“The situation is critical and as a community we can no longer wait. The wellbeing of our people needs to be prioritised as part of our region’s recovery, with an indoor centre also presenting opportunities for wider economic benefit.”
Guest speakers representing various codes included Camille Collier from basketball, Adam Harford from volleyball, Miah Nikora from rugby, Shelley Duncan from pickleball, Cristal Kemp from netball and Lee Smith from football.
Lytton High School Principal Wiremu Elliott spoke on behalf of the education sector, and Charlotte Gibson spoke on behalf of kapa haka.
All of the codes expressed how the growth of their clubs had been halted because they could not cater to demand.
They said people were missing out on participating, programme offerings were limited and codes could not host large-scale tournaments that would bring in people from outside the region.
“We know if we had an indoor facility, international and inter-regional games could be right on our doorstep,” Gisborne Netball Centre game development officer Kemp said.
“How awesome would that be for not only our tamariki but all who are involved in sport to be inspired?
“It’s hard for our community to travel out and experience live ANZ and international games. Having an indoor facility can bring those big games to inspire and support the development of our community.”
Mr Elliott mentioned the vital link between education and keeping tamariki active.
He also spoke about the influence people had as individuals to share with their own networks and build more advocacy around the indoor centre.
Ms Gibson spoke about the rich history and massive success of kapa haka in Tairāwhiti, but also the limitations experienced through venue capacity.
Tamararo, the country’s longest-running regional kapa haka competition, had been hosted previously at outside venues, but only if weather permitted.
The state of the facilities in the region were almost non-existent, were not fit-for-purpose and in dire need of an upgrade. It needed attention and to be addressed so that people could have more opportunities to be active and healthy through quality experiences.
“Let’s stop having ambulances at the bottom of the cliff and build a stadium at the top,” Mr Sparks said.
A feasibility study is under way. It was commissioned by Gisborne District Council with the support of key partners.
This study will evaluate the potential of establishing a regional indoor multi-purpose centre in Tairāwhiti.
Have your say on the Tairāwhiti Indoor Multipurpose Centre feasibility study through the online survey surveymonkey.com/r/tairawhiti_IMC_feasibility
