High Performance Sport Centre for AUT Millennium Campus

An exciting new National Training Centre that will deliver the high performance sport programs that feature at the core of the Government's sports strategy has been announced by Prime Minister John Key and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Murray McCully.

Described by Prime Minister Key as the "biggest boost ever for New Zealand high performance sport", the plans consist of a newly established High Performance Institute and a $40 million investment into a new high performance national training centre that will be based at the current Millennium Institute on Auckland's North Shore, which is run by the AUT Millennium Trust - a 50/50 partnership between AUT University and the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health (MISH).

The new national training centre will bring together the best of sports research, coaching and management expertise from AUT University, Millennium Institute of Sport and Health and the NZ Academy of Sport, with the goal of producing more world-class sporting champions, says MISH Chief Executive Mike Stanley.

Stanley explains that "the centre will be a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence fully committed to propelling our next generation of athletes onto a world stage. It will help drive the development of high performance sport in New Zealand through education, research and coaching.

"AUT University leads research across some of the most dynamic fields, especially in the field of sports science and human performance, while MISH is a well established provider of excellent sporting facilities and coaching services. Bringing AUT and MISH expertise together will greatly enhance our contribution to elite sport."

Minister McCully also announced $15 million funding for the national training centre, complementing AUT's previous $18 million investment to form the partnership with MISH. AUT Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack said the Government support was a significant boost for taking high performance sport to the next level in New Zealand.

McCormack adds that "while New Zealand is renowned as a great sporting nation, performing extraordinarily well on passion, natural ability and pride alone is simply not enough for developing future athletes - the focus has to be on unlocking human potential through leading science and innovation.

"The weight of AUT's sport research and scientific expertise will sit behind our athletes and beside their coaches and managers, ensuring that solutions to their training, medical, nutritional, technical and performance needs are informed by the latest research and knowledge available."

Auckland Mayor John Banks has welcomed funding saying that the initiative will significantly boost opportunities for best athletes and will make the already successful high performance structure world-class, stating "it is just fantastic that the Government has acknowledged the North Shore as a centre for training elite sports stars. The Institute of Sport will deliver world-class resources, technology and support for our athletes and also our young people."

The new national training centre is one of several high performance sporting facilities receiving a boost from the New Zealand Government. Others include the QEII Centre in Christchurch; a rowing and canoeing centre at Lake Karapiro; a centre for sailing, triathlon and ocean kayaking in Takapuna and a new high performance centre for Bike NZ.