An estimated $14 million plan to create a new home for netball in Tauranga has taken a flying leap forward.

Councillors agreed to start detailed designs for the sport’s relocation from Mount Maunganui’s Blake Park to Baypark at a Tauranga City Council meeting yesterday.

The Netball Multisport Centre would include an 800sq m new building estimated to cost about $4m, and 23 new courts – 14 asphalt and nine cushioned, with three to be covered – costing about $9.2m, including toilets and a covered walkway.

There was space for another six courts in future.

Tauranga Netball Centre board chair Nicola Compton told the meeting the facilities at Blake Park were no longer fit for purpose.

“We are at capacity for most of our competitions.”

There were 19 courts at Blake Park, with nine dedicated to netball and the rest shared with tennis for half of the year, she said.

One of their “major concerns” was traffic congestion and a lack of parking at Blake Park, Compton said.

The benefits of moving to Baypark would be a facility large enough to meet their current needs with room for future growth, she said.

There would also be more courts for other sports, Compton said.

Relocation would add financial pressure, so Compton asked for a phased approach to the lease and also that they had the ability to generate income from non-netball activities at Baypark.

Compton said their Blake Park lease was $70,000 a year and 25% of the income came from grants.

Tauranga Netball Centre board chair Nicola Compton (left) and board member Rick Powdrell. Photo / Alisha Evans

“Simply increasing [player] fees may lead to reduced participation and negatively impact our diverse and inclusive community.”

Tauranga Netball Centre’s annual lease for the new Baypark building would start at $70,000 and increase to $100,000 by year three.

The lease for the netball building would be until 2042, with one 15-year right of renewal.

Outdoor netball would pay an additional $150 a year per team in year one, rising to $300 in year three. Costs would be reviewed every three years.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale. Photo / David Hall

Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the move was a positive for netball.

It was a “large outlay” of funds but given the alternative of providing parking and more facilities at Blake Park, the move “ticked a lot of boxes”, Drysdale said.

Councillor Marten Rozeboom said he couldn’t support it mainly because of traffic concerns.

“All we’re doing is moving one massive traffic block to another site. We’re not actually providing [for] a lot of extra growth to the east and to the west of the city.”

Councillor Kevin Schuler said netball needed to move and Baypark was a better home than downtown Mount Maunganui.

The council needed to accept there was a cost for the changes, which would support a “huge part” of the community, he said.

Schuler wanted the community asset used every day of the week by netball or another sport.

An overview of the court layout at the netball multisport centre at Baypark Tauranga. Image / Tauranga City Council

Councillor Rick Curach said netball officials had told it they wanted one central area for the sport and the Baypark option was logical, he said.

Netball was an important part of Tauranga’s social fabric, Curach said.

“Netball’s been a big part of a lot of young people’s lives.”

Speaking after the meeting, Compton said the organisation was “delighted” the relocation was approved.

It was a “major move” for the netball centre and a “positive one” that allowed them to grow, she said.

The detailed designs would be brought back to council in early 2026 and, if approved, construction could begin in February or March.

Construction was expected to take 18 months.

The Netball Multisport Centre was part of wider works planned for Baypark, including new roads and parking, estimated to cost about another $23m.

As part of the Baypark plans, the council also renewed Speedway Racing Limited’s lease until 2039.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.