Dunedin’s biggest sporting codes have joined forces with the Edgar Centre calling for the council to act sooner rather than later, saying the leaky roof is leading to last-minute cancellations and putting player safety at risk.
The submitters called for funding to be included in the council’s 2025-34 long-term plan and warned if nothing was done, the city would be unable to attract large sport competitions.
Edgar Centre manager Blair Crawford said in his long-term plan submission the estimated $15 million cost of fixing the roof was good value for money compared to building a new facility.
He said the Edgar Centre was a major community asset, and that it ‘‘arguably had more connectivity’’ for Dunedin locals than Forsyth Barr Stadium.
‘‘I’ve seen first hand how vital this facility is - it’s a central hub for sport and recreation in Dunedin, and protecting its future is essential.’’
He said it was not just investment in a roof, but investment in the community, young athletes and Dunedin’s ability to host events.
If the roof was replaced, the building would be able to continue for another 50 years, Mr Crawford said.
Mr Crawford and the team at the Edgar Centre calculated a large national tournament could bring in about $1million to the city through hospitality, accommodation and services.
He said it was very important for Dunedin to be able to hold a tournament uninterrupted.
‘‘To have a day interrupted where there is rain and the roof is leaking and courts can’t be used is a significant disruption, and that has happened, unfortunately.
‘‘The long-term solution is to replace the roof.’’
The Edgar Centre submission was supported by numerous sporting organisations, such as Sport Otago, Dunedin Netball, Basketball Otago, Volleyball Otago, Football South and many more.
Letters of support from the 10 other organisations all state the leaking roof is a health and safety hazard.
Many organisations had matches and games cancelled as a result of the leaks.
In Basketball Otago’s letter of support, general manager Jodi Brown wrote that for the past four years, Basketball New Zealand has not allocated the city any national tournaments due to the uncertainty the leaking roof causes and the possibility of significant disruptions.
‘‘As a result, our younger athletes are facing costs of over $1000 per year to attend national tournaments elsewhere.’’
Dunedin Netball general manager Lee-Anne Anderson wrote in her letter of support the Edgar Centre housed the only court facilities available in Dunedin that could accommodate more than 3500 netball players, coaches and officials every season.
‘‘Problems with the Edgar Centre’s leaking roof and condensation issues have been well publicised over the years.’’
She said there had been meetings with various council staff over the years with maintenance plans proposed and some remedial work completed on the roof.
‘‘The work that has been done, however, has not prevented roof leaks in any kind of rain event.
‘‘When leaking appears on courts, either wood or turf, it creates a dangerous health and safety slipping hazard.’’
Dunedin Netball held six season-long competitions across four days of the week in 2024, with a total of 293 teams participating.
During the season, they were forced to cancel 34 games due to unsafe conditions caused by the leaking roof.
A further 54 were delayed or moved.
