Palmerston North City Council is progressing plans for a new Air Dome facility on the green space at the corner of Cuba and Pascal Streets.
The new facility will help meet growing demand for indoor court space across the city and support Palmerston North’s role as a major regional sporting and events hub.
Why we need a new Arena
In 2024, Council commissioned the Multi-use Indoor Courts and Covered Outdoors Courts Study. This study confirmed the need for additional indoor court space to meet growing community demand.
This need for additional courts has also been highlighted through feedback from the community, commercial users, national sporting bodies and tournament organisers.
Many national sporting events require more court space to operate successfully. These events bring significant benefits to the city’s hospitality, retail and accommodation sectors.
To help meet future demand and support the city’s ability to retain and attract major events, Council approved funding for the project through the Long-term Plan (2024-34).
The new facility will provide four additional indoor courts and help reduce pressure on Arenas 3 and 4, which are used heavily by local sporting codes and the community.
View the Arena Masterplan (PDF, 13MB)(PDF, 13MB)
What the new facility will include
The facility will feature timber sprung floors – an important requirement strongly advocated for by local sporting organisations to ensure courts are suitable for a broad range of sports and competitions.
The air dome approach allows Council to deliver the project faster and at a lower cost than a traditional building, while still providing a high-quality playing environment.
Safety, noise and durability
The Air Dome membrane material is fire-retardant, meaning it is designed to slow and suppress the spread of fire. The facility will also include fire protection systems that meet all relevant building and fire safety requirements.
The structure is highly resistant to sharp objects and punctures, helping reduce concerns around vandalism and accidental damage.
The Air Dome’s mechanical systems must operate continuously to maintain air pressure within the structure. Noise impacts will be carefully considered during the design process, including the placement of mechanical plant away from nearby residential areas where possible and design features which could minimise noise.
Project timeline and next steps
Councillors approved the procurement of a main contractor to design and build an Air Dome facility in May 2026.
The Design and Build tender was released in September 2026, and we’re hoping to be in a position to announce the successful main contractor by late 2026.
The key milestones are:
- May 2026 – Councillors approve moving forward with procurement of a main contractor to design and build an Air Dome facility
- September 2026 – Design and Build tender released
- Late 2026 – Main contractor announced
- Early 2027 – Civil and enabling works expected to begin
- 2027 – Main construction programme, with timing to be confirmed
- 2028 – Project expected to be completed
Once the successful contractor is appointed, we’ll be able to provide a more detailed construction programme and confirm key project milestones.
Enabling works
Before the main Air Dome construction begins, some civil and enabling works will be required to prepare the site.
These works are expected to begin from early 2027.
We’re not expecting significant disruption to everyday activity across the Arena precinct during the early work. If this changes, we’ll provide advance notice to Arena users, nearby residents and businesses.
Working with sports groups and the community
Council has been working with a user group made up of sports organisations and community groups that currently use the Arena facilities, or are expected to use the new Arena, to make sure the new facility meets the community’s needs.
Feedback from Arena users has helped inform the requirements for the new facility, including the need for timber sprung flooring.
Managing impacts during construction
We’ll work to minimise disruption across the Arena precinct during construction.
We know people may have questions about how the Air Dome will look, parking and access, construction noise, operational noise, landscaping and security.
More detail on these areas will become available as the design and construction programme develops.
At this stage, we’re not expecting significant disruption to everyday Arena activity during the early civil and enabling works. If that changes, we’ll provide advance notice.
Access to other Arena facilities is expected to remain available throughout the project, although there may be temporary changes to parking, pedestrian routes or vehicle access at different stages of construction.
We’ll continue to share updates as the project progresses.