Disbelief at delays for city metro sports hub

Any additional construction costs arising from the twoyear extension would be worked out later.

John Bridgman Ō tākaro chief executive

Another two-year delay for Christchurch’s long-awaited metro sports facility is ‘‘beyond belief’’, a sporting leader says.

Crown company Otākaro ¯ Ltd announced yesterday that the facility, officially named Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, is now expected to be completed in spring 2024 and to be opened to the public in early 2025.

The announcement follows delays and budget hikes after the initial promise of the facility being completed late last year and costing $301 million. The project’s price tag has since jumped $16m, a bill the Government picked up, and it is now scheduled to be completed in late 2024.

Sport Canterbury chief executive Julyan Falloon said the repeated delays were ‘‘getting to a point where it is beyond belief’’ and the community was ‘‘missing out’’.

‘‘We have missed out on bringing events to Christchurch and it is not only about the events but it is about the lack of a 50m pool [in Christchurch] and court space.

‘‘Every time it gets delayed you sigh and roll your eyes and move on, and then when you try to get positivity going, you get another delay.’’ Falloon said being told to keep waiting created a “void of uncertainty”, and a confirmed opening date was needed.

‘‘We were given a quarter, not even a month. It is not good enough really.’’ Falloon said not knowing when the complex would be fit for use made bidding for hosting rights to national championship events like swimming or basketball challenging.

Construction sector constraints, challenging ground conditions and regular changes to the construction programme were blamed for the delay, Ō tā karo said in a statement.

Chief executive John Bridgman acknowledged the delay was disappointing for everyone. ‘‘If the build is finished towards the end of 2024, an early 2025 opening would be likely,’’ he said.

‘‘At the start of the project, [contractor] CPB was forecasting having more than 300 workers on site for this main phase of the build.

‘‘However, with reduced access to labour for a prolonged period and significant demand for construction workers across the sector, there have been times when getting half that number on the tools has been a challenge,’’ Bridgman said.

City councillor for central ward Jake McLellan said the delay was a ‘‘disappointment’’ but ‘‘not unexpected’’. ‘‘Globally, supply chains are struggling and this is what this is.

‘‘It is something councils are experiencing as well on lots of different projects. The whole Canterbury community, particularly some sports codes, will be really disappointed but there is no doubt it will be an amazing facility when it is completed.’’

Bridgman said installing the 5m diving pool had been a particular challenge. ‘‘With its high water table, this site was always going to be a . . . geologically tough location to put a 5m diving pool down into, and there has been a small amount of subsidence around one of the dewatering wells.’’

Parakiore is planned to have a 10-lane, 50m pool with 1000 seats for spectators, a diving pool, five hydroslides and several indoor courts for various sports.

Work first started at the site, on the corner of Moorhouse Ave and Antigua St, in August 2018.

The facility would be owned by the Christchurch City Council and its funding contribution to Parakiore remained ‘‘capped’’, Ō tā karo’s statement said.

Bridgman said any additional construction costs arising from the twoyear extension would be worked out later.

‘‘We have a fixed-price contract with the contractor and any variations beyond the $317m already allocated will be worked through and agreed on with the contractor at a later date, but these won’t prevent us completing this outstanding facility.’’