Christchurch’s Parakiore sports centre to cost $500m, Crown reveals

Friday, 23 May 2025

Latest pictures from inside the Parakiore metro sports facility in Christchurch, which is overdue and has a latest completion budget of $500 million.

Christchurch’s new sport and pool complex Parakiore is expected to cost half a billion dollars once finished, the Crown agency in charge of the project has revealed.

Due to be finished in October and open by the end of this year, the 32,000m² complex has been more than a decade in coming. It is about 90% complete.

Originally the project, announced in 2013, was to have cost $217 million.

Previously the Crown would not say how much completing the project would cost, following a string of price escalations and delays and conflict over the contract.

Crown Infrastructure Delivery now says it is “expected to cost around $500 million upon completion”.

While more than double the original forecast, the sum is less than the $696m contractor CPB forecast it would cost when it launched legal action seeking more money in 2023.

CPB started work in March 2019 after winning the build-only contract at a price of $220m, promising to complete the job by October 2021 for Crown Infrastructure Delivery, then known as Rau Paenga.

The city council’s contribution was capped at $146.9m.

CPB then threatened to cancel its contract if it did not get another $453m for cost overruns, liabilities to subcontractors and a contract price adjustment, but that was prevented by a court decision and a deal was struck.

The complex will have 11 pools and spas, hydroslides, sports courts. The most recent item to be completed is the dive pool. The five-metre deep dive pool is a key feature of the complex and set to elevate diving standards in New Zealand to international competition levels.

Diving New Zealand’s Performance Director, Steve Gladding said the pool would play a crucial role in the sport’s future. “As soon as we can, we’ll be holding a training camp at Parakiore for some of the country’s top divers. It’ll give the community a chance to see what diving is all about — and even have a go themselves.”

In addition to the dive pool, Parakiore will feature a dry diving space with a foam pit, allowing divers to practise techniques safely. The facility will also include wide platforms to support synchronised diving training — a key component of the sport.

The Christchurch City Council is recruiting for Parakiore roles including lifeguards, customer experience representatives and event staff, with about 185 jobs to be filled over the next few months.