Arena Masterplan

Central Energy Trust Arena is our 18.5 hectares flexible sports and entertainment hub in the heart of our city centre.

Our masterplan was created in 2017, and a review was developed in 2023
Further developments
Latest updates
Completed projects

Palmy Arena hosts over 3000 individual events each year and is home to more than 30 sporting codes, bringing in more than 450,000 visitors each year.

We’re planning to develop a new building at this iconic Palmy venue and invest in new turfs and amenities. The plans are part of the updated Arena Masterplan, adopted by Council in November 2023.

Arena is our 18.5-hectare flexible sports and entertainment hub in the heart of our city centre.

Hosting over 3,000 bookings each year and home to more than 30 sporting codes, Arena attracts more than 450,0000 visitors annually.

Our Arena Masterplan guides future development and investment in this critical community asset. The goal is to continue improving facilities, attract vibrant events, and grow the Arena’s positive impact on our city’s economy. The speedway season alone contributes more than $25 million to the local economy each year.

Read the updated Masterplan

What we’ve achieved so far

Between 2018 and 2022, we completed several key improvements:

A new artificial turf
A welcoming entrance plaza with a pedestrian bridge and digital screens
Relocation of speedway pits for improved visibility and usability
Upgraded lighting, embankment seating, and amenities
Streetscape upgrades along Cuba Street to encourage foot traffic and improve links to the city centre

The speedway pit area is multi-purpose and able to host community activities like Puanga and Salud Festival.

Updated Masterplan and community input

The Arena Masterplan was originally developed in 2014, updated in 2017, and again reviewed in 2023 in partnership with Rangitāne o Manawatū to deliver on our shared goals for community wellbeing.

Feedback was sought from elected members, Council teams, Palmy Venues + Events, Sport Manawatū, CEDA, and Arena user groups through a series of surveys, group interviews and workshops. This input helped shape the updated plan, which identifies potential areas of use and improvement, safety risks, and new development opportunities.

In November 2023, the updated Arena Masterplan was adopted by Council and included in the 2024-2034 Long Term Plan, with $36 million allocated for development.

The Arena Masterplan has a project steering group including representatives from Palmerston North City Council, Rangitāne, Sport Manawatū, Marist Sports Club, and other relevant stakeholders.

Further Developments

In the next financial year, we will review the Arena Masterplan which was last updated in 2017.

Key projects identified in the current Masterplan include:

Arena 5 replacement

Replacement of the current Arena 5 buildings with a multi-functional space that can accommodate court sports, administration offices as well as space for our current clients such as skating, Red Cross Book Sale, pop-up clothing sales, and ballroom dancing.

Atrium on Pascal St

A new atrium on Pascal Street to link Fly Palmy Arena, Arena 3 and the B&M Centre. This would create one entrance to all these facilities with new changing and public facilities.

Backfields

Realignment of our backfields. This would include moving our service and storage buildings to create a better layout and an additional (fourth) full-size playing field.

Arena 5 development

Update June 2026

Palmerston North City Council is progressing plans for a new Air Dome facility on the green space at the corner of Cuba and Pascal Streets.

The new facility will help meet growing demand for indoor court space across the city and support Palmerston North’s role as a major regional sporting and events hub.

Why we need a new Arena

In 2024, Council commissioned the Multi-use Indoor Courts and Covered Outdoors Courts Study. This study confirmed the need for additional indoor court space to meet growing community demand.

This need for additional courts has also been highlighted through feedback from the community, commercial users, national sporting organisations, and organisers of several national sporting tournaments.

Many national sporting events require more court space to operate successfully. These events bring significant benefits to the city’s hospitality, retail, and accommodation sectors.

To help meet future demand and support the city’s ability to retain and attract major events, Council approved funding for the project through the Long Term Plan (2024-34).

The new facility will provide four additional indoor courts, and help reduce pressure off Arenas 3 and 4, which are used heavily by local sporting codes and community

This need for a new Arena was identified in the Arena Masterplan and supported by feedback from local sports organisations and community groups.

What the new facility will include

The facility will feature timber sprung floors – an important requirement strongly advocated for by local sporting organisations to ensure courts are suitable for a broad range of sports and competitions.

Councilors approved the procurement of a main contractor to design and build an air dome facility in May 2026.

The air dome approach allows Council to deliver the project faster and at a lower cost than a traditional building, while still providing a high-quality playing environment.

The total expected project budget, including contingency, is estimated at $13.5 million – significantly lower than the original $17.5 million budget identified through the Long-Term Plan and the estimate of $18.4 million for a traditional build.

Actual project costings will be confirmed through the procurement process.

Safety, noise and durability

The air dome membrane material is fire retardant, meaning it is designed to slow and suppress the spread of fire. The facility will also include fire protection systems that meet all relevant building and fire safety requirements.

The structure is highly resistant to sharp objects and punctures, helping reduce concerns around vandalism and accidental damage.

The Air Dome’s mechanical systems must operate continuously to maintain air pressure within the structure. Noise impacts will be carefully considered during the design process, including the placement of mechanical plant away from nearby residential areas where possible and design features which could minimise noise.

Project timeline and next steps

The key milestones are:

May 2026 – Councilors approve to move forward into procurement of a main contractor to design and build an Air Dome facility

Mid 2026 – Request for Proposal of a main contractor and tender evaluations

Late 2026 – Main contractor appointed and design refinement and construction begins

Late 2027 – Construction completed

Working with sports groups and the community

Council is continuing to work with a user group made up of sports organisations and community groups that currently use the Arena facilities, or are expected to use the new Arena, to make sure the new facility meets the community’s needs.

We’ll work to minimise disruption across the precinct during construction. Access to all other arenas and facilities will remain open throughout the project.

We’re also looking at how parking and pedestrian access can be maintained and supported during and after construction.

We’ll continue to share updates as the project progresses.

Completed Projects

Key projects completed include:

1

Artificial turf

The artificial turf is one of the first improvements to Central Energy Trust Arena as part of the masterplan. It is the first of its kind in the region.

Central Energy Trust Arena artificial turf construction completed (pncc.govt.nz)

2

Speedway pits

New speedway pit facilities have been developed along the southern side of the Arena complex behind the new South Stand, next to Cuba Street, and opened in January 2021. These facilities include a mixture of green space, concrete and asphalt, as well as services paramount to successful speedway operation, such as water, air, power, and lighting.

3

Entrance plaza and pedestrian bridge

A welcoming, attractive plaza entrance draws visitors to the main Arena entrance and ticket box on the corner of Waldegrave Street and Cuba Street. The entrance leads up to the new pedestrian bridge, which links to the Arena 1 stadium.

4

Ablutions block and south stand

Our new ablutions block is the foundation for our new south stand. Seats were lifted onto the south stand in January 2021, ready for the annual ENZED Superstock Teams Champs event. The concourse area was upgraded alongside the south stand, allowing for better pedestrian movement around the stadium seating blocks and a level connection into the first floor of the grandstand building.

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