Nelson City Council

Stadium construction progressing - target date of October well in sight

June 2009

A minimal of disruptions and solid work by the project managers and contractors mean the Saxton Indoor Sports stadium is really taking shape and well on track for completion by the start of October, weather permitting. Opening celebrations are planned for October, so look out for details in upcoming editions of Live Nelson.

The 7,000m2 stadium houses five basketball/netball courts, 12 volleyball courts and a table tennis area, along with an area for sports administration offices. The finishing touches are just being made to the sprung timber floor in the main stadium ready for marking. The floor is already completed in the table tennis area. Painting and electrical fit out are underway and the toilets, showers and vanities in the changing rooms will be made ready for use. The carpet has been laid in the office area and the reception counter has been installed. 

The next stage

Contractors will be focussing their attention on the exterior of the stadium.  The entry way and asphalting will be completed along with other landscaping to the north, south and east side of the new building.

A lesson in cooperation

June 2009

The 65 hectare sporting facility at Saxton Field, which serves both local authority areas, is a lesson in cooperation between neighbouring Councils and sporting codes.

Originally part of the Saxton Farm, what is now known as Saxton Field became Nelson's first aerodrome before the current Nelson Airport was built. The flat, expansive land between Nelson city and the headquarters of the neighbouring Tasman District Council in Richmond is centrally located between the two Councils.

As there is no overarching authority for regional facilities, this presented the opportunity for the Councils to share the goal, plan and commitment for a regional sporting facility. While it would be both a lengthy and ongoing process, the partnership would result in a state of the art complex which is now becoming the envy of other regions.

Working together closely

Both Councils recognised early on that working closely with sporting codes was the lynch pin to the success of Saxton Field.  This was not just for funding, although the codes became responsible for a share of the funding of their facilities, but also design and placement within the facility.

The councils set up a Regional Funding Forum to decide independently how each step of the project would be funded. The Forum which includes representatives of both Councils, the Canterbury Community Trust and Pub Charity, works out the reasonable cost contributions for the individual sporting codes.

The remaining funding share from each Council is based on population and access its residents have to Saxton Field. Tasman has a massive district reaching down as far south as Murchison and north to Golden Bay but realistically residents who would regularly travel from these outlying areas to play or watch sports at Saxton Field are limited.

Accordingly, although the two Councils have a similar population base, the Tasman District Council generally pays a 40% share of the facility and the Nelson City Council is responsible for funding the remaining 60%.

Sod turned on new $12.5m stadium

May 2008

Ground was broken on the new Saxton Field Sports Stadium, scheduled to open in September 2009. Funds for the stadium include $5.4 million from Nelson City Council, $3.6 million from Tasman District Council, and $2.5 million from the Saxton Field Sports Stadium Society. A further $1 million for Sports House will be funded partly by way of a loan and partly by the two Councils. It will accommodate Sport Tasman and a number of other sporting bodies.