Yarrow Stadium owner dreams of major concerts in Taranaki

The owner of the quake-prone Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth has ambitions of hosting major music tours by the likes of the Rolling Stones once its $50 million repair and upgrade project is complete.

Home of Taranaki rugby, Yarrow Stadium has been closed for three years after its two covered stands were revealed as an earthquake risk.

It is owned by the Taranaki Regional Council.

At a tour of the site today, corporate services director Mike Nield said a revamped stadium would be perfect for large-scale concerts, before name dropping the Rolling Stones.

"What we have in Taranaki is a number of venues that can hold small concerts. Up to 15,000 people at the Bowl of Brooklands, for example.

"But if you were able to attract an artist that could sell out 20,000-25,000 capacity, they could come to Yarrow Stadium. They could use the field, they could use the stands and the terraces at each end, and you can host that type of event. One of the major artists that you might be able to get along, for example, the Rolling Stones."

Nield said although concerts had never been held at Yarrow before, everything was in place to allow that to happen.

"There are resource consents in place for concerts to be held here and we've worked with the neighbours and all the rest of it, so the opportunity does exist."

Yarrow Stadium has previously hosted Super Rugby, the All Blacks and was a venue for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the Fifa U20 World Cup in 2015.

The freestyle motorcycle troupe the Crusty Demons has used the venue.

The repair of Yarrow's West Stand began this month, and Nield said it would not be complete in time for the provincial rugby championship next year.

He said the West Stand was scheduled to be ready in October-November 2021.

Decisions were still being made on the final design for the East Stand, which is scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch.

Nield said the new East Stand would be complete in two to three years.

Project manager for Clelands Construction Bruce Earby outlined the work being done to secure the West Stand which sits on an earth ramp.

"The first part of the whole structural scenario is that we tie in the top of the hospitality area. That all gets fully strengthened and braced together first and locked in.

"At the moment, there was a possibility this would twist and buckle and the roof would come down if the hill moved."

Earby said that once the hospitality area was strengthened, 16m steel piles would be driven down at the front of the stand to prevent the hillside slumping.

The project was not without its challenges, he said.

"I don't think we've ever pulled a stadium apart before. It's easy to build it, but we've got to get everything back in its same position.

"Every bleacher will be surveyed as it comes off, the steel will be surveyed, to make sure it all goes back in the same place. It's got to be within the millimetre when everything goes back, so that's a huge challenge in itself."

Earby said the team of up to 50 workers was hugely proud to be helping to put such a valuable community asset back in action.

The Yarrow Stadium repair and upgrade received $20m from the government's shovel-ready programme in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The rest of its construction cost is being raised via a targeted rate.