UPDATE 28TH JULY 2020:
News release
Innovative Rāwhiti Domain all-weather facility nears completion with government funding
A new and innovative multi-purpose all-weather sports and recreation facility for Christchurch’s eastern suburbs will come into community use shortly, following the announcement of $7 million of government funding for several New Brighton projects this week.
Projects initiated by Eastern Community Sports and Recreation (ECSR) and the sports and recreation clubs under its umbrella were granted $3.215 million, which will be used for several improvements in and around Rāwhiti Domain.
One new ECSR facility that will be up and running for locals shortly is a high-tensile fabric canopy over the previously under-used Rāwhiti Domain tennis courts.
ECSR board member Thea Mickell said the new structure provided excellent value for money, and was the first of its kind in New Zealand.
“This building system, from Canadian company Sprung, comprises a tensioned membrane fixed to large aluminium beams. Construction began just prior to the lockdown in mid-March, was then suspended for several weeks while we were in level three and four, and was finished in early July. It was quick to complete, and provided us with excellent cost efficiency compared to what would otherwise have been a cost-prohibitive conventional structure.
“Sprung has successfully built many different structures around the world. Every other time they have sent a project manager to work with the construction team on the ground. Because of the Covid crisis, the Sprung project manager did not make it to New Zealand before the lockdown. Our local contractor, HMC Construction, instead worked alongside the Sprung project manager via Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp, from Sprung headquarters in Canada, which was a challenge at times, though ultimately successful,” she said.
ECSR is now in the process of reconstructing the base of the courts; laying a synthetic turf surface; and fencing and floodlighting the new facility. Thea Mickell says the canopy’s public opening is scheduled for September, after which it will host many users.
“We have 11 sports clubs and community organisations under the ECSR umbrella. The likes of tennis and netball are keen to play and train in the new facility as soon as possible. Our other clubs, including rugby, cricket, athletics, softball and baseball will also benefit hugely for targeted training in built netted cages for projectile pitcher, catcher, bowling and batting practice, and it will be a boon for the primary school zone sports that ECSR runs each Friday through the winter involving more than 1200 local children in a wide range of different sports and recreation activities.
“In addition, the facility will be available to organisations outside ECSR. We envisage anything from trade shows, to concerts, to yoga classes being held here. We are talking to the community, and now that the new facility is near completion, are looking forward to as many different groups using it as possible,” she said.
Funding for the canopy construction has included grants from the Rātā Foundation ($400,000), the Lotteries Communities Facilities Fund ($400,000), New Zealand Community Trust ($275,000), the Christchurch Casino ($13,000) and Christchurch City Council’s Capital Endowment Fund grant ($172,500).
ECSR is one of several sport club partnerships throughout New Zealand, created to make it easier for sports and recreation organisations to operate more effectively. It comprises rugby, softball, netball, cricket, athletics, tennis, waka ama and baseball clubs, while the Guardians of Rāwhiti, Eastern Hobbies Workshop and New Brighton Menz Shed are also affiliated.
Sprung, based in Calgary and Utah, is a 123-year-old Canadian company that initially began making tents and covered wagons. Since diversifying into permanent structures, it has constructed approximately 12,500 buildings in over 130 countries. Designed and engineered to high specifications, open-span column-free Sprung buildings have been proven in climates around the world in thousands of applications ranging from church buildings to military barracks, event centres to arenas, and aircraft hangars to mining camp buildings.
ECSR’s Rāwhiti Domain canopy is the first Sprung structure in New Zealand, though the company has fielded interest from several other projects elsewhere in the country.
Government funding granted to several local initiatives this week includes $3.215 million to projects initiated by ECSR and its members, as follows:
Transformation of Rāwhiti Domain’s netball and tennis courts will create a ground-breaking, modern all-weather purpose-made floodlit facility to meet the local community’s diverse sports and recreation needs.
Granted: $1,405,000 (towards a total project budget of $2,665,000)
A foundation member of ECSR, New Brighton Rugby Football Club is reconfiguring its 70 year old club rooms, making it more welcoming for the wider community for social and community events and celebrations. Several improvements are also planned to Rāwhiti Domain’s sports fields, including re-orientation of rugby grounds to improve drainage.
