48 | COMMUNITY Taranaki Rugby Football Union T T Alexia Anderson Taranaki Rugby has a brand new home While providing a quality training environment for rugby at all levels, the facility’s potential extends well beyond the game. After almost a decade without a dedicated training base, Taranaki Rugby has a new home designed to bring athletes, sporting codes and the wider community together. Te Whare Pūngao o Ngā-motu, presented by Taranaki Steelformers, was completed in May 2026, providing Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU) with a purpose-built training facility at Stadium Taranaki. Taranaki Rugby had functioned without its own training facility since the TSB Stand at Stadium Taranaki was deemed earthquake prone in 2017. The new 525msq facility, constructed by local Lifestyle Construction and ShedEx teams, means it now has a base for the region’s rugby pathways and wider sporting community. Among those who are pleased to finally have the facility up and running is TRFU chief executive officer Jimmy Fastier. “It’s a first-class home base that brings pathways athletes, codes and the community together under one roof,” he says. The 35m by 15m colour steel facility includes cardio, strength and stretch areas and a large covered green room. Medical and meeting rooms, showers and toilets are also included alongside a large nearby car park. While providing a quality training environment for rugby at all levels, the facility’s potential extends well beyond the game. In its first few months of operating, it has already welcomed Spotswood College sports classes, pathways cricketers and hockey players, rugby clubs and community groups. Jimmy says having a permanent, purpose-built space also creates opportunities for athletes from different sporting codes to train alongside one another and share knowledge, helping lift standards across Taranaki’s sporting pathways. The facility is intended to become a central base for the region’s pathways sporting community, while strengthening TRFU’s connection with its base at Stadium Taranaki. Its mixed-code focus could also help address the traditional fragmentation between sports, providing a hub where promising and elite athletes can train together and develop relationships. Although hosting major events was not among the facility’s primary purposes, the venue could support the region’s ability to attract national and international events across rugby and other sporting codes. The project was fully funded by Taranaki Rugby through its own cash reserves and external funders, with no ratepayer funding required. Taranaki Steelformers came on board as naming rights partner, with the Back family’s support being instrumental in bringing the project to completion. Strong backing also came from Platinum Partners New Zealand Community Trust, Toi Foundation, Yarrows the Bakers and the Jennings Family, alongside Grassroots Trust, Air Rescue Services, We Care Community Trust, Pub Charity, Four Winds ALL ASPECTS OF CONCRETE Rose Concrete Ltd, New Plymouth Call Sam Rose: 0220844626 E: rosecontractingltd@hotmail.com Facebook: Rose Concrete Ltd “It’s a first-class home base that brings pathways athletes, codes and the community together under one roof.” Foundation, One Foundation, Pelorus Trust and Civil Quarries. TRFU also worked closely with mana whenua of Ngāmotu, Ngāti Te Whiti, who gifted the name Te Whare Pūngao o Ngā-motu, meaning ‘The Energy House of New Plymouth’ and evoking strength, vitality and community. With the facility now operational, the focus turns to making the most of what it can offer. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support shown to complete this project and are proud to see the space being used for rugby and other aspiring athletes,” Jimmy says. “I am excited about what this facility can do for Taranaki Rugby and the wider Taranaki community.”
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