New Hawke's Bay sport and health institute receives $3 million in funds

The new EIT Institute of Sport and Health at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park has been granted $3 million from the Lottery Grants Board.

It comes less than two weeks after Hawke's Bay Community Fitness Trust chairman Sir Graeme Avery said the institute, a trust project, needed another $7.5m in funding.

He said he was thrilled with the announcement from the Lottery Grants Board.

"On opening, this facility will be only partially complete and in order to deliver on our vision of transformational changes in health and sport throughout the region. There is a lot more work to be done."

The key objective of the Lottery Board funds is to support projects which make communities stronger, and Avery said that was what the Institute of Sport and Health aimed to do.

While the funds will help, Avery said donors were actively being sought to fully fund the $28m project.

The institute, located at the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park, will open on Monday, July 8.

Facilities include the indoor sports centre, a community health and fitness gym, dedicated sport and health clinic, teaching, research and conference facilities, and a cafe.

"A variety of programmes already being delivered to schools, clubs and communities from Wairoa in the north to Waipukurau in the south are having a noticeable impact on people's lives."

"We want to build on this and to do so it is critical that we raise the funds to complete the next stages of the plan as soon as possible."

Further support for the full development of the main building and the Accommodation Hostel is still required.

An additional Health Wing is also planned and support for that is currently being sought.