Hawke's Bay Rugby Union's community training centre takes shape in Napier

The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union's community training centre is being built by Napier firm Atkin Construction. Photo / Doug Laing

The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is hoping to be in its new Community Training Centre some time in August.

While McLean Park will remain the venue for all major matches in Hawke's Bay, the centre - on land near the eastern end of Park Island reserve and being built at a cost of about $1.9 million - will house training facilities including a six-lane, 60m sprint track plus union offices and meeting rooms.

Union chief executive Jay Campbell said funding was coming from a mixture of the union's own reserves, charitable trusts and philanthropic donations.

It's on former council land off the eastern end of Park Island, made available in a swap including the transfer to the council of the site of the former Napier High School Old Boys' clubrooms on McLean Park's Latham St boundary and which had been bought by the union several years ago.

Completion of the building will see the union move its administration headquarters from offices it has occupied on the ground level of the Chapman Pavilion at McLean Park for more than 20 years.

It will be the first time Hawke's Bay Rugby Union has owned its own offices since being established in 1884.

Campbell said it had become difficult running the offices at McLean Park at times of major events, and the union had had to all but vacate the premises during events such as World Cup rugby or cricket matches so the rooms could be used for match management and other purposes.

It will also enable the union to move its indoor training base from ageing facilities which were once a part of the Onekawa swimming pool complex.

Several other sports were also able to use those facilities and are expected to use the new centre, which he says will be a "world-class" facility available also to rugby and other sports clubs and schools.

It's also expected a floodlit, all-weather rugby training field will eventually be put in place, up to match standard for club and schools rugby.