Parakiore is completed and handed over.

Christchurch’s long-awaited Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre has officially been handed over from the Crown to the Christchurch City Council. When it opens and it is scheduled to do so before the end of the year.

Parakiore will be the largest facility of its kind in New Zealand. It will include a 50-metre competition pool, a dedicated dive pool, a suite of hydroslides and leisure pools, and multiple indoor courts, including a show court with seating for 2500 spectators.

The centre is projected to bring tens of millions of dollars each year into the city. “We just can’t wait to complete the fit-out and get the doors open to the community,” Mayor Mauger said. “Parakiore is going to be absolutely amazing for everyone, you can do it all under one roof: swim, dive, dance, shoot hoops, play pickleball, the choice is yours.” The facility is set to host the Special Olympics National Summer Games, starting on December 10.

“Christchurch is on a roll,” Mauger said, “and with Parakiore right at the heart of the city, it’s already contributing to that momentum.”

A New Era for Diving in Canterbury

For the diving community, this moment is deeply personal. Christchurch once had a thriving diving scene, but since the 2011 earthquake and the loss of QEII, diving has been without a home and an entire generation missed the opportunity to grow up in the sport.

Now, for the first time in over a decade, we’re not just bringing diving back, we’re bringing it back in the best facility in the country.

Parakiore’s dedicated dive pool, world-class infrastructure and central location will give every young person in Canterbury the chance to learn to dive, build deep-water confidence, master a manu or bomb, or train towards the world stage.

For us, as coaches, athletes and parents who care deeply about this sport, it’s hard to overstate the excitement and gratitude. This is more than a building, it’s the beginning of a new legacy. A place where our community can come together, where tamariki and rangatahi can dream bigger than ever, and where Christchurch once again becomes a home to great divers.

And we can’t wait to open the doors.