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| Former names | Palmerston North Showgrounds, Manawatu Sports Stadium, Arena Manawatu, FMG Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Palmerston North Central,Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 40°21′24″S175°36′4″E / 40.35667°S 175.60111°E /-40.35667; 175.60111 |
| Owner | Palmerston North City Council |
| Capacity | 15,000 (Arena 1) 5,000 (Arena 2) 2,000 (Arena 3) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 1886 |
| Renovated | March 2005 |
| Rebuilt | April 1981 |
| Tenants | |
| Hurricanes Manawatu Turbos Robertson Prestige International Speedway Wellington Phoenix Manawatu rugby league team | |
Central Energy Trust Arena is the current name of the 180,000 square meter publicly owned recreational complex just west of thePalmerston North city center in theManawatū-Whanganui region ofNew Zealand.
It has three linked indoor stadiums with movable tiered seating. Outdoor facilities includefootball fields and a speedway track with a grandstand.
In June 2015, FMG Insurance chose not to renew the sponsorship deal for the main stadium name.[1]
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 thePalmerston North City Council.[2]
Central Energy Trust Arena has a capacity of 15,000.[3] Temporary seating is added for major events, allowing the capacity to reach 20,000.
Central Energy Trust Arena is home toManawatu Rugby. It is the home ground of theManawatu Turbos, and also generally hosts one club game per week. Playing in theAir New Zealand Cup, crowd attendances at Turbos' games have been among the highest in the competition, averaging 7,000 per game.[4]
Central Energy Trust Arena was formerly known asArena 1 andFMG Stadium. It was the venue for the first everSuper 12 rugby match in 1996, which was played by theWellington Hurricanes and theAuckland Blues.
The stadium was the host of the1987 Rugby World Cup game betweenWales andTonga on 29 May.Wales won 29–16.
The ground was a venue for theBritish & Irish Lions on the2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand with a game againstManawatu Turbos on 28 June.
On 28 March 2009, TheHighlanders played a Super Rugby 'home' game at Central Energy Trust Arena against theBulls. 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 the2011 Rugby World Cup, in whichNew Zealand 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 which theAll Blacks used to use), the idea of basing a team and having a pool game inPalmerston North was attractive.
On 18 March 2016, TheHurricanes played another Super Rugby 'home' game at Central Energy Trust Arena against theWestern Force. The game attracted a crowd of over 8,000.
The stadium hosted its first rugby league test match whenNew Zealand lost toGreat Britain 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 the1992 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. In front of 11,548 fans, the Kiwis defeated Great Britain 15-14 after a lateDaryl Halligan field goal.
Palmerston North also hosted the second game of the 1993 Trans-Tasman series againstAustralia, played on a water-logged ground after constant rain. Despite the arctic like conditions, an overflow crowd of 19,000 hardy fans saw theMal Meninga 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.[5]
| Game# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 June 1990 |  Great Britain def. New Zealand 11-10 | 8,073 | 1990 New Zealand vs Great Britain series |
| 2 | 12 July 1992 | New Zealand def. Great Britain 15-14 | 11,548 | 1992 New Zealand vs Great Britain series |
| 3 | 25 June 1993 |  Australia def. New Zealand 16-8 | 19,500 | 1993Trans-Tasman Test series |
| 4 | 16 June 1995 | New Zealand drew with France 16-16 | 10,846 | 1995 New Zealand vs France series |
| 5 | 11 October 1996 | New Zealand def. Papua New Guinea 64-0 | 2,000 | 1996 New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea series |
| 6 | 25 October 1996 | New Zealand def. Great Britain 18-15 | 12,000 | 1996 New Zealand vs Great Britain series |
The site has been used as amotorcycle speedway venue for many years. Originally known as Palmerston North Showgrounds speedway track, it hosted several important events, including a qualifying round of theSpeedway World Championship in 1976,[6][7] and theNew Zealand Solo Championship in 1949, 1962, 1963, 1969 and 1975.[8]
Today it is called the Robertson Holden International Speedway, with a 434 metres (475 yards) 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.
TheYoungHeart Manawatuassociation football team used to play at the ground, however they have since moved toMemorial Park, Palmerston North.
Central Energy Trust Arena hosted theWellington Phoenix association football team in a home game againstSydney FC on 12 December 2009 in theHyundai A-League.
Central Energy Trust Arena was twice host of Te Matatini nationwide Kapa haka competition.
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 theCentral Pulse home matches in Palmerston North and International netball fixtures between New Zealand and Australia; international motor shows; conferences and houses the home court to theManawatu Jets who play in theNew Zealand National Basketball League. The arena has also played host to internationalbasketball, hosting theNew Zealand Tall Blacks on occasions, including theFIBA Oceania Championship. For sponsorship reasons, the arena is known as the Fly Palmy Arena.[9]
Arena 3 has a floor area of 2100 square metres and is an indoor sports centre. It has a capacity of 2,000 persons.
Arena 5 includes Bell Hall, Barber Hall, Waldegrave Lounge and gym.
Arena 6 has the Outdoor No. 2, 3 & 4 sports grounds.
The B&M Centre is a multipurpose indoor stadium.
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.[10]
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:
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 variousmilitary 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:
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 1500Charlton Automatic Rifles, a successful New Zealand conversion of obsoleteLee–Metford andLee–Enfield rifles into an automatic rifle.
