A new home for athletics after devastating earthquake

IAAF Class 1 Rekortan Gel track in Christchurch, New Zealand.

On 22 February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook Christchurch destroying the city’s major sporting facilities. As a replacement the Christchurch City Council built the 32-hectare Nga Puna Wai Sports Hub.

Polytan New Zealand, a member of Sport Group, took a major role in this huge development. Polytan was the lead designer and principal contractor for the athletics track, and lead designer and subcontractor for the hockey pitches and tennis courts.

The most advanced track system in the world

The Christchurch City Council selected a Rekortan G13 track. The G13 is the only gel track system in the world and is a step change in athlete and environmental welfare:

Made from 84% renewable/recyclable content
Little to no change in force reduction over wide temperature range
Industry leading technology for shock absorption and energy return.

As a solid mass of polyurethane, the G13 is also a breakthrough in installation and longevity because it is far less susceptible to any form of moisture damage during installation and over the course of its life.

Christchurch athletes follow a golden path

2019 is the 50th anniversary of Rekortan which means the track stars, the up & coming racers and the community runners in Christchurch are now part of this golden story.

They follow in the footsteps of legends such as Carl Lewis (1984 LA Olympics), Michael Johnson (1993 Stuttgart World Championships) and Christian Coleman (100m in 9.85 seconds in at the 2019 Diamond League in Oslo) and many others who have all preformed glittering miracles on Rekortan.

Rekortan is supplied by Sport Group’s companies Polytan in EMEA and Asia Pacific, APT in North America and Asia Pacific and AstroTurf in North America.

“G13 is a breakthrough in installation and longevity because it is far less susceptible to any form of moisture damage during installation and over the course of its life.”

Scope of work – details

Given the scale of the Nga Puna Wai project, a collaborative approach was required which included a large project team including the City Council, their representatives (Aecom and Beca), HEB Construction and their subcontractors and Polytan. The successful completion of this facility is testament to all involved and a credit to the people of Christchurch.

Venue

Nga Puna Wai Sports Hub

Location

Christchurch, New Zealand

Surfaces installed

IAAF class 1 athletics track (Rekortan)
1 x FIH Global Elite hockey pitch (Poligras)
1 x FIH Global hockey pitch (Poligras)
12 x ITF Class 1 tennis courts (Laykold)

Track system

Rekortan G13, supplied by Polytan

1 x nine lane athletics track with 10 lane front and rear sprint facilities
External long/triple jump facilities, internal water jump, high jump, javelin, shot put, discus, hammer