Now Dunedin is getting one just like it.
Otago Hockey Association general manager Andy McLean said the old turf at the Alexander McMillan Hockey Centre, in Harbour Tce, was removed late last year, and is being replaced with Poligras Paris GT zero.
Contractors started laying rubber underlay on the 10,000sqm hockey fields last week, in preparation for the "top of the line" surface to be layed on top.
The blue-coloured topping was developed for the Paris 2024 Olympics and 80% of it is made from sugarcane, using green energy, and it can be used to play in wet or dry conditions.
The Paris turf features a new and proprietary friction-reducing technology called Turf Glide, which reduces friction and abrasion, allowing the turf to meet the International Hockey Federation standards for dry hockey.
When dry, the turf not only plays better than sand-based turf, it also requires less water to lubricate the turf for elite hockey.
Mr McLean said the new turf would be a major upgrade from the previous turf in terms of the quality of the surface, and would help to attract Hockey New Zealand tournaments and events.
"It’s the latest version. It's the top of the line product, up-to-date today.
"We'll definitely have a facility capable of attracting pretty much any level of hockey, so that'll definitely be the intention — to get our hands on as much high profile hockey as we can."
He hoped the new surface would be ready for hockey matches next month.
He said it had been more than a decade since the turf on both fields had been replaced, and they were well past their use-by date.
The old turf had been given away to anyone who wanted to repurpose it for things like playgrounds, dog kennels or low maintenance back lawns.
The new surface was expected to last for the next 10-12 years.
