Rau Paenga expects to have construction of Christchurch’s Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre completed in July 2025.
New Zealand’s largest indoor sports and aquatics facility will be owned and operated by Christchurch City Council, which will undertake a 12-week commissioning process once construction is completed.
Rau Paenga Chief Executive John O’Hagan says Parakiore is now about 80 percent complete. “The scoreboards are in, the first of the wooden flooring is being laid in the 3780m2 community courts space, the installation of the final two pools is about to commence and the first of the 19,500 plants and trees that will surround the facility are being planted.
“As we did with Te Pae Christchurch, we will be able to provide a total cost for the project when it is finished. While I appreciate this is a little unconventional not to share a forecast cost, given the past tensions, ongoing discussions around the nature of the live contract and the levers we have to drive performance, it is prudent for us to maintain a strong commercial position for this last portion of the build.”
Upon completion, the Christchurch Recreation and Sport Centre (Parakiore) will be the largest aquatic and indoor recreation and leisure facility of its type in New Zealand. Parakiore will feature a 50-metre, 10-lane competition swimming pool and a separate diving pool (which has been missing from Christchurch since the demolition of QE2), large aquatic leisure area, five hydro slides, fitness spaces and nine indoor courts for sports such as netball, volleyball and basketball.
The facility is expected to attract more than two million visits per year, and with dedicated facilities for high performance sport will host a number of international, national and regional events. It is expected to increase economic activity within the central city by improving attraction and retention of visitors, workers and residents. Over 150 staff will be working at the facility.
Parakiore was one of the sons of Tūrākautahi, the founding chief of Kaiapoi Pā for Ngāi Tūāhuriri and Ngāi Tahu in the North Canterbury area in the 1700s, and known for his prowess, agility and quick thinking.
