Community events set to mark completion of Stadium Taranaki project

Taranaki Regional Council has announced that a ‘community extravaganza’ will mark the completion of the project to redevelop Stadium Taranaki (formerly the Yarrow Stadium) in New Plymouth.

The free celebration event on 4th May will see the venue’s newly completed East Stand open for public viewing while food trucks, live music, lawn games and face painting activities will be available on the venue’s Main Field and around the Stadium.

The celebration event will run from 9.30am to 12.30pm and be followed by two free Central Football games, kicking off at 12.30pm and 2.45pm. 

Mike Nield, Director Corporate Services of Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) which owns the facility formerly known as Yarrow Stadium through the Taranaki Stadium Trust, says the open day will mark the end of the project which began in 2019. 

Nield advised “this has been a massive project and we’re absolutely delighted to have delivered what we think is now the best regional stadium in the country and a venue the whole of the Taranaki community can be proud of.

“We’d love to see people at the celebration event where there’s a chance to check out the work for yourself with a tour of the East Stand and enjoy what will be a great day out at the region’s premier sports venue.

“I’m sure there are many, many people out there who want to see the new stand and have been eagerly anticipating the completion of the work on the East Stand. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to those living nearby for their patience during the construction phases.”

Explaining that the Stadium Taranaki upgrade has been the single biggest infrastructure project the Council has ever been involved with and the delivery of the venue to the people of Taranaki is worthy of celebration, TRC Chair, Craig Williamson stated “Stadium Taranaki is an iconic venue which has seen so many great matches and events that live long in the memory like All Blacks games. We’re now ready to make new memories with the venue 100% open for big games, community events and entertainment.”

New Plymouth District Council Manager Venue and Events, Chade Julie added "this event kicks off a new era for the venue, making it a destination for everything from grassroots sports to major events and concerts. Event promoters are already showing great interest in Taranaki, and we’re lucky to have an asset as versatile as Stadium Taranaki to help attract these events to the region.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to experience the new stadium and join us in celebrating this milestone.”

East Stand
The new East Stand has been located closer main pitch, is double-sided so spectators can watch two different fields, is scalable to cater for a range of large and small events and has a large hospitality area suitable for trade shows and exhibitions. 

The Council has worked closely with Ngāti Te Whiti on the design of the East Stand and users will see this through the many cultural design elements in the new facility. This has reconfirmed the strong links the Stadium has with the hapū. 

Redevelopment project 
• The final budget for the redevelopment of the stadium was $79.7 million, with the final cost of the project expected to be under this. 
• The total contribution by Taranaki ratepayers remains under $50m, the same amount approved in 2019 after the public consultation and engagement process. 
• The Council secured $30m in funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group Fund. 
• Budget revisions were made during the redevelopment project due to the need to demolish and rebuild the East Stand as well as cost pressures and supply chain issues.  
• The Stadium Taranaki targeted rate has remained the same. 
• The stadium's capacity is 22,000 to 23,000. There is scalability to take the capacity up to the same as the old stadium for major sporting events.   
• The East Stand’s steel piles have been driven 30 metres into the ground.  
• The lead contractor for both stands was New Plymouth-based Clelands Construction with many other contractors also locally based.  
• The project has seen the installation of new ‘GrassMaster’ hybrid turf on the main field which has improved recovery times to enable more playing opportunities. 
• The old lighting has been replaced with new eco-friendly LED floodlights which have increased illumination by 50% while reducing power by 30%. 

Stadium Taranaki celebration event - Saturday 4th May. 
• All gates open at 9.30am with all activities, food vendors etc located on the East Stand side of the venue. 
• Tours will take attendees through all parts of the new East Stand. 
• Central Football and the Taranaki Rugby Football Union will run events for youngsters on the Main Field with more activities to be announced. 
• Other entertainment includes games like corn hole, giant Jenga, face painting, live music and food vendors. 
• Further events to mark the reopening are being planned for the winter.  

Stadium Taranaki images courtesy of Taranaki Regional Council.