Granted: $816,000 (towards a total project budget of $1,241,000)
ECSR member Guardians of Rāwhiti will create a monarch butterfly and native bird sanctuary on Rāwhiti Domain, bringing native species back to the area, while incorporating a 1.7 hectare natural woodland play space with an education centre emphasising the ecology of the domain and the Canterbury coast.
Granted: $580,000 (full funding of this project)
- South Brighton Tennis Club
ECSR member South Brighton Tennis Club has five courts and clubrooms that require upgrading and earthquake repair to adequately meet growing demand from the club’s expanding membership.
Granted: $413,689 (towards a total project budget of $533,698)
Total funding: $3.215 million, for projects with a total budget of $5.02 million
In addition, several other New Brighton projects also received funding assistance, to a total of $7 million.
See more information about the other projects here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/122261093/multimilliondollar-cash-splash-for-christchurchs-devastated-east
UPDATE AUGUST 2019: Council grant signals go-ahead for all-weather facility on Rāwhiti Domain
Christchurch City Council’s Capital Endowment Fund grant of $172,500 to Eastern Community Sports and Recreation (ECSR) means the umbrella organisation for several local sports clubs can now proceed with plans to turn courts at Rāwhiti Domain into an all-weather facility.
ECSR board member Thea Mickell said the Council’s grant this week signalled the go ahead for the sport club partnership to carry out its plans, topping up grants received from other funders to take the project to its budget target.
“We are delighted to receive this grant from the City Council this week. It gives us the ‘go’ signal that we have been waiting for with the project.
“After several false starts with earlier plans to construct a community sports and recreation facility for the East, we began work on the present project three years ago. To reach the point where we now know it is going to happen is hugely satisfying,” she said.
Thea Mickell said ECSR’s plan is to enhance the netball and tennis courts on Rāwhiti Domain.
“At present the courts are poorly maintained and under-utilised. We intend to reconstruct the base of the courts; lay a synthetic grass surface on them; construct an all-weather purpose-made canopy over them; and add fencing and floodlights.
“This will turn the courts into a year-round flexible multi-purpose facility, pleasant to play on in all weather, enabling much increased use,” she said.
ECSR now has $1.2475 million total funding on hand for the project, thanks to earlier grants from the Rātā Foundation ($400,000), New Zealand Community Trust ($275,000) and the Lotteries Communities Facilities Fund ($400,000).
Thea Mickell said the plans can now proceed, aiming to have the new facility ready for use early in 2020.ECSR is one of several sport club partnerships throughout New Zealand, created to make it easier for sports and recreation organisations to operate more effectively. It comprises rugby, softball, netball, cricket, athletics, tennis, waka ama and baseball clubs, while the Guardians of Rāwhiti, Eastern Hobbies Workshop and New Brighton Menz Shed are also affiliated.
UPDATE AUGUST 2018: The lease has been approved by the community board- see more information here https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/106410961/12m-rwhiti-domain-sports-facility-gets-the-goahead
Eastern Community Sport and Recreation Incorporated (Eastern Sport) previously Rāwhiti Community Sport Incorporated (RCSI) was established in September 2008 as a multi-sport club to support and deliver recreation and sporting services to the wider New Brighton area. The establishment was based in a large part due to the strengths of the clubs within Rāwhiti Domain, each with a history of service to the area of over 100 years.
A primary goal of Eastern Sport was to develop a combined and sustainable shared sport space and to work with Christchurch City Council and the member clubs to develop a multi-purpose indoor space, complimentary to the various projects outlined in the Christchurch Metro plan.
However, as the designs and costs were being finalised the 2010, the 2011, earthquakes struck. This had a significant impact upon the eastern suburbs, and required a complete rethink to the services and delivery methods of Eastern Sport. The priority shifted from building a state-of-the-art facility towards delivering much needed on the ground activities.We have revised our objectives to align with post-earthquake reality in Christchurch. We now aim to:“develop a multi-purpose facility located on Rawhiti Domain to meet a variety of leisure, sport and recreational needs of people in the New Brighton area.
Most recently, ECSR have applied to Council for a lease and licence over parts of Rāwhiti Domain with the aim of developing a set of spaces for sport and recreation activites on Rāwhiti Domain, which is funded by ECSR.
Please see the proposed lease below!
