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Taihape Memorial Park Grandstand

Partners: Taihape Heritage Trust – Grandstand Sub-Committee, Taihape Memorial Park Management and Users Group

Timeline: Report due spring 2022

Constructed in 1924 the Grandstand was designed by Oscar Jorgenson and paid for by local farmers.

A detailed seismic assessment was completed in July 2021 which concluded that when in use, the grandstand has a New Building Standard (NBS) of 17% and needs to be strengthened.

The Grandstand remains open to the public and signs have been put up to warn the public about the danger, leaving it to users to choose whether they use the building.

In late 2022, a report outlining the full costs of strengthening the building went to Council for consideration. Next, there will be a public conversation about fundraising to cover heritage-related costs that are over and above strengthening the structure.

Updates

December 2023

Council Staff have been exploring what sort of improvements can be achieved within $1million. We have since had discussions with structural engineers and were told that it is achievable if the scope of works were limited to the following:

  • Repair and restore elements that have been subject to deterioration, decay or weather damage, including cleaning and protective coatings (paint,etc)
  • Seismically strengthen the building to above 34%NBS
  • Repairs and replacement of rotten timbers as surveyed by Fred Hammer in March2021
  • Re-nail all weatherboards with 2no. nails at each joint position. Alternatively, 2no screws at each joint position is also a possible solution for further analysis. These double fixings will enable the external cladding to act as a much stiffer membrane.
  • Replace the roofing, including removal of the existing bird proofing and clean-up of the structure.
  • Install additional structural bracing and purlins in the roof to meet current codes
  • Strengthen existing joints to the sloping seating structure with Bowmax brackets or similar.
  • Reconstruct and refit stairs and circulation routes to meet current building consent requirements for egress in case of emergency
  • Remove, make safe or replace obsolete electrical and plumbing services

These suggestions are from preliminary studies and a more detailed investigations are required before this can be presented to the council for consideration.

January 2023

Thanks to the efforts of the Taihape Heritage Group, the Taihape Memorial Park Grandstand has been granted Category 2 heritage building status by Heritage New Zealand.

Heritage New Zealand have found that the Grandstand reflects the development of sports and recreation amenities in Aotearoa New Zealand and is closely connected to the history of club rugby in our country. The Grandstand is architecturally significant and is of considerable social significance to the Taihape community.


Taihape Grandstand