The new roof on the West Stand of Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth, pictured in November 2022. Photo: Supplied / Taranaki Regional Council
Work has started on installing a new fabric roof on the West Stand at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth.
The roof is part of a $70 million project to refurbish the West Stand and replace the East Stand, after both were declared earthquake-prone.
The new high-spec PVC roof should be in place before Christmas.
Taranaki Regional Council owns the stadium via the Taranaki Stadium Trust.
Council chairperson Charlotte Littlewood said it was great to see the work finally underway after delays meant the roof was not in place for the national provincial rugby season, leaving ticketholders exposed to the elements.
"New Plymouth is the sunshine capital of Aotearoa but we had a pretty wet and wild winter, which put the brakes on getting the roof on earlier in the year. We're now hoping for some fine days with little to no wind so the crew can get on with the job," Littlewood said.
"We're future-proofing the West Stand by replacing the old roof. Finishing this part of the project will be another milestone on the road to delivering the best regional stadium in the country."
Fabric Structures is installing about 2250 square metres of Serge Ferrari PVC on the West Stand, which is the same material used on the Hagley Cricket Pavilion in Christchurch.
Several important steps to finishing the project had been achieved this year, including work starting on the new East Stand, the installation of a new main hybrid turf pitch, and the return of fans to watch the Taranaki Bulls rugby team in September.
The project has received $30m in funding from the government's Infrastructure Reference Group programme.
The East Stand is forecast to reopen in late 2024 to early 2025.