18 | Waitomo District Council & Apollo Projects: King Country Sports Club REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT T T Richard Loader New centre meets community needs The Gallagher Recreation Centre is a shared facility between the school and the wider King Country community. Dean: 021 033 7288 - dean@s6ceilings.co.nz | Simon: 027 918 8393 - simon@s6ceilings.co.nz | www.s6ceilings.co.nz S6 Ceilings & Par��ons offer a supply and install service, with access to a wide range of suspended ceiling and steel stud par��on systems, to meet all your requirements big or small, commercial or residen�al. CEILINGS & PARTITIONS S6 Ceiling installs • Steel stud par��ons • Interior seismic works • Timber framing GIB linings • Stopping works • Passive fire works • Flooring • Aluminum par��ons Decrotech install • Interior commercial pain�ng • Korok installers The eagerly awaited Gallagher Recreation Centre built on Te Kūiti High School’s sports grounds was opened in February this year, in time for the new school year. The recreation centre is a shared facility between the school and the wider King Country community thanks to a unique partnership agreement with Waitomo District Council, the Ministry of Education and the Te Kūiti High School Board where joint ownership is a shared arrangement. A Māori carving at the front of the building recognises the importance of local iwi, Ngāti Maniapoto and mana whenua Ngāti Rōrā, within the community. The name, Te Whare Takarangi o Te Kūiti, was gifted by Ngāti Rōrā and refers to having the freedom to choose the pathway in life, remembering that each person is responsible for their own choice of words, deeds and actions. The opening ceremony was led by Ngāti Rōrā who unveiled the gifted name alongside other taonga/cultural embellishments in the facility. The opening celebration featured a netball game between Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and the Northern Stars, followed by a local basketball match, and an invitational game between the New Zealand Army Men and an invitational New Zealand National Basketball League team. A key driver for the project was the need to replace the school’s existing 50-year-old gymnasium, which had come to the end of its effective life. The concept of a joint indoor sports facility was first floated in 2014, and the Game on Charitable Trust was later formed by a small group of locals to advance it and obtain funding. In 2021, a steering group was formed to obtain further funding and ensure the project reached its milestones. Funding was received from Lotteries Major Projects, Trust Waikato, Grassroots Trust, Kanoa Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit, MOE, Te Kuiti High School BOT and WDC. “As can happen in small towns, Waitomo has a wonderful ability to create something together, and the project became a shared partnership between the high school, MOE and WDC. The total project came in on budget at $9 million, which we believe to be very good value for what it delivers,” says WDC Chief Executive Ben Smit. Apollo Projects were awarded the design and build contract, with the architectural design carried out by IKON Architects. Engineering was provided by Gray Consulting Engineering. “The construction project commenced in February 2022 with practical completion in December that same year. “The project was completed in 10 months which was amazing, particularly given the extremely wet and challenging winter conditions the builders had to contend with, often working in very muddy ground.” Encompassing 2600sqm on a fresh site on the school’s sports grounds, the Gallagher Recreation Centre has two full-size multi-purpose courts with spectator seating in both banks. Both courts have been marked out to include a diverse range of sports including basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton, and futsal. Commenting on the many benefits of the facility, Ben says it will provide the school with a new recreational space, offering a higher range of social, educational and competitive sports, which flows through to health and well-being. The school has been allocated its own changing and ablution facilities while the public have access to the other side of the facility, which includes reception area, ablutions, a fully equipped commercial gymnasium, a kitchen, and a multi-purpose meeting room. The courts are a high-performance sprung floor, constructed from imported maple timber. The netballers have certainly commented what a wonderful facility it is,” says Ben. “From the community side there was a real need for an indoor sports facility. Waitomo has lower levels of physical, sporting and recreational engagement, particularly amongst younger people, than other towns or districts. So it was important to provide a facility that encouraged that level of activity and the new facility gives a really nice place for people to undertake those team sports. The gym is very modern and well equipped and has received great patronage since the facility opened. There is sub-regional benefits as well as it draws people in from the wider King Country, because there is nothing else like this facility in close proximity.” The Gallagher Recreation Centre is managed by Belgravia Leisure.
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