A crowd of keen netball players gathered at the gates of the newly upgraded Victoria Domain site on Saturday, 19 July, when Taharakau Stewart, representing Rongowhakaata, blessed the new and improved sporting hub.
The upgrades include seven new asphalt courts, freshly painted netball line markings, new netball poles and 16-metre-high floodlights. The old netball tower, which was demolished earlier this year, has been replaced by a temporary pavilion.
These upgrades are part of the region’s Community Facilities ‘Early Win’ initiatives, ensuring Victoria Domain remains a central hub for local sport.
Moera Brown, chair of Victoria Sports and Recreation Hub, led players and supporters around the new courts as part of the opening. Netball stalwart, Sherrill Beale, shot the first goal at the courts, marking a new era for the sports hub.
Senior, secondary and intermediate netball players took to the new courts straight after the opening celebrations at 9am. For the first eight weeks of the 2025 competition, players in these grades competed at Gisborne Girls High School while work was underway to upgrade Victoria Domain.
In December last year, Trust Tairāwhiti approved up to $6.9 million to fund phase one of the Victoria Domain upgrades, the largest investment the Trust has ever made.