Trident Homes Tactix General Manager frustrated over delays on building Christchurch’s Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre

The recent decision by New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership to take netball’s Grand Final to Hamilton has led Haidee Stratford, General Manager of the Christchurch-based Trident Homes Tactix, to share concerns over the on-going delays on the completion of the city’s Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.

Netball’s showcase piece will be played at GLOBOX Arena in Hamilton in June with Netball New Zealand confirming the need to lock in a venue due to a lack of availability of suitable locations later this year.

However, for Stratford, the announcement only compounded the frustrations they had over the delay of the new Christchurch venue.

The complex will be the largest aquatic and indoor recreation and leisure venue of its kind in New Zealand, built on the former site of the CB Brewery, and was due to open in 2021.

Budget blow-outs and a global pandemic have played their parts in delaying its completion, but another two-year delay means the facility is not expected to be opened to the public until early 2025.

Stratford stated “we’re gutted because this announcement regarding the ANZ Premiership Grand Final just confirms that our community is continuing to miss out on significant events due to not having a purpose-built stadium.”

Adding that the team is excited about the state-of-the-art facility but the team is frustrated by the uncertainty over an opening date, Stratford added “the impacts of the delays are on-going which has again been highlighted this week. I really feel for our athletes and our fans.

“Our athletes love first and foremost to be playing in front of their Tactix fans. Despite this latest disappointment of not having that option of a home venue if we did qualify for the Grand Final, our side remains firmly focussed on the job in front of them with the start of the ANZ Premiership this week.”

Stratford said they were fortunate to secure Christchurch Arena, should the Tactix qualify for hosting the Elimination Final.

Netball New Zealand Head of Events and Competitions Emma Fowlie acknowledged that the decision to secure a Grand Final venue in advance may come as a disappointment to some fans.

She concluded “it was important for us to find the best possible location to host New Zealand’s top tier netball decider, and Hamilton is a perfect fit.

“We understand that fans across the country look forward to seeing their team play in the Grand Final on a home court, our intent in future years will be to get back to home venues for both finals but availability has forced our hand this year.

“This year we needed to make the decision now or we could have missed out on having any venue available for our Grand Final.”

Images: Trident Homes Tactix.