Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Grant Robertson, joined Mayor Guppy, Minister Hipkins, and other community representatives at Maidstone Park on Friday to mark the official ground-breaking of the Maidstone Community Sport Hub project.

The comprehensive redevelopment of Upper Hutt’s sporting and recreation hub has been fast-tracked thanks to a $15 million funding boost from the Government.

With demolition of the old club rooms complete, this milestone marks the first phase of construction which will see a new, shared clubrooms and indoor training facility.

Bringing together a number of sporting facilities at a centralised hub and creating partnerships between groups, provides the opportunity to consolidate facilities and the operation to be more sustainable and efficient for the future.

“We know many of our sports and clubs here in Upper Hutt are finding it hard to keep things going, with the impacts of COVID-19 and rising operating costs” says Mayor Guppy. “Bringing everyone together to share the new facilities will be an absolute game changer.”

The hub has been designed in collaboration with the key sports clubs based at Maidstone Park to ensure it meets local needs, but once complete, Upper Hutt City Council believes it will position Maidstone Park as one of the top recreation and leisure destinations in the region.

“With nearby public transport and hospitality offerings, and the recently redeveloped and incredibly popular Maidstone Max, the park has the potential to become a unique and much sought after destination” Mayor Guppy says.

The Maidstone Community Sports Hub is a major project in Upper Hutt City Council’s 2021-2031 Long Term Plan (LTP). It’s on track for completion in late 2023, years ahead of its original timeframe.

You can watch a video of the sports hub design and read more about the project at upperhuttcity.com/maidstone-hub.

© Scoop Media