Peek inside $500m Parakiore as decade-long journey nears completion

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre

Picture this: an 11-year-old spinning around doing two-and-a-half somersaults while suspended in the air before being gently lowered into a dry foam pit.

Do this multiple times and suddenly the terrifying 10m tall diving platforms are not meant to seem so scary anymore.

While this reporter may need more convincing to hurl herself off the board, this is some of the unique magic set to take place inside Christchurch’s new sport and pool complex Parakiore that cannot be done elsewhere in the country.

With 11 pools and spas, five hydroslides, a fully equipped gym and rows of court space, it will be a sports buffet for all.

Crown Infrastructure Delivery chief executive John O'Hagan says of all the projects he’s overseen, Parakiore will have the largest impact.

After more than a decade of ‘are we there yet?’ troubled moments, from price escalations, delays and conflict over the contract, the $500 million Moorhouse Ave complex is nearing the finish line, set to be completed in October and open before the end of the year.

And it is enormous.

While 32,000m² sounds large on paper, it is not until you take it all in from the top of the tallest diving platform overlooking1000 spectator seats, standing in the middle of six basketball courts, or the lengthy walk across the car park, do you appreciate its scale.

The diving facilities are a game changer for the sport.

“I can visualise kids screaming in the pool, bombing off the side, this place packed on a Saturday morning with netball, basketball, futsal or whatever it is,” said Crown Infrastructure Delivery (CID) chief executive John O'Hagan.

“The facility itself, the size and scale, is the largest in New Zealand, second largest in Australasia, and I think the people of Christchurch, when they walk in the door, will get a wow factor.”

A few jobs remain on the to-do list, such as sorting the cosmetic touches like the balustrades, hand rails, filling up the pools, and line marking the show court.

The diving revolution begins

Christchurch has not had competitive divers since the 2011 earthquake demolished QEII but Parakiore is about to change everything.

Diving New Zealand performance director Steve Gladding is eager to propel off the top diving platform himself.

“We're resurrecting it from absolute scratch,” said Steve Gladding, Diving New Zealand's performance director.

Parakiore has platforms at 1m, 3m, 5m, 7m and 10m high - meeting Olympic competition standards.

A trampoline and foam pit will kit out the rest of this dry diving training facility - the only one of its kind in the country.

The complex will have the country's first dry diving training area, complete with a trampoline, safety harness rig and foam pit. It is a “game changer”, allowing divers to practice repetition and moves safely before hitting the water, Gladding said.

It also has the country’s first 3m wide platform at the 5m height - so people can synchronise their jump off the same platform - and a set of three spring loaded diving boards next to each other.

The moveable pool wall that can create different pool lengths.

The set-up will elevate the country’s diving standards, so much so that Gladding will relocate to Christchurch and is looking forward to having a crack at the 10m platform himself.

The hype is not all about creating the next Olympic champion or hosting international events such as the junior world championships Gladding has his sights set on in the coming years, but getting more people and children involved with cannon balls, perfecting their bombs into water and “all the good stuff”, he said.

“We are at Olympic level diving, but we also want this to be a community facility that everyone can use.”

In addition to these community courts, there are also three courts that can be used for elite level and televised events with retractable stands for 2500 spectators.

More than getting wet

The pools themselves are engineering marvels with a movable floor to change the depth from 2.2m to ground level. They also have moveable booms to divide and create different pool lengths, such as 25m or 50m, accommodating various sports like water polo or underwater hockey.

The 10-lane 50m competition pool has space for 1000 people to watch.

But looking up 8m and imagining people dangling from the ceiling was a peculiar moment during The Press’ sneak peek tour.

“For circus activities”, our guide said, entering the special Move studio.

It showed off how the facility is so much more than an extra large community pool.

From sports you “didn’t even know about” (floorball, for example) getting space to health facilities, spin classes, and high performance sport all under one roof - Parakiore signals Christchurch’s rebuild as a premium city.

When the doors finally open it will bring 185 new jobs and an estimated 1.2 million annual visitors.

Originally the project announced in 2013 as part of the city’s rebuild blueprint was to have cost $217m millionbut CID now says it is “expected to cost around $500m upon completion”.