When construction is completed in 2025, the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre will be the largest aquatic and indoor recreation and leisure venue of its kind in New Zealand, accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan identified the need for a world-class venue and centre of sporting excellence, accessible to people of all ages, abilities and sporting skills.
Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre will provide an aquatic and indoor recreation and sports facility catering for the day-to-day needs of the leisure, sporting, recreational, education and high performance sporting communities in Canterbury.
The complex will be well equipped to host local, national and international events. Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre sits within Moorhouse Avenue, Stewart Street, St Asaph Street and Antigua Street. It will be easy to get to by public transport, private vehicles and the new walking and cycling links through the central city.
Construction is being managed by Ōtākaro Limited, and jointly funded by the Crown and the Christchurch City Council, with the Council being the operator of the facility after completion. Ōtākaro Ltd posts updates on the construction of Parakiore on its Facebook page.
For more information about the project, email Parakiore@ccc.govt.nz.
The story of Parakiore
Matapopore’s Lynne Te Aika retells the story that Parakiore is most famous for.
Latest news
27 February 2023: HPI announced as operator of Parakiore's movement arts studios
Local organisation Human Performance Incorporated (HPI) has been appointed as the operator of the new moving arts studios at Parakiore. HPI will oversee the running of the $7 million, three-studio MOVE centre at Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre that will cater to dance, dive-acrobatics and circo-arts. Read more(external link).
2 December 2022: Completion delay announcement
Ōtākaro announced that Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre construction is now expected to be completed in 2024 and open in 2025. Read more(external link)
August 2022: Latest newsletter
It's been more than 20 years since a competition dive tower was constructed in New Zealand, so anyone travelling along Moorhouse Ave is witnessing a unique piece of construction.
Recently the supports for the 5m and 7.5m dive platforms were added to the tower. Read more.(external link)
23 February 2022: Christchurch getting NZ's biggest indoor hydroslides
Five eel-inspired hydroslides have begun to reveal themselves at Christchurch’s Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, with installation work now underway. Read more on Newsline(external link).
8 April 2021: Parakiore name gifting
Councillors voted to accept a special name gifted by local rūnanga Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri for the complex. The facility's new name, Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, pays homage to the youngest son of Ngāi Tahu chief Tūrākautahi, Parakiore, who was renowned for his amazing running speed and athleticism. Read more on Newsline(external link).
7 September 2020: Performance Movement Centre opportunity opens
Now's the time to apply for the exciting opportunity to manage Performance Movement Centre studio spaces in the Metro Sports Facility. Applications close at noon Monday 2 November 2020. Register your interest on GETS(external link) using reference number TD22941818.
17 August 2020: Call for feedback on NZ’s first aquatic sensory experience
Metro Sports Facility will include a New Zealand-first aquatic sensory experience area specially designed for disabled people. The Council is inviting people to provide feedback on the high-tech multi-sensory environment that’s designed to benefit people of all ages and abilities, particularly those with disability. Read more on Newsline.(external link)
26 May 2020: Metro Sports Facility’s eco-friendly energy system a New Zealand first
Sewage will heat up Christchurch’s new Metro Sports Facility. In a first for New Zealand, the country’s largest aquatic and indoor recreation venue will utilise an unlikely heat source that runs under St Asaph Street towards the wastewater treatment plant. Read more on Newsline.(external link)
Facilities
- 10 lane, 50 metre competition pool with an operable 1.5 metre wide boom
- 1000 aquatic spectator seats
- 20 x 25.4 metre diving pool
- Aquatic leisure facility
- Five hydroslides
- Learn to swim pool
- Warm water pool/spa/sauna/steam room
- Birthday party room
- Multipurpose indoor courts with capacity for nine netball courts and other indoor sports codes
- 2500 retractable spectator seats in the Show Court
- Gym/weights facility
- Group fitness rooms
- Allied Health facilities
- Performance movement centre
- Aquatic sensory space
- High-performance sports centre with facilities for coaching and training
- Sports House – shared administration area for regional sport
- Facility administration areas
- VIP and media areas
- Café and supporting and satellite food and beverage facilities
- Facility parking
Floor plans, designs and innovation
Floor plans
Designs
Parakiore leisure water area Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre competition pool Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre dive well Parakiore change area Parakiore central hub Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre community courts Parakiore northern entrance Parakiore Aquatic Sensory Experience Parakiore Performance Movement Centre Parakiore southern entrance Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre show court Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre hydroslides
Parakiore's innovative heating system
Waste water heat recovery system
Waste water heat recovery system
Pipes for the new waste water heat recovery system
Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre will be the first of its kind in New Zealand to use the central city’s wastewater system to provide all of the facility’s heating.
About 30 per cent of all household energy is used to generate hot water, and every day this heat is sent into the wastewater network. This makes wastewater an enormous container of thermal energy and an untapped resource for cities.
This thermal energy map(external link) that Smart Alliances created in 2018 shows the large amount of potential heat that’s available through Christchurch’s larger wastewater pipes in the network.
Parakiore’s technology will take wastewater from the pipes beneath the roads and screen out the solids. The wastewater will then flow through a heat exchanger before both the water and solids are returned to the network.
The heat taken from the sewerage is then transferred to another flow loop that’s designed to extract up to 3,500-kilowatts of energy – that’s enough energy to power 35,000 100-watt lightbulbs.
The system has been designed so that it’s impossible for the wastewater to contact the pool water that it will heat.
Crown agency Ōtākaro Ltd is overseeing the delivery of the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre.
For more information and the latest updates on Parakiore’s construction, visit otakaroltd.com(external link)
Milestones
21 November 2017 The Government has ordered an urgent review of plans for the Metro Sports facility amid concern the project will come in $75 million over budget. Read more.(external link) 31 August 2018 Work is under way on installing the first of about 8000 in-ground stone columns to support construction of the new Metro Sports Facility. Read more.(external link) 28 March 2019 Construction of Christchurch's Metro Sports Facility will get underway in May following Ōtākaro Limited's decision to award the $221 million build contract to CPB Contractors Limited. Read more.(external link) 27 April 2019 A review of Christchurch’s Metro Sports Facility has identified savings of more than $50 million and cleared the way for work on the long-awaited project to proceed. Read more.(external link) 7 June 2019 Work is officially under way on Christchurch’s Metro Sports Facility, with Mayor Lianne Dalziel joining the Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Dr Megan Woods, and the Minister for Sport, Grant Robertson, in turning the first sods today. Read more.(external link) 24 September 2019 Work is under way on the foundations for the new Metro Sports Facility, with the first major concrete pour taking place. Read more.(external link) 12 November 2019 Christchurch’s performing arts community is being asked how they would like to see the new Performance Movement Centre, being developed as part of the Metro Sports Facility, operated. Read more on Newsline.(external link) 8 April 2021 Matapopore gifts a special name, Parakiore, to the Metro Sports Facility. The Council accepted the gift and voted to change the complex's name to Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre. 2025 The new facility is scheduled to open to the public.Milestones
Metro Sports Facility plans under review
Site readied for new Metro Sports Facility
Contractor secured for Christchurch's Metro Sports Facility
Major sporting facilities move step closer
Work starts on Metro Sports Facility
First concrete pour at Metro Sports Facility
Planning under way for new Performance Movement Centre
Parakiore name gifting
Grand opening