Waimakariri District’s MainPower Stadium won a Gold at the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards last week.

The $28M 6000-square-metre stadium opened in August last year and provides a range of opportunities for recreation, events and activities. In the facility you’ll find four full-size courts which are lined and set up for a range of sports, a modern fitness centre, sports health providers, a juice bar and more.

Since opening MainPower Stadium has become a drawcard for numerous sports competitions across the District and has hosted a range of events and tournaments on a scale not previously seen in North Canterbury.

The facility is home of North Canterbury Basketball and Waimak United Futsal, and accommodates North Canterbury Netball’s winter competition as well as a variety of other sports such as Wheelchair Basketball and Korfball, social sports leagues and school holiday programmes.

The stadium won a Gold in the Altus Window Systems Tourism and Leisure Project category of the New Zealand Commercial Project Awards.

The awards programme sets the benchmark for commercial construction in New Zealand and celebrates and recognises the contribution of the whole project team, the people who brought these amazing projects to life, rather than just the building itself.

The award was received by stadium builder Leighs Construction who were joined by Waimakariri District Council Manager of Community and Recreation Chris Brown, Mayor Dan Gordon and Community Facilities Team Leader Andy Coker.

“Since opening we’ve heard from the community just how much they appreciate and value the stadium and this award is great recognition of an incredibly well designed community facility that was delivered by a dedicated team at the Council. We’re really proud of our stadium,” says Mayor Dan Gordon.

“We’re obviously thrilled to have the stadium recognised for the fantastic facility and project it was,” says Manager of Community and Recreation Chris Brown.

“It’s also been fantastic to be able to receive the award alongside Andy Coker, who project managed the stadium build with Craig Sargison, where his outstanding contribution can be recognised.”

MainPower Stadium is managed by North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust and currently seeing over 25,000 visitors each month, with numbers growing as more events are held at the facility and gym membership grows. The venue will soon host its first national tournament in June 2022 – The Aon Under 19 Basketball Nationals.