New community recreation, sports and educational hub for Far North

The inside of the old Warehouse building on Matthews Ave, Kaitaia is set to be transformed into the new Te Hiku Recreation Centre. Photo/Supplied

Following the recent sale of the former Kaitaia Pak'nSave site on Commerce St, the development of another key site in the middle of Kaitaia has been confirmed.

Plans for the new Te Hiku Recreation Centre were revealed on Friday, which will see the old Warehouse building on Matthews Avenue transformed into an international-standard sports stadium.

In addition to the sports facility, the building will also feature spaces for community recreation, education and performing arts, as well as an e-sports studio, storage facility and commercial kitchen.

As the only model of its kind in New Zealand, the centre is being hailed a "game-changer" for the region and a "catalyst for community connection, empowerment and unity".

Based on the Te Whare Tapa Whā model (which represents the four cornerstones of health) - the centre aims to provide something for people of all ages and walks of life.

A particular focus will be on rangatahi (youth), however, with the centre looking to partner with local agencies and providers to provide safe spaces for young people late into the night.

The Te Hiku Recreational Trust (Pika McDonald, Josh Port, Karen Riwai, Dave Davies-Colley, Rhonda Kite, Clayton Wiki, Craig Hobson and Keryn Pivac) is the group driving the project, which came about last July following a request for more space for Northland Basketball's growing Kaitaia branch.

Port, Northland Basketball general manager and centre trustee, said while the conversation had started with basketball, the project would be far more than that.

"Even though Northland Basketball is involved, this is not going to just be about basketball, it will be for a range of indoor sports like netball and cricket, for example," Port said.

"And that's just the sports side. There's also going to be a bunch of different things, like a commercial kitchen used purely for education and kai ora (food health).

"We also hope to have a three-level kid's playground, a board room and other community spaces people can hire out."

Port said the centre would stay sustainable through three different funding models - venue hire, billboard hire for local businesses and potentially through commercial opportunities down the track.

Renders for the new Te Hiku Recreation Centre include multiple courts for indoor sports, plus a range of community spaces and facilities available for hire. Photo/Supplied

He said because of the way the funding was modelled, it would significantly reduce the cost of venue hire for the community.

As the centre wasn't a money-making endeavour, Port said once all overheads had been paid, any profits would be re-invested back into the community.

A number of jobs for locals would also be available.

"For me, the biggest thing about this is that it will be led by locals, for locals and that's it," he said.

The trust and centre are backed by different Te Hiku iwi, as well as a range of social services and sporting organisations.

Trust chair Davies-Colley has worked on a number of sports stadiums over the years.

He said the journey getting to this stage of the recreation centre had not been easy, but could not remember a time he'd been more excited about a project.

"I'm pretty chuffed about it, to be honest, and despite a few hiccups along the way, it's an amazing vision and site," Davies-Colley said.

"It ticks so many boxes for so many reasons, but obviously I'm a big advocate for anything to do with sports and recreation.

"That's just one area of what we're trying to achieve here though."

Davies-Colley explained his vision for the centre was to see it alive with people from early morning to late at night.

"I want to see a mixture of all age groups, but lots of youth," he said.

"And I want the community to develop a real sense of ownership and pride in this amazing resource."

He said the centre concept plans were currently with architects and the next steps would be to consult with the wider community for feedback.

"We've done a lot of one-on-one consultation with local community groups, but did not want to go any further until the lease was over the line," Davies-Colley said.

"Some areas of the plan aren't fully resolved yet, which will allow us to be flexible and able to react to future change which you can't always anticipate.

"We also need to do more cultural consultation around how this will look and feel because we want people visiting the centre to know damn well they're in Te Hiku.

"There is therefore a fair bit of detail that needs to go into that decision."

Davies-Colley said now that the lease had been locked in, the trust would need to raise around $5 million to realise its vision.

The building will also feature spaces for community recreation, education and performing arts, as well as an e-sports studio, storage facility and commercial kitchen. Photo/Supplied

He said the trustees had agreed with only one shot at the project, they wanted to go all out and create something special and deserving of the people of Te Hiku.

"We all understand this will create intergenerational change and that was the most important part for all of us which was really cool," Davies-Colley said.

"We want this to be the new heart and soul of the community, a safe space for young and old to come when they need and to also connect with others."

Trustee Craig Hobson and Ngāi Takoto iwi representative said he envisioned a "collaborative, holistic and beneficial initiative, that set rangatahi up with life skills such as resilience, sportsmanship and educational success".

Negotiations with Far North District Council regarding the site have been under way for about a year, which started not long after the council purchased the building and its centralised parking.

Far North councillor Felicity Foy explained she had worked for months to transfer the site from private to council ownership as part of the town's revitalisation.

She said she was excited about the project and supported the previously unused building being brought back into "vibrant use".

"With this now happening at the same time as the re-development of the old Pak'nSave site, this will open up a huge opportunity for our town.

"I have worked towards this Kaitaia town revitalisation since 2019 and I look forward to seeing the physical delivery of the town centre redevelopment over the next 1-2 years."

Plans for the centre come at a time when the community has been calling for a youth centre and safe spaces for young people.

Port said depending on funding, he hoped to see the centre open in April 2023, however, realistically believed it might be closer to July 2023.