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Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square metre publicly owned recreational complex just west of the
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
city centre in the
Manawatū-Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui (; spelled Manawatu-Wanganui prior to 2019) is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawat ...
region of
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. It has three linked indoor
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
s, with movable tiered seating. Outdoor facilities include
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
fields and a speedway track with
grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...
. In June 2015, FMG insurance chose not to renew the sponsorship deal for the main Stadium name.


History

Originally founded in 1886 as the Palmerston North Showgrounds its pavilion burnt down in a fire in 1977. It was replaced with a new stand and the ground was reopened in 1981 as the Manawatu Sports Stadium. Since 1973 it has been owned by the
Palmerston North City Council Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
.


Arena 1: Central Energy Trust Arena


Capacity

Central Energy Trust Arena has a capacity of 15,000. Temporary seating is added for major events allowing the capacity to reach 20,000. Central Energy Trust Arena is home to Manawatu Rugby. It is home ground of the Manawatu Turbos, and also generally hosts one club game per week. Playing in the
Air New Zealand Cup The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
, crowd attendances at Turbos' games have been among the highest in the competition, averaging 7,000 per game.


History

Central Energy Trust Arena formerly known as Arena 1 and FMG Stadium was the venue for the first ever
Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
rugby match in 1996, which was played by the
Wellington Hurricanes The Hurricanes ( ; formerly the Wellington Hurricanes) is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Wellington that competes in Super Rugby. The Hurricanes were formed to represent the lower North Island, including the East Coast, H ...
and the
Auckland Blues The Blues (known as the Auckland Blues from 1996 to 2000) is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by ...
. The Stadium was the host of the
1987 Rugby World Cup The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – New Zealand hosted 21 matches (17 pool stage matches, two quarter-finals, the third-place play-off and the final) while Australia hosted 11 ...
game between
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
and
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
on 29 May.
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
won 29–16. The ground was a venue for the
British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...
on the
2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand In 2005, the British & Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing seven matches against first and second division teams from the National Provincial Championship, one match against the New Zealand Mao ...
with a game against Manawatu Turbos on 28 June. On 28 March 2009, The Highlanders played a Super Rugby 'home' game at Central Energy Trust Arena against the Bulls. The game attracted a large crowd of over 10,000 -- one of the Highlanders' biggest of the 2009 season. On 4 September 2011, The Manawatu Turbos hosted the Hawkes Bay Magpies in the ITM Championship Cup Final at Central Energy Trust Arena. Crowd attendance was 13,100. The stadium hosted two pool games in the
2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...
, in which
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
was the host nation. With the city's central location, large student population, the stadium's close proximity to the CBD, International Pacific College, as well as the New Zealand Rugby Institute (a facility in which the
All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...
used to use), the idea of basing a team and having a pool game in
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
was attractive. On 18 March 2016, The
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
played another Super Rugby 'home' game at Central Energy Trust Arena against the
Western Force The Western Force is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia, currently competing in Super Rugby Pacific. They previously played in Super Rugby from 2006 until they were axed from the competition in 2017. ...
. The game attracted a crowd of over 8,000.


Rugby league

The stadium hosted its first rugby league test match when
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
lost to
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
11–10 on 24 June 1990 in front of 8,073 fans. The stadium hosted New Zealand Kiwis' victory in their first rugby league test of the
1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand The 1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia was a tour by the Great Britain national rugby league team, nicknamed the 'Lions', of Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand which took place between May and July 1992. The tour was the last of ...
. In front of 11,548 fans, the Kiwis defeated Great Britain 15-14 after a late
Daryl Halligan Daryl John Halligan (born 25 July 1966) is a rugby league commentator and former professional player. A New Zealand international winger, he was the pre-eminent goal-kicker of his era, retiring as the highest point scorer in Australian premiers ...
field goal. Palmerston North also hosted the second game of the 1993 Trans-Tasman series against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, played on a water-logged ground after constant rain. Despite the arctic like conditions, an overflow crowd of 19,000 hardy fans saw the
Mal Meninga Malcolm Norman Meninga (; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Australian national team and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the fin ...
led Aussies run out 16-8 winners. Overall, the stadium hosted six test matches between 1990 and 1996. Its last test to date saw New Zealand defeat Great Britain 18–15 on 25 October 1996 in front of 12,000 fans.


Rugby league Test matches

List of Test matches played at Palmerston North.


Other sports

Other users of the stadium include the Robertson Holden International Speedway, with the
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...
track encircling the field. The national Teams Championships have been held there, early February bringing racers from all over the country. The season starts mid-October and finishes by the start of May. The YoungHeart Manawatu
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team used to play at the ground, however they have since moved to Memorial Park,
Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
. Central Energy Trust Arena hosted the
Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
association football team in a home game against
Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was fo ...
on 12 December 2009 in the
Hyundai A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
. Central Energy Trust Arena was twice host of Te Matatini nationwide Kapa haka competition.


