October, the city council has confirmed.
The international-standard track was originally due to open in December last year.
That was delayed to January, then March and then May 31.
Saturated ground was blamed for the delays.
The track’s surface was then damaged after vandals broke into the site in the early hours of May
13 and drove a contractor’s utility machine over a newly coated section of the track.
The 400-metre-track will now officially open in October, in time for the summer season, the council confirmed on its website.
Informal use would start in September.
Two hockey turfs would follow in December with two rugby league fields and twelve tennis courts are expected to open in April 2019.
The complex sits on a
32-hectare section of Nga¯ Puna Wai Reserve in southwest Christchurch, next to the Canterbury Agricultural Park.
It was built to replace several earthquake damaged sports facilities across the city, including the athletics and field amenities at QEII Park, the hockey turfs at Porritt Park, the tennis courts at Wilding Park, and the rugby league fields displaced from Rugby League Park in Addington.
The grounds would house covered spectator stands with 314 seats at the hockey turfs and 446 at the rugby league grounds.
Parking would be available for 458 cars along with four bus bays and over 140 cycle parks.
The hockey turfs have received International Hockey Federation (FIH) certification and the International Association of Athletics Federations certification was expected to be granted for the athletics track later this month.
City council project director Scott Bennett said the hockey certification was a ‘‘major milestone’’ as the only turf in the country to hold the FIH Global Elite standard.
‘‘It’s fantastic to know we’ll be able to host international hockey games here.
‘‘Knowing that in just a few months we’ll be seeing athletes out on the finished track, and hockey games underway is huge motivation for everyone involved.’’
Athletics Canterbury, Canterbury Hockey, Rugby League Canterbury, Tennis Canterbury and Sport Canterbury partnered with Christchurch City Council to deliver the sports hub.
Bennett said the $53.65 million hub was an ‘‘excellent partnership’’ between the council, sports codes, and partners who had contributed more than $11 million towards the total cost.
It would also provide two multi-use community playing fields, a shared sports hub building with administration facilities, public toilets, changing facilities, a children’s play zone, an athletics control building, and covered seating for athletics, hockey and rugby league.
The council gave the go-ahead for the development of Nga¯ Puna Wai in March 2015. The total cost was more than $100m. The council planned to build it in stages over 10 to 30 years.