A central Tauranga sports and recreation facility is celebrating a milestone this week, marking one year since opening its doors.

The University of Waikato Haumaru Sport & Recreation Centre is home to a range of community sports, including basketball, volleyball, pickleball, badminton and netball.

Since opening in May last year, it has hosted grassroots sport, school competitions, and regional and national tournaments.

These included the Zespri Aims Games, HoopNation, Mel Young Easter Classic and the Basketball NZ U20 Nationals.

The building was originally owned and operated as The Warehouse, but the store closed in 2024 when Tauranga City Council bought the property.

The total cost of the venue to Tauranga City Council and Bay Venues was about $28 million.

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said in a media release that it was “fantastic” to see Haumaru delivering its vision.

“A multi-purpose, accessible facility where people of all ages and abilities come together to be active, connect, and compete.”

Drysdale said Haumaru was a “great example” of meeting a community need in a cost-efficient way by repurposing an existing building, “while also contributing to the wider transformation of Tauranga city centre as we work to make it an even better place for people to live, learn, work and play”.

The centre has four basketball-sized courts with maple hardwood sports flooring from Canada.

The size accommodates three netball courts, 13 pickleball/badminton courts, or six volleyball courts.

Paul Dunphy, Bay Venues’ general manager of community facilities, said Haumaru had made a “huge, positive impact” on Tauranga’s sport and recreation scene.

He was looking forward to that continuing for many years to come.

“Haumaru is the city’s first new community indoor sports facility in over a decade, and this council development has already enabled an increase of thousands of hours of more court bookings in its first year.”

Haumaru is home to a wide range of community sports, including basketball, volleyball, pickleball, badminton and netball. Photo / Bay Venues

Dunphy said regular users had reported that the venue allowed them to grow their respective sports.

Bob Smith, from the Mount Pickleball Club, said it had been a “fantastic addition”, opening up 13 courts for more pickleball to be played.

The club meets on Mondays and Fridays, and Smith said Haumaru was a quality venue in a good location.

He said pickleball continued to grow in Tauranga, and he was keen to use more courts on any chance they got.

Tauranga City Basketball Association general manager Mark Rogers said the opening of the venue had been positive for the organisation and its members.

He said the “excellent” venue meant the association had more courts, and the location eased transport issues for parents.

“Haumaru has enabled us to host more games and grow our local competitions.

“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from our members. It is a great community sport facility.”

The University of Waikato, which has naming rights, said it had been great to see the positive impact of the venue in the past year.

Deputy vice-chancellor Professor Alister Jones said the university was proud to be part of the Bay of Plenty region and support a facility that provided a positive connection point for the community.

“Our students and staff look forward to joining the celebration this weekend, where they will bring learning and competition together with a series of fitness challenges for the public.”

Haumaru will host a free Community Fun Day from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

Tauranga City Basketball and Mount Pickleball Club will be involved, and the event will feature have-a-go activities, games, prizes, food trucks and entertainment for all ages.