At its meeting on 9 April 2025, Council endorsed the business case for a regional 3-court indoor Multipurpose Centre, with Kiwa Pools identified as the preferred site.
Staff will now progress design and consent processes and explore funding, governance, and partnership opportunities to support delivery. Existing leisure budgets will also be reviewed to help meet future operating costs, with community consultation to follow in the 2027-2037 Long Term Plan.
Background to developing the business plan for the indoor Multipurpose Centre
Tairāwhiti faces a critical shortage of indoor court facilities. This was highlighted by the Sport New Zealand National Facilities Strategy for Indoor Sports, which ranks it with the lowest public indoor court availability per capita in New Zealand.
Despite longstanding barriers to indoor recreation, recent efforts including our community facilities strategy aim to address the issue. The Tairāwhiti sports facilities business case, a collaborative initiative involving strategic partners Gisborne District Council, Trust Tairāwhiti and Sport Gisborne -Tairāwhiti, outlines a comprehensive plan for regional recreational facility projects.
We commissioned a feasibility study for a multi-purpose indoor centre, this was completed.
The business case will contain confirmation of demand for additional indoor courts to meet regional demand, the recommended footprint (size and number of courts and the preferred location of the centre. It will also include financial modelling of annual operating costs and recommended ownership and operating model.
The consultants Tredwell Management Services NZ Ltd in partnership with 106 Architects engaged with potential user groups for the indoor centre.
Your feedback to help shape the feasibility study
Thanks for your feedback. We received 426 responses to the online survey and 13 responses from clubs and organisations.
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These images are for inspirational purposes only. They are not exact designs. Images provided by Apollo Projects
