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Unison powers Velodrome

Thursday 20 August 2009, 8:10AM

By Sports Park

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what the Unison branding would look like on a 'real' velodrome, in this case the one in Southland
what the Unison branding would look like on a 'real' velodrome, in this case the one in Southland Credit: Sports Park
artists impression of what the finished velodrome will look like
artists impression of what the finished velodrome will look like Credit: Sports Park

HAWKE'S BAY

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park received a major boost today with the announcement of a $1million sponsorship package for the Park’s proposed Velodrome from Unison, Hawke’s Bays powerline company.

The proposed Velodrome will provide a world class facility for track cycling in New Zealand, and will also be a focal point for the development of recreational cycling in the Hawke’s Bay. It is part of a multi-million dollar development planned for the Hawke’s Bay Regional Sports Park.

Sports Park Trust Chair Lawrence Yule said: “I can’t overstate the importance of Unison’s involvement and support for this project. Unison is an outstanding supporter of the community and this sponsorship is adding real momentum to the Park’s development.”

Unison Chief Executive Ken Sutherland said the Velodrome was a natural project for the company to partner with because both provide key infrastructure for the economic and social development of Hawke’s Bay as well as making a mark outside the region.

Mr Sutherland said the aim of the partnership was not only to help provide a world class facility for track cycling, but be a focal point for the development of recreational cycling, which is a significant and growing sport in Unison’s network areas; Hawke’s Bay, Taupo and Rotorua.

“We’re excited by the Velodrome’s potential for both community and high performance use. We’ve got 100,000 customers so community involvement is always important to us, but this is more than that. It’s a world class facility the region can be proud of and we’re pleased to play a part in that,” said Mr Sutherland.
Mr Yule said the Velodrome’s development remained contingent on putting additional funding in place.

“The Velodrome is a $12 to $15million project and it requires a fair degree of government support. In order to get that support we need to convince the government that we are the best destination for cycling and track events because they’ll only provide funding for one in the North Island. I expect this process will be complete by the end of the year,” says Mr Yule.

Biking is popular In Hawke’s Bay. The Ramblers Club is the second largest in the New Zealand and the Hawke’s Bay Mountain Bike Club, with over 2000 members, is easily the largest in the country.

Mr Yule said the Velodrome would attract a mix of elite and community use.

“Hawke’s Bay has great attributes for biking. Our combination of roading, terrain and weather is the best in New Zealand and including a Velodrome completes the package,” said Mr Yule.

“The indoor track plus the outstanding outdoor training opportunities make Hawke’s Bay a compelling destination for serious bikers. But we expect the numbers will be driven by community use.

“The country’s only other indoor Velodrome, in Invercargill, attracts 10,000 school kids each year and we’re expecting at least that volume here. But it’s not just school kids. We expect to have people of all ages using the facility,” he says.

The Velodrome will also be used as an events and indoor sporting facility. The floor area within the track can accommodate 4 tennis or netball courts.

The original Sports Park plan was going to be developed in three stages with the Velodrome being in stage three. However Mr Yule said it was apparent a North Island Velodrome was going to be developed before long and if Hawke’s Bay wanted to attract government funding it needed to state its intentions early.