"Northland's Premier Events Centre" is Whangarei's newest multi-purpose facility catering for conferences, meetings, dinners, weddings, festivals, concerts and sports events.
Stadium Redevelopment
The Semenoff Stadium redevelopment was completed in May 2010 at a cost of $18.5 million. Northland Regional Council contributed $13 million and Whangarei District Council $3 million towards the new Northland Events Centre.
Central Government contributed an additional $2.5 million to allow the events centre facility to meet Rugby World Cup 2011 standards.
The new facility was designed by Copeland Associates Architects and built by Argon Construction. It was officially opened by His Excellency The Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand the Governor-General of New Zealand one year after completion on 28 May 2011.
Prior to the redevelopment Okara Park as it was known, was predominantly used for rugby union events and managed by the Northland Rugby Union.
The old facilities served the Whangarei region for the previous 40 years but had reached the end of their economic life.
The old grandstand built in 1965 was not up to the required standard to host high quality sporting fixtures, concerts, cultural events or major functions.
While Northland Rugby is an anchor tenant for the stadium, this is no longer the focus of the event centre.
The event centre provides opportunities for the Northland region to have a quality, well planned and fully equipped venue for major sporting, entertainment, cultural and family events.
The venue has a capacity of 18,500.
Governance/ Management
The Northland Events Centre Trust was formally established in 2010 upon the completion of the stadium redevelopment to administer the Events Centre and the Trust Assets. It must do this on a prudent and commercial basis and endeavour to make it a successful and financially autonomous community asset.
The Trust is also charged to exhibit and provide a sense of social and environmental responsibility having regard to the interests of the community as a whole.
In 2011 the Northland Events Centre Trust and the Whangarei District Council entered in to an agreement for the provision of services for the Management, IT, Human Resource and Financial Management functions of the business. These services are now provided to the Trust by Whangarei District Council.