Arena 2

Redeveloped in 2004, Arena 2 is a multipurpose indoor sporting facility, capable of holding exhibitions, conventions and entertainment events. It has been the host of the
Central Pulse Central Pulse are a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Central in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Central is the governing body that r ...
home matches in Palmerston North and International netball fixtures between New Zealand and Australia; international motor shows; conferences and houses the home court to the
Manawatu Jets The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Pro ...
who play in the
New Zealand National Basketball League The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand. In 1981, a group of club and provincial teams came together to create a men's national basketball league. The following year, the league was b ...
. The arena has also played host to international
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, hosting the New Zealand Tall Blacks on occasions including the
FIBA Oceania Championship FIBA Oceania Championship was the Oceania basketball championships that took place every two years between national teams of the continent. Through the 2015 edition, the Oceania Championship was also a qualifying tournament for the Basketball ...
. For sponsorship reasons, the arena is known as the Fly Palmy Arena.


Arena 3

Arena 3 has a floor area of 2100 sq m and is an indoor sports centre. It has a capacity of 2,000 persons.


B&M Centre

Multipurpose indoor stadium.


Arena 5

Includes Bell Hall, Barber Hall, Waldegrave Lounge and gym.


Arena 6

Outdoor. No. 2, 3 & 4 sports grounds.


Military Use

The Palmerston North Showgrounds have had a long military association, which saw it recognised as a Place of Remembrance by the Palmerston North City Council and the New Zealand Poppy Places Trust in 2019. From the early 1900s the Palmerston North Showgrounds was the venue for various Military Tournaments, with Boxing Day Military displays popular with the local community. Examples of Military Tournaments held at the Palmerston North Showgrounds were: * 2 February 1901, the Imperial Representative Corps paraded in the Square with the Manawatu Mounted Rifles and the Palmerston North Rifles.  The parade concluded at the Showgrounds with military displays. * 9 November 1908, The Wellington Engineer Volunteers participated in a Military Tournament at the show grounds where they engaged in an improvised bridge-building display. * 3 January 1911, a large Naval and Military Tournament took place at the Palmerston North Showgrounds with crowds numbering 7,000 to 8,000. During the 1st World War the showgrounds were used as a remount depot for the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and as a stop-over location for men passing through Palmerston North as they transited to other various military camps around New Zealand. On 19 July 1919, the showgrounds were the venue for Palmerston Norths celebrations marking the end of World War One. After a parade around the Square followed by speeches watched by a crowd of about 7,000 including 800 children from all the local schools. During the Second World War the Showgrounds were requisitioned for military use for the duration of the war by the New Zealand Army, and was by the following units: * The 28th (Māori) Battalion was formed at the Showgrounds on 25 January 1940, and after initial training for three months en-trained at the Palmerston North Railway Station on 2 May 1940 for overseas service, * The Manawatu Mounted Rifles, * Headquarters 2 Brigade, * Headquarters 4 Division, * No 2 Company,
New Zealand Army Service Corps The Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT) was a corps within the New Zealand Army that provided logistical support to combat and combat support elements of the Army. Tracing its history back to 1910 when the New Zealand Army Service Corps ( ...
, and * No 2 Ordnance Sub Depot,
New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps The New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) was a Corps whose function was to provide, receive, store, repair, maintain, and issue: ordnance stores, vehicles, ammunition, foodstuffs, and ammunition. Ordnance Organisations had previously existed i ...
from 1942 to 1945. On 31 December 1944 a large fire occurred in the building occupied by Ordnance Depot, destroying Halls 1, 2, and 3 and causing stock losses of £225,700 ($18,639,824.86 at 2018 value), including around 1500 Charlton Automatic Rifles, a successful New Zealand conversion of obsolete
Lee–Metford The Lee–Metford rifle (a.k.a. ''Magazine Lee–Metford'', abbreviated ''MLM'') was a bolt-action British army service rifle, combining James Paris Lee's rear-locking bolt system and detachable magazine with an innovative seven groove rifled ba ...
and
Lee–Enfield The Lee–Enfield or Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the British Army's st ...
rifles into an automatic rifle.


References

{{Super Rugby stadiums Indoor arenas in New Zealand Boxing venues in New Zealand Athletics (track and field) venues in New Zealand Speedway venues in New Zealand Netball venues in New Zealand Rugby union stadiums in New Zealand Sports venues in Palmerston North Basketball venues in New Zealand Association football venues in New Zealand