"This is going to be something pretty special for our community," trustee Adair Craik said.
"We see the potential because we’ve gone around and seen these places up and down New Zealand and there’s just such a vast amount of opportunities for not just our children, our next generation, it’s our current generations as well."
Alongside the six timber-sprung courts, the centre will have a multi-purpose room for cricket, archery and other codes.
The planned multipurpose room would provide a "harder wearing surface" than the timber-sprung courts, she said.
Among the centre’s conference rooms will be one that can be used for e-sports.
Ms Craik said the new centre should attract major events to Oamaru, something it struggled with.
One example was the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand, planning its annual national conference in the event centre, she said.
"That’s over 1000 people ... so that’s a big thing for us to have that."
Fellow trustee Deidre Senior said the facility would generate plenty of opportunities.
In planning for the new centre, they had researched the "growth sports" in New Zealand.
"From all the research we’ve done, the growth sports are actually volleyball, basketball, futsal and pickleball.
"They’re the sports that are currently restricted or not available in our community."
There was also an opportunity for kapa haka, which was heavily restricted in the current venue, the Waitaki Community Recreation Centre.
