Lottery board awards $1 million towards the cost of building Tūparikino Hub

The new Tūparikino Hub has been awarded $1 million in Lottery funding, with the Lottery Grants Board saying the indoor arena will be a significant asset for the community that will strengthen community connection and provide more recreation opportunities for future generations.

The funding will help reduce the ratepayer contribution toward the construction costs of the building, which will havesix basketball or netball-sized courts that can be configured into 12 volleyball courts, 16 badminton or pickleball courts, or three futsal courts.

The Lottery Grants Board noted the project’s strong alignment with the purpose of the Lottery Fund, particularly its focus on community wellbeing, participation, inclusion and equity.

“The grant recognises the Hub’s role in providing an accessible and culturally grounded space that strengthens community connection, supports intergenerational participation and improves access to community recreation opportunities. The funding outcome is a strong endorsement of the project’s community-led approach and the substantial benefits it will deliver for current and future generations across New Plymouth and the wider Taranaki region,” said NPDC Tūparikino Hub funding and partnerships co-ordinator Emma Crofskey .

New Plymouth District Mayor Max Brough welcomed the Lottery funding, which a follows a $200,000 grant from New Zealand Community Trust last month, saying it would help offset the cost and directly reduce the borrowings required for the project.

“I want to recognise staff efforts to find alternative funding sources to lower the cost to ratepayers,” said Mayor Max.     

“Having said that, Tūparikino is a major construction project for our district that is supporting jobs for more than 20 local subcontractors and suppliers at a time when the construction industry is being squeezed.”    

The stadium, which is on track to open early 2028, has been designed as a flexible and accessible space that can support a wide range of activities, from grassroots recreation and school groups to cultural performances, regional tournaments and everyday community use.

About a fifth of the roof over the indoor courts area of the arena is now completer and the work site is expected to get busier over the coming months as the building takes shape.

Additional playing fields inside the racecourse will be developed as further funding becomes available.

Follow progress on @tuparikinohub on Instagram or find out more at npdc.govt.nz/Tūparikino.

At a glance:

• Tūparikino Hub will have a new indoor stadium and sports fields that could hold national sports tournaments and events like kapa haka.
• We’re working with other partners in the project to get external funding and reduce the $50m cost to ratepayers.
• Groundworks started in late 2024 and we’re aiming to have the stadium open early 2028.
• It will be an energy-efficient, low-maintenance building to keep the operating costs down.
• The hub will share the site with Taranaki Racing, which has a lease for 33 years.

Caption: An aerial view of the arena work site last week.